On The Side: An American Champion

We recently found out that Duke is now an American Champion English Pointer, and we will be getting him back this weekend to meet the newest editions to the family. We are so proud of him. It's hard to believe that he has been gone this whole time. We will be curious to see how he interacts with the boys. One thing is for certain, he will not be as laid back as Dante . This could get interesting. Here is the web address for the breeder where we got him and Dante. If you are looking for a loving dog, I would highly recommend them. She has puppies and retired show dogs. Visit Solivia's Kennels.

Catching Up, Part 2

This last weekend we went to a pumpkin patch at a local church down the street. We took the boys for pictures and to pick out a large pumpkin to have some fun with later. I've got some pretty good ideas for the pumpkin...we'll see what happens. Randi's mom and two aunts were also in town, got to see the boys, and help take some snapshots. Here are a few of the better photos.

Wyatt and Parks holding hands.

Look at all those melons.
Parks lost amongst the pumpkins.
Wyatt--look at those blue eyes.
Randi and the boys.

All of us together.

Catching Up, Part 1

Hello everybody!! We are still here. It has been a while. I actually had to hesitate when entering my login name and password. I am going to attempt a series of posts aptly named, "Catching Up," in order to do just that. Both Wyatt and Parks are doing great. We missed posting updates on their 4th and 5th month birthdays. Here is a snipette of a drafted post from their four month birthday that never got posted and an update on their size now.

"Parks & Wyatt turned four months old yesterday, September 15th. I can hardly believe it's been that long since they were born. We have come so far in such a short period of time and we have so much to be thankful for! Wyatt has been completely off his meds since the beginning of the month and we no longer have to check his blood sugar. He now weighs over 11 pounds, almost five times his birth weight. He is an extremely happy baby, smiling and laughing constantly. The painful weeks after he came home from the NICU are a distant memory. He doesn't even seem like the same baby. Parks is doing great as well. He now weighs 15 lbs."

I am happy to report that on October 15th, Wyatt now weighs 13 pounds and Parks is probably close to 17 pounds. They are now only a couple of inches apart in overall length and are looking more and more alike than ever. Parks' hair is starting to turn darker, and his eyes have turned hazel. Wyatt appears to be bald his hair is so blonde, and his eyes are now a very bright blue. Parks is around the 50th percentile for his weight unadjusted. If you take his prematurity into account he is well over the 90th percentile. Wyatt has finally broken through on the growth chart for weight. He is in the 5th percentile unadjusted and 25th percentile adjusted, but his overall curve is trending about as vertical as you can get. We have had a few doctors appointments over the last month and a half, but I will post about those later. Here is a slide show of some random pictures over that time to get everyone reintroduced to our little men.

Anniversary

Today...four years ago...Randi and I exchanged vows surrounded by granite, stained-glass, and smiling faces. It was an Auburn football off week. All the old friends we got to see again, all the family members we were meeting for the first time, its was a blur.

I do have a few inescapable, frozen memories of that day. There was the Colonel's scrambled dog, pictures on the front steps of the church with Dante, the stretched Navigator surprise, the nod and the wink, missing out on not only our own dinner but also the leftovers, the band, the dance, the limo ride to Atlanta, and the flight the next morning with my new bride to explore not only a new part of the world but also each other.

After over a year of dating and several years as friends, the past four years have drug on and flown by all at the same time. If I had to describe each of them in one sentence, they would be:

Year 1: I get to live with you now...no, seriously I really get to live with you.
Year 2: Wow, are we really moving again?!
Year 3: So, what do you want to do now?
Year 4: Oh crap, we are having twins!!
Year 5 Prediction: Big changes are afoot and growing boys under foot.

Thank you to all for helping us make it through this last year. It was a tough one for both of us.