Park with Gran-daddy

We had a great time at Bolton Academy Park this afternoon with Gran-daddy! It was so hot, but at least we were in the shade. I couldn't resist sharing this photo. Have a great week!

Web Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090628BoltonAcademyPlayground#

2008 vs 2009

2008

2009

I've really enjoyed taking look back at the pictures and blogs from last year and am just amazed at the difference between this time last summer and now. They are so much bigger and I think Ryan doesn't even look like the same child. Ok - so the 2009 shot is not the best picture of Ryan, but you get the idea! While I'm thinking about it seems that this was one of the years they will change the most in their lives (maybe other than puberty) in so many ways. This time last year there was no talking and this year they will say just about anything you say - mostly single words. They have started saying 2 word phrases like "Thank You Riley" (ok that is actually 3) and "More Please". They have each said thank you without being prompted! It probably doesn't sound like much to everyone else, but it's huge in our world. I am constantly amazed at how they are developing. They "get it" most of the time and are so eager to please (most of the time).

A little story from this weekend...
I spend most of my time in the kitchen with them fussing at me for attention and wedged between me and the counter. Yesterday Kevin had taken Ryan on an errand, so it was just Riley and me left to do some cooking. I really needed to get a few things knocked out, so time was of the essence. I had a brilliant idea to pull up the step stool and let Riley "help" me prepare the food. I gave her a spoon and a measuring cup and she had a blast. I gave her some craisins in her measuring up and she loved scooping them up and pouring them back and forth to the bowl and the measuring cup. She hardly even spilled any and loved sneaking a few bits. I was thrilled because it was a way to include her and make fer feel special while being able to actually accomplish something in the kitchen! Win win for everyone. We're hoping this will work for us again. I will note that when Ryan got home he wanted up on the stool and they don't both fit - so that created another issue we'll have to face, but for yesterday it worked!

Tomorrow is Riley's MRI. We will be there at 8am for the test at 9am. They said we should expect to leave around lunch time. I'm not really anxious about the test itself, but I'm not overly excited about her being sedated. Please pray for great results from the test as well as a perfect experience with the sedative. We will keep you posted on the results as soon as we know the them.

Play Dates Galore!

We hosted a water play date at our house on Friday night. As soon as we walked in the door we changed into our swimsuits and headed outside. It's been brutally hot (heat index over 100 degrees for several days straight), so what better way to deal with the heat than water! We had a baby pool, water beach ball, water table, sidewalk chalk and bubbles to play with, but best of all was the friends we played with. Simon, Katharyn, Paul, Avery, Eliza, Riley & Ryan all seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves (oh yeah - my friends were there too - Carolyn, Joy, Lori, Jenni and Kathy)! We followed up our play time with some dinner and movies. Fun fun night - definitely one that will be repeated!

Paul, Ryan & Katharyn

Simon
Riley

Ryan

Eliza with Ms. Kathy

Avery

The whole crew eating dinner

I have started on the board for the multiples group we belong to and Saturday morning was a playdate at Grant Park. There were about 12 families that showed up despite this crazy heat. We had a great time playing on the playground. At one point Ryan came to me and I thought he was telling me he had a dirty diaper. I was so proud of him - since he's never done that. So we venture off into the grassy area to change his diaper and when I pulled his shorts off I realized he wasn't telling me about his diaper, but about the inside of his thighs. They were beet red and totally raw. I guess all the sweat had rub them and he was miserable. To add insult to injury, Riley had gathered a nice pile of mulch and sticks which she decided to share with him. Right on his face while his pants were down. He was totally frustrated (as was I), but we suffered through it and soon after headed home to cool off and medicate! After we got home we picked up Daddy and headed to the triplets' (from our neighborhood) first birthday party.

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090619WaterPlayDate#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090620PlaydateAtGrantPark#

Father's Day

Father's Day is just about over and we have had a great weekend! Kevin didn't have to work as much and was able to spend some time with all of us. Riley was very clingy to me - I'm not sure what that was all about. We had a hard time getting her in the pictures without me, but we did the best we could. I wanted to start this post with a few photos to compare 2008 to 2009 so we can see how much these kiddos have grown in the last year.

2008

2009

2008

2009 2009

I'll back up to how we started our Father's Day...

