Deadly Horse

     Yesterday while grocery shopping at Meijer, we walked by the traditional horse that children can ride.  Katie and Jubilee both pointed and seemed fascinated by the stationary ride.  Jim and I thought we could spare two pennies to give them each a ride.  They were both pointing and giggling.  Jubilee even muttered out a, "What's that?" (Her favorite question to ask).  We thought it would be a fun experience.  What should have been a fun ride, turned into an embarrassing experience.

     We had just walked into the store when we walked by the horse that children can ride.  Jim was pushing Katie in a cart, and I was pushing Jubilee.  Jim got Katie out of the cart to ride because he was closer to the horse.  Katie got on all smiles and even held onto the rein.  Jim put the penny in, and it started to move.  Katie immediately freaked out, and started to cry.  Jim tried to comfort her (while keeping her on the horse).  I walked over thinking maybe I could help comfort Katie. Nope.  Her crying proceeded to her latching onto Jim's body and attempting to climb off.  Jim picked her up, and she sort of calmed down.  I picked up Jubilee to give her a try, thinking she might somehow enjoy it.  Jubilee does tend to be the braver of the two.  I tried to put Jubilee on the horse to no avail.  Watching her beloved sister freak out meant that it was not safe for her either.  She clung to me like she was about to fall off of a cliff!  Jubilee starts crying, and Katie is still crying.  I should add that they are not "quietly" crying.  They are loudly crying.  Trying to salvage the moment (and since the horse was still running on the one penny we put in), I tried to get Jubilee to at least pet the horse with me holding her.  Jim tried to do the same with Katie.  That led to louder crying; they were terrified of this thing!  I looked up at the cash register lines, and I see a good amount of people watching us as the scene unfolds, with mixed faces.  It looked like we were torturing our children.  Both of them continued to cry as we comforted them and got them back in the carts.  Needless to say, they were a bit fussy for the rest of the shopping experience. 

     Jim said, "Well, I'd rather them be afraid of horses than run up to them".  I agreed.  Jim and I both have a very healthy fear of horses.  I was always warned as a child to not approach one from behind because they can kick you (who knows how often that really happens?).  Anyways, it was a "fun" twin experience that can be added to the list.

Trampoline

     Most people who know Jim, know that he has an affinity for trampolines.  Part of his dream home includes having a large trampoline in our backyard.  I was injured once on a trampoline, so I do not share this dream.  I don't disagree with him having one, I just don't understand the passion.  Jim always feels proud when the girls start to jump.  On Thanksgiving, the girls discovered a trampoline that fits them perfectly.  They both loved jumping on it.

Thanksgiving

     Like last year we decided to enjoy Thanksgiving with the Cole Family. I was supposed to have worked Wednesday night into Thursday morning, so I wasn't for sure how much energy I would have on Thanksgiving. Fortunately, I was called about an hour before work started to get "low censused" (That means their weren't enough patients for all of the nurses scheduled. I had put down for me to be the first one docked).  Thank goodness because I was able to get a pie made that I had been putting off! 

    On Thanksgiving morning we got up and got ready to go in record time.  I've noticed that if I have energy, things get done quicker.  If I'm not motivated, it trickles down into everyone moving slowly.lol.  We left early and got to the church where the family was meeting for lunch. Luckily, I had planned ahead and brought numerous toys in case there weren't any at the church.  All of the kids had a lot of fun playing with the tea-set and with the books that I had brought.  The girls were pretty good at sharing their toys; it's probably because they have had to share everything since they were born!  Hopefully, they don't have a complex when they're older.

     The food and company were great!  Jim was able to talk to a few family members he's never really had long conversations with.  I considered myself lucky by not falling sleep (I had slept all of the previous day in anticipation of working the previous night, so I was up most of the night watching re-runs of the Nanny).  The girls really enjoyed jumping on the trampoline in the basement.  They even took a nap together in a shared crib in the purple room!

