So You Think You Can Dance??

Another great moment that day caught on camera. Sydney loves to dance.

The Next American Idol

The kids always do the funniest things and I never have the camera close by to catch it on video. This is one of those moments I am glad I got a chance to get on video.

Here is our next Amreican Idol.

Beach Trip with Nana

So we made another spontaneous trip the beach and Nana came along with us this time. It gets easier and easier each time we go. It really is great that the kids can help tote their things.
Let me just say that my mom(aka Nana) hates the heat and hates the sand, yet she loves these kids so much that she didnt hesitate to join us. We had so much fun. Parker could not stay out of the water. Nana and Sydney went for stroll down the beach. We all dug up cocquinas and then watched them dig back into the sand. (thanks Grandpa Jensen for teaching me about them).
Check out the suits the kids are sporting. They got them for their birthday.

Breakfast with Elmo and Friends at Sea World

As a gift for the kids birthday we purchased tickets to Breakfast with Elmo and Friends at Sea World. It was a breakfast buffet..anything you could imagine. Yum Yum Yum. Even better than the food was the entertainment. It was so much fun. The kids thought they met the biggest movie stars ever.

Then after breakfast we stuck around Sea World to go to the Elmo and Abby Lost Treasure show. After the show the kids had the opportunity to meet with Elmo again. Mommy and Daddy even got a chance to ride the Kraken before we headed out to attend Mady's 1st bday party.

Here are some videos from that day. Click on the slideshow on the right to see the other pics from that day.

Parker's First Love

On the day we had Breakfast with Elmo and Friends at Sea World, Parker met his first love. One of the pearl divers at Sea World. She started blowing him kisses and he made sure to blow them back. Check out these funny video clips.

First Earrings

Here is a pic of Sydney with her first earrings...some clips ons that came with her beautiful movie star outfit that her Auntie Carrie sent her.

There are some more pics in the slideshow.

Easter Sunday

Church service on Easter Sunday started an hour later than our usual 9am church service. This was great because this gave us some extra time for the kids to hunt for their Easter baskets(oh and Daddy had one too, of course). They also opened a package their Auntie Carrie sent them from California.

After a great church service, it was home for a quick nap and then we went to MeeMaw and Papa's for an early dinner. Yum Yum Yummy!

Then they got a chance to go on another Easter Egg Hunt.

Easter Eggstravaganza

The Saturday before Easter was a great day! At 10 am the kids attended the Remington Park Annual Easter Egg Hunt--this is our neighborhoods egg hunt. This was their first official easter Egg Hunt and they caught on right away. Don't tell Parker but Sydney got close to twice as many eggs as he did.

After lunch and a short nap, we made our way to Dave and Val's Easter Eggstravaganza, I don't know if you remember from last year(if not you can check back about this time last year on the blog)but we had the best time at this Easter event. Well this year was even better than last year. Last year the kids weren't walking yet and this year they are running everywhere. Sydney did not stop bouncing and Parker did not stop sliding for almost 6 hours straight. Parker insists on sliding on his belly so ended up with a nice rug burn mark on his nose(great for Easter pics). Like last year it was such a great time and great food with friends and family. We truly are blessed.

SPRING VACATION 2009

The weekend after the kids 2nd birthday we packed up and took our spring vacation to North Carolina. We drove through the night on Friday evening. The kids slept most of the trip up there.

The first day we were there was a little rainy which was really nice. Nothing like rain on a tin roof. What a perfect excuse to be lazy. The kids felt at home right away.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous!!

Throughout the week we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway..it was BEAUTIFUL. We drove up to Mt. Mitchell where it was literally freezing and so windy. We got out of the car and then got right back in. The altitude at Mt. Mitchell is 6578 ft.

We hung out by Lake Lure where the Parker chased the geese and the kids got to play on the playground.








Sydney had her first fishing lesson with Daddy.

We explored MeeMaw and Papas property.

We went window shopping in Hendersonville and stopped to eat at our favorite sandwich/soda shop.

We visited the hands-on children's museum in Rutherfordton, KidSense. The kids got to drive a fire truck, fly a jet, shop in a store just their size, read the news, and cook and clean in a kid size restaurant. We had so much fun.

Its definitely been hard getting back to reality.

Baby Dedication

The day after their birthday, Parker and Sydney, were dedicated to Jesus. This is where the Pastor calls us in front of the congregation and he says a special prayer for them and for us in raising them. Parker let Pastor Kevin hold him. They also received their first Bibles.

