C.R.

H&H's great-grandfather (Sally's mom's dad) passed away on the 19th. We always stayed with them when we went down to McComb, and we had just had a great visit with him on the weekend prior to his passing. Here is a really sweet pic that was taken of him and Hayden four days before he died. I have so many friends that have lost grandparents at a young age, and I am so blessed that I have 30 years of memories with CR. The last year has been so wonderful, seeing him interact with my children. They really put a spark back into him, and he called us everyday to remind Hank not to drive too fast on our next trip to McComb, and to make sure that "Haney" (aka Hayden) wasn't eating all of Hank's food. His mind was still very good, those were just his little jokes with us. I think my grandmother is going to turn his room into a room for H&H, and I don't think that anything would please him more. On a lighter note, H&H are 500 days old today. They are both doing so well. Hayden is walking up a storm, and Hank is finally getting close to standing on his own. We went to church again, and they had a great time (so we hear). We went to eat Mexican afterwards with some friends, and H&H had a cheese quesadilla and some rice. They loved it. There were two birthdays while we were there, so the waiters came out clapping, clanging pot lids, and blowing a big ol' horn. H&H thought it was great! Hayden will "say" light (she actually only says the "t" sound), and she will point to the light, too. And when we sing, "Where is Hayden, Where is Hayden? Here I am, Here I am!" She pats her chest. Hank will clap when we sing patty-cake, and he will snuggle up to me when I ask him to "love Momma". They are so much fun, and we are so excited to be out and about with them now. They will be in McComb all next week while Jay & I go on a vacation to Washington DC. If you're in the area, stop by either of my grandmothers' houses... They've each got joint custody for the week! Thanks for checking in. I'll have some new pictures up soon.

Mother's Day

We had a great Mother's Day. First, on Saturday H&H went to the soccer field for the first time. They had a blast. They played with their soccer ball, and loved crawling around in the grass. We were so worn out! Then, Sunday they got all dressed up to go to church for the first time! We had baby dedication and lots of family came for the service. H&H were great--nobody cried or got upset. We left them in the nursery for the rest of the service, and they had a ball. Hank ended up crashing in some sweet lady's arms, but Hayden (of course) wouldn't dare miss anything by falling asleep, so she played and played, then passed out in the car. We took them to a restaurant for the first time, and they behaved so well. They ate all sorts of food, and they both discovered strawberries. Hayden had about 6 of them! We all came home and took a 2-hour nap. We were exhausted. It was a great day, and we were so glad to get out and about with the kids. It's a start of a new chapter! Enjoy the pictures that I put in the Feb-May gallery. Hope everyone had as wonderful a Mother's Day as we did.

A wedding, some shoes, sweets, and church

H&H have had a fun few days. Friday they went to their first big party! Ms. Donna, who takes care of them each day, got married, and we all went to the reception. The kids were great, and Hank loved bouncing and clapping to the music. Then he promptly passed out and slept through most of the evening! I've posted pictures in the Feb-May gallery below. Today, we took Hank for a checkup with his neurosurgeon. He had a CT scan, and his ventricles look great. They have definitely decreased in size since his surgery, and the dr was very pleased. Afterwards, we all went shopping and got H&H their first pair of shoes! Since we haven't been allowed to get out of the house much, we haven't had the need for shoes. Imagine going 15 months without shoes! I've got a pic of Hank with his on, but Hayden's are being ordered. They also had their first chocolate chip cookie today. They LOVED it! They also tried a little bit of mom's ICEE, which they thought was so much fun to sip through a straw. This Sunday (Mother's Day) will be baby dedication day at church, and H&H's dr has given us the okay to start going to church and leaving the kiddos in the nursery. We are so excited about that! So, this Sunday will be a big day for all of us. We are ready to get out among the living. Enjoy the new pics and check back next week for pics from Mother's Day. I hope to have some cute ones of the kids all dressed up.