We went to early church and got a few photos with Dad before we left. I seem to take our best pictures just before we leave for church, so I will keep on pushing it (even if we have to rush once we get in the car). Today was no exception. I love the ones we took before this morning and even got a pretty good one of Dad and the kiddos. We had a rough lunch - fussy fussy fussy, but after naps we had a perfect afternoon. More water play and this time we had popsicles! Then Grandaddy came over to celebrate and we cooked out for dinner and finished with ice cream! What a perfect day - popsicles and ice cream!



Web Albums Added:
...pull up a chair because I was very camera happy today!
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090621FathersDay#

Kevin

I just saw that this is my 100th post and I can't think of any subject more fitting! Happy Father's Day Kev!

I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older that I’m not a big tangible gift person. Kevin and I exchange almost no gifts. For birthdays and anniversaries we usually do a nice dinner out and Christmas – no gift exchange, it’s too busy and money is tight with other buying…so that really only leaves Mother’s Day and Father’s Day for gift giving. Again, we don’t really do gifts. Last year on our first celebrations as parents, if I remember correctly, Kevin gave me a gift certificate to the Ritz for me to use on my upcoming girls trip (very practical) and I gave Kevin an iPod docking station with speakers that was later returned – unopened (he wasn’t as “in” to it as I thought he might be). Did I mention that men are really hard to buy for? I’m more into quality time together and experiencing things together rather than stuff. Don’t get me wrong…stuff is good, but experiences and memories are priceless…to me.

When we were first dating, I remember Kevin being so creative with gifts and surprises! He truly did some very thoughtful things. One of my favorite memories is our first Valentine’s Day in 2000… We had the incredible opportunity to be in Paris together over Christmas 1999. My family had a trip already planned before we started dating that April, so when the time came, Kevin bought a ticket and joined us for the Paris portion of the trip. It was so cool to be there together…just 8 months into our relationship. So – fast forward to Valentine’s Day the following year. Kevin planned the whole night and went with a French theme – all a surprise. I can remember it all so vividly. He took me to a French restaurant (Dailey’s) for dinner and then surprised me with a piece of artwork that showed the Eifel Tower and a bottle of French wine he had purchased while we were in Paris and had saved for that occasion. He didn’t just give me the art – he took the time to hang it over my bed so when I saw it was already hung where he intended it to be. What a romantic! It’s funny that we hardly even acknowledge Valentine’s Day now. I told him that giving flowers that day is overpriced and sometimes “expected”, so I prefer for him to surprise me another day with flowers (from the grocery store) totally 100% unexpected. Over the years we have veered from this path of gift giving. I slowly let him know that surprises were great and thoughtful, but I prefer to know ahead of time so I can look up the menu online, try to figure out exactly what I want to order, ask others if they’ve been there and what they recommend. The “looking forward to” part is almost as fun to me as the actual event. Luckily, Kevin is on board with that, so no feelings hurt…and a lot less work on the creative front for him. In a way I miss the excitement of knowing that he took the time to shop and pick something out for just for me, but that feeling quickly goes away as we are trying to watch our expenses or trying to carve out time for “us”. Quality time together alone is a much better gift these days. Much better than any gift certificate or speakers! So – with that said… Kevin will get a little something from Riley & Ryan on Sunday, but there won’t be anything wrapped up with a bow from me (other than a card). Thoughtful words mean a whole lot more now than ever. Instead I’m going to steal an idea from a friend of mine and give you the top 10 things I love about Kevin! Please forgive the cheesiness, but I’m hoping this will be meaningful to him. I had a lot of fun writing these and it took almost no time to come up with 10 things. I could probably come up with 10 more just as easily as I did these.

10. Kevin is great father and husband.
He loves his kids unconditionally. He loves to get down on the floor and play with them. He loves spending time with them and is so proud that they call him daddy! He is also a great husband. He gives 100% and is always supportive of me. He has taught me much about life and relationships. I’ve said it before, so I’ll say it again - I am so thankful to have him by my side on this journey!

9. Kevin is patient.
Rarely have I seen Kevin truly get rattled. I have been able to bring that side of him out a time or two, but we’ve been together almost 10 year and I can count on 1 (or maybe 2) hands how many times he’s lost his temper. I bet you have never seen it…because it so rarely happens.

8. Kevin works hard.
He never stops until the task is done. We’ve witnessed this recently with his job, but he works hard at everything he does. This attribute came out in full force when I was pregnant. I had a list a mile long and usually didn’t have the energy to take care of things. Kevin took pride in marking things off our (my) list…even when I continued to add more! He totally worked like a crazy man trying to make everything perfect for me and the two precious little ones that were on the way.