     Considering we live a lot closer to Albion this year. We decided to return home instead of spending the night there.  The girls fell asleep almost instantly in the car.  We hated to wake them up when we got home, but it was unavoidable.  They both instantly crawled on my lap and let me rock them.  At that moment I had time to actually stop and reflect about the day.  God has really blessed us again this year.  There is nothing more fulfilling and peaceful than rocking sleepy children.

Jubilee sucking her tongue (left). Katie happy to be having her picture taken (right).

Friends

     The past couple of weeks, we have noticed that the girls are starting to be more affectionate towards each other.  Yesterday afternoon while Katie was laying on my lap, Jubilee repeatedly kissed Katie one the forehead. Both thought it was hysterical.  Katie then responded by giving Jubilee many affectionate kisses on the cheek and hugs.  They have also started to cooperate with each other.  If Jubilee wants a toy Katie wants, Jubilee will bring over another toy to compensate for the loss.  We also noticed in the past week that Jubilee babbled something to Katie. Katie then retrieved two tea cups and handed them to Jubilee, who accepted them with a polite, "Doo Doo" (thank you in Jubilee talk).

     Yesterday I also caught them reading together on the couch with poor Sunny trapped underneath Katie's feet. (From the picture you can tell that Daddy dressed the girls and "styled" their hair.lol.) They love pointing to their various body parts.  When one points to her nose or shows her belly, the other one will clap for the other one's "genius".  They are definitely starting to become friends.  The second picture caused Jim and I to laugh because it shows Katie doing her "fake" laugh.  She's been doing it  pretty frequently.  She usually does it when Jim and I laugh during conversation or at the TV, and she laughs as well to be socially appropriate.

 

 



 

 

Halloween

     Due to very rainy weather on Halloween, Trick-or-Treating was postponed to yesterday.  This was the first year for the girls to actually go out and get candy, so Jim and I were pretty excited. We decided to go to Muncie for the festivities. 

     The girls were different types of flowers. Jubilee was a petunia, and Katie was a sunflower. Jubilee was more than happy to be a flower, but Katie had issues keeping the sunflower part on. We went around the neighborhood, and all of us had a lot of fun. Once we were done collecting candy, we had a bonfire at Royal Oak, joined by Kristen. Jubilee had fun collecting sticks. Katie wanted to climb up the slide.  The evening ended once we noticed it was getting colder, and the girls hands were like little popsicles.  We had a successful first time Trick-or-Treating!

October

     This month has been very busy for us. The first major change being that I have a new job in Bluffton, Indiana at Bluffton Regional Medical Center on the Medical/Surgical/Pediatric floor.  Since Bluffton is nowhere near Indianapolis, we have moved (yet again!) to Ft. Wayne.  Everyone on the floor has been very nice and welcoming. I definitely feel more like a "nurse" at this facility than my last one.  We also like our new apartment. Our new apartment has more square feet for less money.

      Prior to moving we went to a Pumpkin Patch in Danville, IN. The girls really enjoyed going this year. Katie loved carrying the little pumpkins, while Jubilee wanted to carry the bigger ones that she couldn't pick up. They have loved carrying around their little pumpkins that we got them there.

      It's funny how things can change in one year, but you can still get a similar picture. As soon as I saw the picture of her this year, I instantly thought of a picture that was taken last year. Here are the pictures of Jubilee from this year and last year playing with hay:





 



     We also let the girls help get the pumpkin guts out of the pumpkin this year. Katie really enjoyed it and loved grabbing the seeds out.  Jubilee just loved sticking her hand in. I'm just glad that they were both excited about helping! Due to rainy weather, Trick-or-Treating has been moved to tomorrow. The girls will be different types of flowers!

Katie excited about getting the guts out!

Jubilee helping

Final Product

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 





18-months-old

     Our twin babies are no longer babies. The days of having a little baby to hold are gone. Although they now give hugs and kisses, part of me is sad to have "toddlers". The girls are at an exciting age.  It's hard to imagine both of them fitting inside me again!

