20 Months
July 2011
Swim Lessons
20 Months
July 2011
Adrian & Isaac on their 20 Month Birthday
July 12, 2011
The Briggs Family on July 4
Me and Dave on the deck of our rental mansion in the Ozarks
June 2011
Lake of the Ozarks with great friends
Me, Ranina, Melissa, Missy, Davye, Angie
June 2011
Adrian & Isaac playing in the sand box Papa made for them. Isaac tends to get very dirty and Adrian usually opts to sit on the edge and stay clean
19 Months
June 2011
Adrian feeding his beloved giraffe, Jessi
June 2011
Isaac sweeping
19 Months
June 2011
Dave with his boys on Father’s Day
19 Months
Adrian & Isaac with their Aunt Susan
She came from Houston for a four day visit
June 2011
Adrian on Uncle Von’s Motorcycle
19 Months
June 2011
Adrian & Isaac “hugging”
June 2011
Adrian & Isaac playing in the pool
May 2011
18 Months
Isaac
18 Months
May 2011
Adrian in the pool
18 Months
May 2011
Palmer, Isaac & Adrian contemplating the pool
May 2011
Isaac
18 Months
May 2011
Adrian
18 Months
May 2011
Courtesy of Studio 1004
Adrian Elijah 18 Months
May 2011
Courtesy of Studio 1004
Isaac & Adrian 18 Months
May 2011
Courtesy of Studio 1004
Isaac Gabriel 18 Months
May 2011
This summer has been awesome! We have been so busy doing fun things that I simply haven’t had time to blog . . . at all. But, I am back. The boys have been enjoying a lot of time in the water all summer. They are taking private swim lessons again. They don’t really enjoy the lessons. They just want to play on their own terms at the pool. On July 4, they both insisted on jumping off of the diving board after watching their bigger friends jump. So, Dave caught them as I helped them jump off. They are both very independent. We set up a little blow up pool on the deck in our backyard. They spend a lot of time in that pool.
The boys had an extended weekend at Grandma’s house while Dave and I went to the Ozarks with some great friends. We stayed in a huge mansion right on the lake. We had a private pool that overlooked the lake. Great fun. Great memories.
We took the boys to Kansas City last weekend to their first Royal’s game. The temperature at game time was 102 degrees. It was a scorcher. They sat through the entire game . . . until the extra innings. We opted out of the extra innings. We were already an hour past bedtime at that point.
Isaac & Adrian started with their new babysitter June 1. We all love her. Her name is Teresa. They have so much fun with the other kids. It was sad to see Jessi go, though. Speaking of Jessi. Adrian has a stuffed giraffe that he insists on carrying with him most of the time. We named the giraffe Jessi in honor of our beloved nanny. Jessi the Giraffe is mangy. Yuck.
I want to tell you what the boys are in to these days. They love to read books. Lots and lots of books. Their favorite book is “My Truck is Stuck.” They really love “choo choos” i.e. trains. Recently, we have abandoned a lot of our sign language in favor of speaking. They say hundreds of words and add new words every day. Isaac’s favorite phrase right now is “Help! Please!” It sounds more like “Hepp! Peas!” Adrian’s favorite thing to say is “Choo choo” first thing in the morning. He wants to watch the cartoon Chuggington on the Disney channel.
They are mastering the use of the fork. They don’t walk anymore. They run everywhere. Someone always has a scrape, bump or owie of some sort. I have decided that they love each other more than they love their Mommy and Papa. They have so much fun with each other. Their bond is strong. They spend a lot of time chasing each other around, giggling. They love to give each other hugs and kisses. There is a wrestling/love session every night before bed. If one brother is crying because of an injury, the other is very concerned. It is so sweet. I love the twin bond. It is special.
Isaac typically wakes up from naps earlier than Adrian. A couple of weeks ago, when getting him up from his nap, he said, “Sshh!”, put his finger by his mouth, said, “Adrian”, which sounds more like “Adeen” and signed “sleeping”. I was shocked that he put it all together. He recently started calling Adrian, “Baby”. Which is so hilarious to us. Teresa, our babysitter, told us that she calls them “Baby”.
Isaac may be the master of words, but Adrian is the master of engineering. He spends a lot of time trying to put things together and figure every object out. He enjoys putting pieces of toys back together after Isaac has torn them apart.
They both enjoy “helping” do anything we do: throw trash away, put their milk in the fridge, fold clothes, take the dog out, feed the dog. They are great boys. They don’t get intimidated by strangers or older kids. While in KC last weekend, we went to a kids’ play center called Paradise Park with our great friends the Williams family. Isaac and Adrian loved the ball pit. Isaac thought he was the biggest kid in the pit (he was the smallest next to Adrian) and took over the place. It is funny to watch.
There are a million other interesting anecdotes I should share, but I have already forgotten them. I will just do this more often.
I came across a song that speaks to me. I think the lyrics explain exactly how I feel about my two little men after Dave and I struggled so long with infertility to get them here. It is Brighter Than Sunshine by Aqualung. Of course, the song is simply a love song, but I think it is a perfect love song to express my love for Isaac and Adrian.
I never understood before
I never knew what love was for
My heart was broke, my head was sore
What a feeling
Tied up in ancient history
I didnt believe in destiny
I look up you're standing next to me
What a feeling
What a feeling in my soul
Love burns brighter than sunshine
Brighter than sunshine
Let the rain fall, i don't care
I'm yours and suddenly you're mine
Suddenly you're mine
And it's brighter than sunshine
I never saw it happening
I'd given up and given in
I just couldn't take the hurt again
What a feeling
I didn't have the strength to fight
Suddenly you seemed so right
Me and you
What a feeling
I never knew what love was for
My heart was broke, my head was sore
What a feeling
Tied up in ancient history
I didnt believe in destiny
I look up you're standing next to me
What a feeling
What a feeling in my soul
Love burns brighter than sunshine
Brighter than sunshine
Let the rain fall, i don't care
I'm yours and suddenly you're mine
Suddenly you're mine
And it's brighter than sunshine
I never saw it happening
I'd given up and given in
I just couldn't take the hurt again
What a feeling
I didn't have the strength to fight
Suddenly you seemed so right
Me and you
What a feeling
Love will remain a mystery
But give me your hand and you will see
Your heart is keeping time with me
But give me your hand and you will see
Your heart is keeping time with me
This blog is dedicated to the memory of my friend, Foster Courtney. This world will have less joy and laughter without you. 12/15/81 - 7/4/11