7. Kevin is kind.
Kevin doesn’t say bad things about people. I never hear him complaining about others and he is always quick to lend a helping hand. He would never think twice about dropping what he’s doing to help someone else. It’s just what he does. It’s how he’s wired.

6. Kevin is simple.
Some might not say this is a compliment, but I think it totally is! It doesn’t take much to keep Kevin happy. He’s always been happy with whatever car he drives – old, new, good shape, bad shape…doesn’t matter. He was next in line to get a new car and then we needed a minivan, so I got the new car (again) and he got my hand me down (again). I look forward to the day he gets to drive a brand new car, not because he really cares, but because he so deserves it! When we first met he had 4 pair of shoes – sneakers, black, brown and sandals/flip flops. I think he might have 6 now, but he would say ‘why do you need a lot of extra shoes’? He doesn’t need a lot of “stuff” to keep him happy and I think that is great! I, on the other hand, well that’s another story.

5. Kevin loves music.
He loves all kinds…even some country on occasion. He is passionate about it and loves to listen to the deep tracks that are off the beaten path. Now, if only I could get him to love Kenny Chesney as much as I do, it would be perfect!

4. Kevin loves his dogs.
Sable and Sam were our first babies. We had them for 4 ½ years before Riley and Ryan arrived on the scene. We both love them, but there are moments (days) that I could do without them. Not Kevin. Even when they are an added challenge to our chaotic lives, Kevin finds the time to love on them and make them feel good.

3. Kevin has a great smile.
Rarely do you see him without it. He’s such a happy person and has the outward smile to show his inner joy. His smile is contagious. It’s kinda hard to be stressed out around him!

2. Kevin is successful in his career.
When we first met, Kevin was a teacher and taught the first 3 years we were together. When he decided to find a new profession he was 27 years old starting at the bottom. Most people had had a few years to get their careers started and in full gear, but he was starting from ground zero. He never hesitated to do what he had to do to get his foot in the door. He never had too much pride to work at Home Depot (the store – not headquarters) almost our whole first year of marriage because he was looking for the right job. He started with AT&T 6 ½ years ago at an entry level job and is now a manager and one of the key people working on the iPhone project – how cool is that?? He has come so far and I could not be more proud of all he’s accomplished!

1. Kevin loves Jesus.
Kevin had not really attended church very regularly before he met me, but I will never forget the first time I invited him to 7:22 (singles Bible study) and he replied – “sure – I could use a little churchin”. I wasn’t so “sure” about his response, but it’s all history from there. He fell in love with Northpoint Community Church as well as Jesus like I did and it has been a vital part of our lives ever since. It’s been awesome to see him grow in his faith. I look forward to growing together in the years to come as we are raising these 2 incredible children to love Jesus and others just as He loves us.

And on that note, I’m signing off. Happy Father’s Day Kev! We all love you and are honored to be on your team!

Weekend without Daddy home

Kevin was in Rochester this weekend with his mom and they had a great visit. She is doing much better and seems to be getting stronger and stronger each day. We are so thankful she is home from the hospital and recovering! We had Friday night at home so we got out the sprinkler as soon as we walked in the door. They really liked playing with the streams of water. The did not like the grass and dog hair that collected on their feet (photo in the web album), but other than that they had a blast.

On Saturday morning, Riley had her EEG. Gramma came to stay with Ryan and Grandaddy met us at the hospital. They attached 16 probes to her head and then wrapped it in gauze. At first she did not like it one bit, but they let me hold her the whole time and between Grandaddy and I we were able to entertain her for the 45 minutes of the test. We took pictures with the phone so she could see what she looked like (she laughed), ate crackers and acted silly. All things to try to keep her distracted. Luckily she didn't have to be still. The best part of the whole weekend was when the lady told us her brain looked great!!!! Praise God!!!! Now we just have the MRI to go on June 29th and hopefully we'll be smooth sailing from there!

When we got home we took a quick trip to the pool for a celebration! They enjoyed showing Gramma and Grandaddy their skills. We did have one scare when Riley was on the side of the pool about to jump in to me and she took off running toward the deep end. Grandaddy was the closest to her, so he jumped out of the water to go after her. As soon as he hit the ground his feet slipped out from under him and he hit the ground hard, but he jumped right up to get Riley. As soon as we knew she was safe he slowed down enough to realize he was hurting bad (although he said he was fine). He scraped his arm up and hurt his shoulder. We caused quite a scene! I had a little chat with my darling princess after that reminding her that she must listen when we call her...not squeal and run in the other direction. I know - in one ear and out the other, but maybe one day it will stick!