Jubilee is our fashion-forward child. She really enjoys carrying around a purse.  Right now her "purse" of choice is the jack-o-lantern pumpkin that we got for Halloween.  She has the cutest, deep chuckle.  She literally has a "belly laugh", which everyone else tries to imitate because it's so funny. She loves her blanket, and she has quite a unique way of carrying it around. She carries it with two hands close to her ears, so she is constantly smelling the blanket. She loves to show people her belly, and she has also figured out where her nose is. Her favorite phrase is "Uh-oh". Her thank you comes out as "Doo Doo". She also says "Dog Dog, Hi, Night Night". She still loves to be read to. She occasionally will give you a kiss, but she is more apt to give a stuffed animal a huge hug and kiss.  Her favorite movie is "Lilo and Stitch", and Jubilee really tries to say, "Stitch".  She really loves the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Patty Cake".  Jubilee is also our climber! Jubilee really loves to dance whenever she hears music, and she will also clap when she hears/sees other people doing it.  Jubilee is a little more of a dare-devil than Katie is. Jubilee runs towards new experiences, while Katie will stand behind and wait. Jubilee loves balls, especially football. She will run up to Jim and toss it to him as hard as she can. Then she'll run away waiting for Jim to throw it to her.  When I ask Jubilee for a hug, she will usually just back up and sit on my lap. She'll then look up at me with a huge grin and want a kiss. It melts my heart every time!

Our Katiebug is turning into a little comedian. She makes hilarious faces that cause James and I to laugh hysterically, which causes her (and Jubilee) to laugh  as well.  She loves to distribute hugs and kisses to people who ask for them, or who are standing close to her.  Her hugs are very sweet.  Many people have commented on how much she looks like me. Katie's vocabulary is a little larger than Jubilee's. Katie's favorite phrases include, "Hi, Hey, Wow, Night Night, Thank You and Doggie". She usually says, "Thank You, Thank You" in place of  "Please". It's pretty funny when she comes up to you with her hand extended saying, "Thank you, Thank you" when she's wanting something. Katie loves accessorizing with play necklaces. She also loves playing with hair.  Katie will also show people her belly and nose when asked to. Katie has recently started saying, "Night Night" when she's ready to go to bed.  When Katie starts getting really tired and starts to get slap-happy, she will get really affectionate with Jubilee. She will start hugging Jubilee and gives occasional kisses. Jubilee usually laughs when Katie starts acting like that. They have a great time together. Katie also loves to dance whenever she hears music.

     They have definitely started to "talk" to each other. They can be heard babbling to each other, with the other one giggling in response.  For now at least, I believe the girls have their own "twin language". My favorite thing is to hear them in their rooms chit-chatting before I get them up from their nap. They will be laughing hysterically, and then I'll hear Jubilee say, "Uh-Oh". I usually walk in at that point to discover Jubilee has dropped her blanket. I can't believe the girls are a 18-months already!  Where has the time gone?

 



 



 

 

 

 

Cooperative Play

     While going through childhood, everyone experiences the "Four Stages of Play". The first stage is known as "Solitary Play", which is where children play without noticing anyone else around them (Infancy). The second stage is "Parallel Play". During this stage children play alongside each other, but he/she does not play with each other (Toddlers). The third stage is "Associative Play".  This stage occurs when children play together but are not working together in an organized manner to create something (Preschool). The fourth stage, "Cooperative Play" is when children start to 'cooperate' with each other towards achieving a common goal (4-5-years-old). Well tonight I caught a glimpse of what Cooperative Play looks like in our household.

