Surprise, We're Baaaack!

1 year, 3 weeks

Braelyn       31 lbs
Kohlden      20 lbs 9 oz (20th %) 29.5" tall (40th) head circ 17 7/8"  (20th) 
Madelyn     19 lbs 10 oz (25th %)  29" tall (50th ) head circ  17 3/4"  (50th)

First of all, Happy Cinco de Mayo!

We'll I guess you all might have thought that after their first birthday this blog was all over.  Done.  Finite. Kaput.  And so it may have seemed, since I haven't submitted a post over the last 3 weeks.  But I have my reasons, and two of them include (1) time, or lack thereof, and (2) the NBA playoffs.  But don't judge me.

Okay, so a lot has happened since the twins turned one.  So much so that I can't remember all of the events and activities, so I must fall back on my disclaimer that I am going to use pictures to bring you back to speed.  Like the famous proverb:  "Pictures are like a thousand words"...well, you'll get the picture (no pun intended!)

On the flip side the children are all growing beautifully.  The big news thus far is Kohlden has finally matched his twin sister by being able to stand up on his own AND WALK.  Cue video here:

So hopefully I'll get back to the routine of submitting a weekly post, although I'm trying to figure out what night would suit us best in terms of time and effort.  Perhaps this would be a Friday night activity.  Perhaps not. 

Anyway, let's begin....

Holding a chicken at the Winter Garden Spring Festival

The twins have their first pool experience.  Maddy loved it; Kohlden, not so much.

Little Miss Lady Goo-Goo GaGa?

The view in our van:  all 3 facing forward now.

Kohlden gets his first haircut from Nana.  He looked so mature, and handsome!

Singing happy birthday to them at Sabbath School.

Braelyn helped Mommy with the decorations for the twins' birthday celebration.

These amazing cupcakes were the creation of Jennifer Bergherm of "Sweet Expectations" fame.

They did not know what to do with their personal cakes!

A reunion of the babies that were born in 2010, all around the same time a year ago  (view blog post September 16, 2010 http://theisidros.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html)  How fast did they grow!

Alas, this was all that was left of the storm created by unsupervised children upstairs in Braelyn's room.  Good thing there's a daddy around to help clean up messes!

The family came to the mall to visit Daddy at work and to have lunch.  Here Maddy shows off some new shades.

The twins enjoy helping with the dishes.

Tangie and I visited our friends Edman and Michelle Fuentes as they welcomed their 2nd daughter, Lily.

The kids enjoying the front lawn on a beautiful Friday afternoon, which led to an impromptu photo session from Uncle Mike, who stayed with us while he was in town for a project.

PURE

JOY!

Family portrait

Watch out ladies!

Hard Cheese!

We had a visit to the zoo, and of course, we brought along our professional photographer to capture the moments!

The sisters having fun in matching dresses.

Kohlden at the water park.

Siblings holding siblings.

Having Mike over meant grilling some filet mignon topped with boursin cheese, served with rice and broccolini.  Fantastic!

Brae colored some eggs for Easter.

Our 3rd annual Easter tradition:  Brunch at Grocack's parents home complete with Easter egg hunt.

The children examine their bounty.

Braelyn's new hobby:  Cup stacking!

Brae at the Nemo exhibit at EPCOT Center

Trying to catch (or dodge) the flying water at the World of Imagination.

Her favorite part of EPCOT?  Playing on the playground, of course!

Sharing gelato with Mommy at the Italy Showcase.  Poor Maddy was taking her nap so she missed out.

So this is how a hamster feels....

Me trying out the segway.

Maddy and Kohl at the clubhouse pool during neighbor Gabriella Ottati's 1st birthday party.


Here are a few videos that will make you smile:

Well, I think that about covers it.  Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Kohlden & Madelyn!

Exactly 52 weeks, today.

I can't believe we've been through an entire year!  What an extraordinary experience, and a learning one at that!  I am amazed at the feat this family, and our extended family, has endured over the past 12 months, and it goes without saying that we couldn't have done it without everyone's love and support and help.  But we survived, and we look forward to the next year of adventures!

A Happy First Birthday to our beautiful twins!  We love the similarities and uniqueness that accompany the twin dynamic, and can't wait to see their continued growth and development.

She walks!

50 weeks

Kohlden: 20 lbs 5 oz
Madelyn: 19 lbs 3 oz
Braelyn: 32 lbs 3 oz

That's right folks, Madelyn is officially walking...with a few hiccups here and there.  But definately is moving without help on both feet and is getting better and better each day.  Kohl watches her with absolute envy!  Such a thing of beauty!

So, it's been a couple weeks.  Guess we need to recap.  A couple weekends ago, we went to the Ocoee Spring Fling...3rd year running. Besides learning about water conservation, safety and community offerings, they give away foliage to Ocoee residents.  First year we got a crepe myrtle tree, 2nd year we got a bush, and this year we picked out a weeping bottle brush tree.  Gotta love something free.  There were several things for Braelyn to do...riding one of the motor cars was fun along with a litle train ride and getting another fitted bicycle helmet.

Getting some nice time in the swing together.

Nana is paying us a visit.  Braelyn’s enjoying the extra attention, being picked up early from school every day to go do something fun.

Allen treated us to some nice steak one night!

We had some torrential rains sweep through the town.  In some places, gusts were up to 90 mph.  It knocked down trees and power lines.  I guess we can say that we were lucky we didn’t get any major damage, although it looked as though our backyard sand trap turned into a water hazard.  Also our canopy on the pergola got a tear in it.  



We got a new pool...



Other people were not so lucky. We drove by our other house, and just across the street a huge oak tree fell on their house. Very scary and so close to home…..literally.

 On Friday Tangie’s office did a Bowl-a-thon for the Junior Achievement charity and Nana brought Braelyn to come play.  She struck her pose and enjoyed trying to push the ball down the alley….very slowly.   

Climbing out the back seat!

With the extra set of hands, we were able to go out to dinner a couple times in a fairly civilized fashion.

Pooped x 2

Beautiful day and Sabbath lunch at Emiliano's Mexican Restaurant.

 Although Maddy is walking, Kohlden had her beat in weight…so much so that we decided he was big enough (just a couple weeks early) for the big car seat!  He is enjoying the ride so much better now

We are a little over 1 week away from the twins turning one.  Crazy.

Have a great weekend!