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Here are some pics of them waiting in the lobby for Pastor Kevin to call our names.

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After church, the kids took a ride on their new trikes. Parker can't reach his pedals but that doesn't stop him from getting around.

Sea World Fun

Parker and Sydney turn "2"

March 21st, Parker and Sydney turned two. It worked out this year that their birthday was on a Saturday so we were able to have their party on their actual birthday.
We had a pretty normal day to start. When they went down for their nap, we did the decorating so when they woke up there was Elmo everywhere. The kids actually helped make some of the decorations. It was a BBQ with some friends and family. The kids favorite part was the bounce house/obstacle course. We really are so blessed. Our friends, Kenny and Monique's little boy, Kristian just turned 1 in December and his grandparents bought him it for his birthday. They were so generous and let us borrow it for their party. THANK YOU! All the little ones in attendance were ecstatic.
Parker and Sydney played in that thing until it was dark.
They received so many great gifts and enjoyed eating cake and ice cream too. Nana, MeeMaw, and Papa bought them tricycles so they have been very excited to use those.
You can check out more birthday pics in the slideshow.

Sea World

Here are some pics from our recent trips to Sea World.

The kids LOVE it.

They love the animals and just spending time outdoors. They can't get enough of the carousel and they got a chance to ride on their first "big kid" ride, Jazzie Jellies!

Parker was devastated when he found out that he couldn't ride on the roller coaster. He says, "Ride roller coaster?? Circle, Circle. Weeeeeeeee!! "

Getting SOOOOOOOO big......continued

The kids will be two tomorrow. I just cant believe it. As exciting as it is to enter each new stage I do find myself wondering where the times has gone. When did they become kids? What happened to my babies?
With each new day the kids show off their knowledge and skills.
They continue to be so different yet their bond keeps growing stronger.
They love to play together AND fight together.
They chase each other around. They play ring around the rosies. They laugh. They bounce in their cribs.
Parker is a non-stop talker these days..two, three, and four word phrases. Talk Talk Talk!
Sydney can practically dress herself and puts her own shoes on. She is talking to using two word phrases.
They both know how to identify all kinds of shapes. They see shapes in our everyday world and let you know it. They can even tell you what shape a stop sign is. They can tell you that a red light means stop and green light means go.
They both like to count. Parker can count to ten by himself and can count a little in spanish too. Sydney can count to ten with very little help.
They both feed themselves quite well.
Sydney is the neat eater and Parker a messy eater. HAHA.
Parker is picky and Sydney will try and eat almost anything.
Sydney holds a marker, pen, and crayon like a kindergartener.
Parker memorizes poems, songs, and nursery rhymes and tries to say them with you when you read or sing them.
They love singing and dancing any chance they get.
They are so much.
I am so ready for the big party.

Getting SOOOOOO big

During our visit to New Hampshire, Auntie Erica set up her home studio and took some great pictures of the kids! Thank you, Auntie Erica!!! If you click on the picture of Parker and Sydney in black and white on the right side of the blog, you can see a slide show of more pictures.

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Lots of exciting events in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned....

Beach trip

Ok, so Patrick has been super busy between preparing for classes he has been teaching or preparing for the annual trade show. My mom and I went for a quick trip to Sarasota this past weekend to visit GiGi(My Grandma)and Aunt Jan. We didn't get any pics of that trip though. Since Daddy has really been busy, he was in need of some QT time with the family. He decided a trip to the beach would suit us fine. So we packed it up headed off.
It was just what the Dr. ordered. We had such a great time. Although our previous trips to the beach were tons of fun they were also combined with chaos. All of which ended in us carrying two heavy babies along with a TON of beach gear. I would not trade those experiences for the world. The one that sticks out most in my mind is when the kids weren't walking but they were crawling everywhere. It was time to leave and I put Parker and Sydney on the blanket and then proceeded to pick up our beach umbrella. Well actually the beach umbrella almost picked me up. The wind caught it and I almost flew away like Mary Poppins. Meanwhile, Parker and Sydney headed off in different directions. It took me five minutes to get it closed while Patrick waved off the polite beachgoer who offered to come my way and help. I laughed so hard I cried. Anyway, this beach trip was quite different. It was the first trip where the kids were able to carry their own gear. Whewee it was nice. They didn't eat any sand and were very interested in collecting shells on our walk down the beach. Parker was son interested, he had to pick up EVERY SINGLE SHELL he saw along the way. HAHAHAHA! I had to capture it on camera. Patrick and I just can't believe how big they are now. Check out are almost two year olds!