    Normally the girls exhibit a mix of parallel and associative play.  Since they are twins, I think they might go through these stages a little big quicker because they are at the same developmental age and the same gender. Usually they play in the same area of the room and sometimes look over at each other and giggle. Tonight while putting clothes away in our bedroom, I started to hear a very loud banging noise with a lot of deep "belly laughing" coming from the girls. I come running out of the room to see the girls sitting next to the bathroom door and banging their backs on it. They were doing it in sync to create a louder bang. The girls were having so much fun making this annoying "bang" noise. It's really their first time doing something together to create a common goal-make a loud noise! Naturally, I had to get a picture because it's so hard these days to get them sitting together.

    I dread the day when they start really working together. I envision in my head one climbing on the other to reach something higher up. I'm sure they will come up with even worse things that will turn us prematurely gray!

Oh, Boy!

     Katie has a new saying that she uses multiple times on a daily basis, "Oh, boy!". She uses it at the appropriate times.  I have two examples of funny ways she's used it.  The first time I heard her say it was the other morning. I was picking her up from her crib to change her diaper and get her dressed.  I laid her down on the changing station and started to unfasten her diaper. As soon as I opened her diaper, she cried out, "OH, BOY!". The second time I was changing Jubilee's diaper. Katie walked up to me and gave me a weird look.  I looked closer at her, and I noticed that she had a wet stain appearing/dripping down her pants.  I quickly realized what happened.  Her eyes got huge and she again cried out, "OH, BOY!". Naturally, I laughed again.  I think Katie picked up this saying from her Daddy, whom I have noticed says it a few times a day.

     Jubilee has become quite the fashionista.  Just a month ago, I couldn't get Jubilee to leave her ponytail in.  Now, she loves having her hair played with.  She is also finding shoes to put on. She'll bring me a shoe to put on her and sometimes fuss if I don't put it on. Many times she'll walk around with only one shoe on.  She's also wanting to wear hats now. Whenever I put one on her, she gives me a huge smile.  If I don't get my clothes picked up in our bedroom, Jubilee will pick up one of my shirts and put it on her head. She loves wearing her Mommy's clothes.

Jubilee

The Girls

Anniversary and July 4

     This past weekend James and I celebrated our third anniversary! We had a delicious dinner at the Rathskeller.  It was a lot of fun to have a romantic dinner sans children. My grandparents and Mom were nice enough to watch the girls for us. 

     Yesterday we had an unconventional fourth of July because I worked.  We woke up yesterday, and we both decided we were craving Grey Brother's Cafeteria down the road. We really wanted their strawberry cake! It didn't take us long to get our food, so we were very happy. Once we were done with lunch, I had to head to work. I was able to see some fireworks through the windows. When I came home, I quickly noticed that the girls were still awake!  I was very excited to see them still awake. They were very giggly and happy to see me walk in. James had let them stay up because the fireworks were too loud to promote sleep. It was nice to be able to see the girls before they went to bed.

Father's Day

     On Sunday we celebrated Father's Day.  Luckily, it was my weekend off, which meant our family could be together.  We went to Muncie to spend the day there.  While Susan babysat, the adults went to see the new Superman Movie: Man of Steel.  Once the movie was over, we went to the local pool and went swimming.  We had a lot of fun being together.

     On a day dedicated to Father's, I should mention how thankful I am to James.  He has been a lot of help with the girls.  I wouldn't have kept my sanity without his help.  He's been watching the girls every evening while I work, and I know that's not easy.  I know when the girls are older, they will be thankful to have had a special relationship with their father.

Impressions

     Our girls seem to be learning new things everyday.  We have noticed that the girls appear to be acting out things they have seen or heard. 

     Since Jim has been spending more time with the girls, I have noticed that Katie has started doing what I call a "Jim face".   I've received this face numerous times from James (and now Katie), and it's funny to see it on a little girl that normally is all smiles.  The facial expression isn't grumpy per se, but it might be a stink eye.  It's pretty funny to see, and whenever Jim and I see it we laugh hysterically.  She gives the face randomly, and you never know when you're gonna get the stink eye!