Our future football player:

That afternoon (after a much needed rest), we headed to the ImagineIt! Children's Museum. It was a great time for all of us. They were able to paint, play with sand, fish in the water, play with the balls and blocks, slide, well basically you name it and they did it. It was a bit crowded, but overall it was a great time. I think we were there for about 2+ hours. The Cole family met us again and they loved calling Avery by name (as she did them). It's so much fun to watch them looking out for one another and recognizing each other. They were perfect examples of "parallel play"...they didn't interact a whole lot, but loved knowing that the others were around. I think Riley enjoyed the balls and the grocery area the best and Ryan loved the dress up area and fishing.

Ryan loved these hats and couldn't stop looking at himself in the mirror:

Riley kept throwing the fabric over her head and then pulling it off:

Fishing with Grandaddy - I be he can't wait for the real thing!

The crew:
After that all of us grabbed dinner at La Parilla, our favorite Mexican restaurant. We had 5 adults and 4 high chairs. What a sight! We loved introducing The Coles to our favorite place (we're there about once a week) and they took good care of us there. They gave the kids balloons while we were waiting to be seated. As we were walking to the table, Riley's balloon got loose and the moment it hit the ceiling it popped. Not just a pop, but a POP!!!! The whole restaurant seemed to stop! Everyone laughed, but what I learned later in the meal, the remnants of the yellow balloon landed on the table next to us. They were picking pieces of balloon out of their drinks and food. We always seem to make an impression wherever we go! After dinner, it was bath time and then we all collapsed. I'm tired just trying to remember all we did!

I have a feeling that these 3 are going to be nothing but trouble as they get older!

Gramma spent the night to help us get to church and we made it not only on time, but early! It was great to have her help us. We have just had a quiet day here today to recover from yesterday. Daddy just got home, so I'm off to catch up with him. We look forward to a great week and hope you have one too!

I have a new all-time favorite photo of Ryan:


Web Albums Added:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090612SprinklerFun

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090613Pool

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090613ImagineItMuseum#

10,000 and counting!

I have officially snapped 10,000 shots with my camera! I bought this camera just before Riley and Ryan were born, so it's crazy to think that in 2 years I've taken that many photos. Did I mention I love pictures? I'm not sure whether I'm bragging about this or astonished by this, but whatever the case, the photo above was #10,000 and I think it's quite a cute one if I might say so myself! Ryan found this cookie monster stuffed animal and he kept calling it Elmo. Yes - he is kissing "Elmo". Happy 10,000 and here's to 10,000's more!

Chastain Chill

On Tuesday nights in the summer, they have the Chastain Chill from 4-7pm at Chastain Park near the playground. We decided to venture out and see what it was all about. We met the Cole family and had a Chick-fil-A picnic. After eating, Riley and Ryan danced to the music, played with hula hoops, played on the playground, and just ran around. They had a ball and it was fun to watch them. Unfortunately, Daddy had to work, but luckily both Joy and Clayton were there, so they were able to help me with the kids on the playground. I definitely could not have done it without them. We were all drenched with sweat by the time we made it to the car (at 715 - bedtime is usually 645 or 700). When we arrived home, we quickly went through the bath and pj's and then I heard the most wonderful words (Kevin's conference call was still on speaker phone) "We are done for the night!!". Just in time to put them down, Kevin finished his call - I think it started at 8am on Monday and it was 8pm on Tuesday. Ok - a little exaggeration, but not much! We hope to make it back to Chastain Chill when Daddy can join the fun!

Riley was just a little timid at first, so she quickly grabbed Joy's hand to help her decide if this was all ok or not.

Hula Hoops!!! They only almost strangled one another once!

Picnic from CfA... They each ate a complete kids meal (first time that's happened) and then finished off Avery's fruit after playing on the playground!

Once I gave them the green light - they were off to the playground and never looked back!

Web Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090609ChastainChill#

Goodbye to Daddy...

This morning we hugged Daddy goodbye...
(he left for Rochester to visit Grandma)


...and look at what he missed at dinner!

I served Riley & Ryan frozen blueberries at dinner tonight and as soon as they began to melt it was a TOTAL MESS!!! They loved them, though and wanted more, of course. At least I had enough foresight to strip them down before serving.

If you want to see all the mess, you can take a look here: http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090611Blueberries# We miss you Daddy!