Katie's stink eye

     Jubilee is great at mimicking what she hears and watches, especially what I do.  Usually before the girls down for a nap, it seems that Sunny always has a barking fit at something outside.  I usually yell at her to "Stop".  I have noticed that when Sunny starts barking when the girls are up, Jubilee will walk over to her, point her finger and start loudly talking/yelling at her.  I've even heard a "top" come out of her mouth, which I'm assuming means stop.  It doesn't stop Sunny from barking, but it gives me enjoyment (even if it is a bad habit of yelling at a dog.lol.).  Jubilee has also tried to "water" things with an empty spray bottle.  She has watched me water the plants outside, and I'm assuming that's where she learned it.  She will pick up the bottle and lean it towards the object she wants to "water", and then she goes and finds something else to water.

Jubilee carrying around the water bottle.

Watering the toy.

Beginning of Summer

     The past few weeks have been full of adjustment with new experiences.  I currently am employed at an Extended Care Facility, and today is my last day of orientation.  I'm excited/nervous about not having a person there to ask questions to, and I pray that I will pick things up quickly. 

     I am currently working the 3 PM-11 PM shift and every other weekend, and James is working from 6 AM-2:30 PM.  I take care of the girls in the morning, and James takes care of them at night.  It has definitely been a new experience for both of us.  The girls seem to be doing okay. 

    We haven't really had an opportunity to do many outside activities because of the new schedule.  We will occasionally go on walks, and we've gone swimming once.  The weather here is still sporadic, so we never know what to expect!

Mother's Day

     This past weekend we celebrated Mother's Day.  James bought me a beautiful bouquet of pink tulips.  The day included going to my grandparent's house for lunch.  I made a Butterfinger pie that James seemed to really enjoy! Jubilee and I took a nap together in a chair.  It was a nice, relaxing day.

My beautiful flowers

Jubilee in my childhood rocking chair.

Katiebug

1 Year Portraits

 Here are the girls' 1 Year Portraits. I put the girls in matching outfits for their 9-month and 12-month portraits because I think they are getting easier to tell apart.  Don't get me wrong; I will admit that I call them the wrong name all of the time (especially when their back is to me).  I brought the second outfit (the sun-suits) as a back-up, but I actually love Jubilee's pictures with the rose background. The ladybug they are holding was mine when I was a child.  It was a gift from my mom; I think I got it for Christmas one year.  The girls cooperated for the most part.lol.



Jubilee Faith



Jubilee (left). Katie (right).

Jubilee holding my childhood toy.

Jubilee

Jubiloo

Katiebug

Katiebug playing with Ladybug

Katherine Jean

Jubilee (left). Katie (right).

Bookworm

     Most parents always try to see traits of themselves in their children.  Parents will say, "Oh, that's just like me (or my spouse)".  Usually, James and I say that Katie is like James because she is a "free spirit".  We then usually say that Jubilee is like Holly because she's a little bit more reserved, but still fun.  I have discovered in the past few weeks that Jubilee is more like Holly than we initially thought.

     I rarely let the girls go in their room without being supervised.  It leads to fights between toys, and they will usually throw everything they can reach on the floor.  The only time I let them in there is when I'm putting away their laundry.  For a few times, I noticed that Katie would go in there, and she would get bored and leave a few minutes later.  Jubilee, who has a few more sneaky traits than Katie, would be quiet in there.  Everyone knows that quiet equals bad with little children.  Every time I'd walk in, she would have pulled off all of the bottom shelf of their bookshelf.  She would also be sitting there looking at a book and occasionally "reading" it out loud.  This behavior of "reading" has become so commonplace that I already know what she's going to be doing in their bedroom.  James thought it was funny when he asked what Jubilee was doing in their room, and I told him that she was probably sitting there reading.  He walked into the room, and sure enough there she was.  Luckily, no books have been torn; she is surprisingly gentle with them.  Sometimes she'll grab a book and bring it to me to be read to.  I've noticed that her favorite book is the story of the dog, Clifford, when he was a puppy. Usually she gets frustrated with me for not going the right tempo.  I usually read them a bedtime story, and that reading usually goes smoothly.

     When I was a child, I used to love books.  I was always reading.  I also was "gentle" with books.  I didn't like to bend the book backwards because I didn't want to hurt the binding.  Hopefully, Jubilee's fascination with bright pictures leads to a love of reading!

Jubilee caught in the act!

Jubilee "reading" a blank page.

New Home

     This past month we have had many changes to our family.  We have moved to Camby, Indiana (It's kind of like a suburb of Indianapolis). We have also gained a lot of bedroom furniture.  Lastly, I am now looking for a job.

     After I graduated from school, Jim and I decided that we were going to need to move closer to his job.  He was driving an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes to work and another hour home.  He would leave before I woke up, and he would get home when it was the girl's bedtime.  We found a nice apartment complex about five to ten minutes away from Jim's work, so that is a very nice change.  One of the main perks about this apartment is that we have our own private entrance.  We no longer have to hear people coming/going.  Another plus is that this is our first apartment where every room has a light built into it, meaning we don't have to always use lamps.  I also really enjoy that the patio is screened-in.  Here is a view from our balcony:

     We have also obtained a new bedroom set over the past few weeks.  Jim and I have discussed getting a new bed for over a year.  The mattress we had was a "Full Size".  This meant that James had to lay diagonally, and I had little space left.  The mattress also was getting old, so it was not very comfortable.  My back really hurt sleeping on it.  Jim had initially decided to get a Sleep Number bed, but those aren't cheap.  Meanwhile, I had convinced James to take a trip to IKEA because we had found a dresser we both really liked.  While at IKEA, James decided we could go ahead and get an IKEA mattress and frame.  I was just so excited that I let him pick everything out, and he did a great job.  We also bought a small desk for me and some mirrors.  We had a great time at IKEA, like always, with the Gnaps and Kristen.  The fun part was putting all of this together.  I have slept a lot better on this bed, and it doesn't hurt my back like the other one did.  James did a great job putting everything together.  Unfortunately, I haven't taken any pictures yet.  We're still not quite done getting the bedroom situated.

     The girls seem to really enjoy the new apartment.  The first night didn't go too well because they were in a new environment.  However, they seem to love being out on the porch.  We're glad that spring has finally arrived in Indiana.  The weather is always a hit or miss.  Prayers for me finding a job would be greatly appreciated.  It's very nerve-wracking to be finally getting a job that you paid so much to go into!  We would also appreciate prayers for finding a new church home; we really loved our last church.  However, it's just too far to drive to every Sunday.

Birthday Party

     On Sunday we celebrated the girl's first birthday party.  We had it at our church for two main reasons.  The first being that our apartment is too small to host that many people and the second being that our apartment has boxes everywhere because we are moving this weekend.

     I decided to do a Dr. Seuss theme because of "Thing 1" and "Thing 2".  I even made green deviled eggs (with icing dye) and had ham pinwheels.  We had a lot of fun, and the girls received many wonderful things.  The girls both seemed to LOVE their cupcakes.  Katie even had her cupcake smashed in her face by daddy, but she didn't seem to mind.  We are so thankful to have such loving families.

    

One Year of Twins!

Katie (left). Jubilee (right).

   
     Today marks the girls' first birthday!  They sure have changed from the 5 pounds 10 oz. (Katie) and 6 pounds 8 oz. (Jubilee) they were when they were born.  From chasing two babies around to feeding one baby twice, this year  has had it's share of joy for us.  In many ways they have changed, but I can still see small resemblances of their newborn forms. Katie still prefers to sleep on her belly,which I tried my best to stop.  Jubilee is still are best sleeper. 

Newborn Katie

     Katherine Jean is our entertainer/comedian.  She likes to make people laugh.  Her vocabulary includes, "mama", "dada", "bop", "baby", "yucky", and an occasional "yep".  She has four teeth (two top and two bottom), and she is becoming a master at walking!  Her favorite game to play is Peek-a-Boo, and she also enjoys "This Little Piggy went to Market".  My favorite memory of Katie this past year was how she used to talk in her bed.  Before she could even roll over, I could always tell when Katie was awake.  She would just start spouting off phrases like, "ba ba ba ba" or "na na na na".  It was always  nice to wake up to that instead of crying.  She is definitely a very outgoing little girl!

  

Newborn Jubilee

Jubilee Faith is our sweetie pie.  She doesn't always like to be held, but she will usually walk over to you every few minutes just to get a hug.  She'll get her hug, and then she'll smile at you and walk away.  She also has four teeth (two top and two bottom, and she is a more cautious walker.  Her vocabulary isn't as big as Katie's, but she knows how to get her point across.  Her vocabulary includes, "mama", "dada", "dat" (for that), "whoa" and I've even heard her say, "up".  Her favorite game is Peek-a-boo followed closely by "Patty-cake".  She just figured out yesterday how to roll her arms for "Patty-Cake".  My favorite memory of Jubilee was in November when I was shadowing a nurse during her shift.  It was my first day separated from the girls, and it was for twelve hours.  I got home right around their bedtime.  When I walked in the door, Jubilee, who could not yet crawl, started going crazy for me to hold her.  I picked her up and sat down.  She grabbed my face and gave me a HUGE kiss on my mouth!  It was very sweet, and it made my day.

     We've been really blessed to have the girls, and they definitely make our lives happier!

Easter

     It is hard to believe that even though the girls are not one quite yet, they have experienced two Easters!  Last year the girls were born on Good Friday, and we left the hospital on Easter.  We were able to celebrate Easter with both sides of our families.

     On Saturday we celebrated with Holly's family, and on Sunday we celebrated with Jim's family.  We had a lot of delicious food.  The girls ate ham for the first time, and I was surprised they both gobbled it up!  We had a nice surprise of warm weather, considering that the previous Sunday we had a snow storm.

     The girls are still a little too young to actually "hunt" Easter eggs, but they did have a lot of fun shaking them!  We had a great Easter service at church.  We did have a little problem with Katiebug's dress.  On Saturday we noticed that her original Easter dress had a run on the bottom.  I was hesitant to put her in the dress on Sunday, so I picked out another dress we had.  On Sunday she had a huge number two, probably caused by the ham.  Luckily, I had a spare dress just in case.  Katie wore three Easter dresses!

     Even though the girls do not understand us, I still explained the real importance of Easter to them while getting ready for church.  The only response I got was from Katie, and she simply replied back ,"baby" (her new favorite word). 



Jubilee (left). Katherine (right).

    
    

Nashville

     This past weekend Jim's family ventured to Nashville, TN for his cousin, Grant's, wedding.  The trip included Jim's parents, Gnap family, Kristen, and Londt Squared (I have started calling the four of us that).  We left early Saturday morning.  We actually arrived early!!!  We were early enough to take a pit-stop at the Bass Pro Shop that was very close to the Grand Ole Opry.  My goal for the trip included seeing the Grand Ole Opry...I didn't need to go in...just drive by it!  At the Bass Pro Shop, they were selling fresh kettle corn.  I normally do not like kettle corn, but this kettle corn was amazing.

     The wedding was a beautiful ceremony, and the reception was a lot of fun!  We had a delicious meal.  All of the cousins had a lot of fun dancing with each other.  Kendall and Jubilee had a lot of fun dancing together.  Katie, who has recently preferred walking over crawling, just wanted to walk all over the dance floor.  We had a lot of fun this weekend!  On the way home we stopped in Indianapolis and ate at the Rathskeller.  It is a restaurant with German cuisine. It was DELICIOUS!!  It was my first time eating schnitzel; it was very tasty.

  It was a quick, relaxing weekend get-away.  We didn't cram too much in one weekend.  It was nice to be able to get away for a celebration.

Tutus