Help

Marin Dalby will "help" me when taking pictures of Quinn or Charlie especially if one of them isn't paying attention ... Here are a few examples (These I caught with my phone) of the "help".... Hope someone doesn't lose an eye.... (look closely at poor Charlie in the second picture)

Mmmm

New shoes!

A tell-all interview

Ryan in his best interviewer voice .... Charlie telling it like it is ....

Imagination Movers Concert

Recently we drove up to Michigan(I know crazy to think we would do it again so soon after Christmas). But Santa had brought Marin Dalby three tickets to the Imagination Movers concert in Detroit. We had a GREAT trip. Our first stop was Grand Rapids. Ryan had a training class in Grand Rapids that fell during Dalby's Spring Break and the week before the concert so it worked out perfectly! The thing that didn't work out as well for us was night driving. Some people swear by it, we however, will not. While in Grand Rapids I got to drive over to Holland to see the new Haworth Center. It is beautiful and it was wonderful to see old friends! Next stop, Grosse Pointe(the three hour drive from GR to GP seems so easy after the 14 hour trek up north). We arrived Wednesday night in Detroit. Ryan had to be in Chicago for work on Thursday and Friday, so I tagged along. My mom, dad and sister took care of the kids for the two days. I haven't been to Chicago in awhile and I just love the city! I did a little walking, met up with another old friend and then Friday we flew back to Michigan. Saturday we got together with a crew we always love seeing and we had a fun night! Sunday was the concert!!!!!!! It was so exciting to get ready and head to downtown Detroit. The concert was FABULOUS!!!! For those of you who haven't heard the Imagination Movers - they are great - as far as kid's music goes. There are not many, in fact I can't think of another, concert/show I would really want to go to but I was excited to see these guys - and they didn't disappoint! Santa had also arranged for us to go back stage to meet the Movers, hear them sing a bit more and get our picture with them. What a treat!!!!! (Nice job Santa!)

High-Fiving each Mover and Nina as they came down the aisle.

For Disney Junior watchers - Choo Choo Soul opened the show.

A climber .....oh no!!!

This isn't the first time Charlie has been climbing. Dalby helped me catch him on top of the toy box looking out the window the other day.....the thing with his climbing is that he has no idea of how high he is or how to get down.






A month or so ago .... Guess this was just the beginning...

A Year

A year - everyone says it - “I can’t believe it has been a year”. Our children mark the passage of time so clearly. Each day brings new learnings and discoveries. Some days go exactly as you planned and others aren’t even close! I would say this year was filled more with the latter. We have had a great year and are so blessed with three healthy children. From the moment we found out we were having twins we have had a non-stop chain of events..... first the morning/afternoon sickness the two babies created for several months and rendered me useless and increased Dalby’s graham cracker consumption exponentionally in those months as we snacked together, to at 30 weeks pregnant completely gutting our kitchen down to the studs(even replacing a water damaged wall and seeing our crawl space as additional floor support was put into place), to delivering the babies at 38 weeks and 4 days(39 weeks), to having ENORMOUS twins that were literally the “talk” of the hospital, to coming home and having our parents unpack our kitchen and move the refridgerator and microwave out of the living room and back into the kitchen, to the unwavering support of family and friends from extended stays to numerous meals, to the potty training of our 2.5 year old while nursing the babies, to counting the feedings and pumpings until we could sleep again, to Ryan traveling weekly and studying so hard, to my second surgery of 2010 and not being able to lift the kids for 6 weeks(!!!!), to our 14 hour multi-stop drives to Michigan, to transitioning to being all alone with all three kids all the time, to loving watching each child grow and change, to looking back and saying this has been the longest and shortest year of our lives and to looking forward and hoping we can take every moment in......

Charlie

Quinn

A picture of Marin Dalby Luttenton at 12 months old

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

We have quite a performer here....we pretend all the time that Marin Dalby is getting introduced as someone famous...."Taylor Switch"(not a typo, how she says it. She has only seen Taylor Swift on Ellen and only knows a few of her songs but she loves her!), "Imagination Movers", etc. She sets up a stage, gets her microphone ready(most often the vacuum cleaner but she does have a microphone now), puts her dress/twirly skirt on and a pair of dress up shoes on and fully scripts what should be said. You hear direction from the other room as she informs you of how to introduce her and who she is pretending to be... This video was taken in November and I kept meaning to upload it .... we have more videos too but this is by far the most complete performance. As I find more I will try and share them.....Enjoy!!!!

Spring

We Won!!!!

Our family and friends have been INCREDIBLE this year! Ryan and I feel very blessed. One thing that is a challenge, as anyone can relate too, is trying to figure out what the grown ups and three year old are going to eat. It is the last thing you think of when caring for a baby or babies(as the case maybe). During a visit to TN Bumpa and Mary stopped by Super Suppers in Franklin and purchased several yummy frozen meals for us to prepare. As a result Mary received update emails from Super Suppers. One email told of a contest. The requirements, tell Supper Supers three of the meals you like and how Super Suppers has helped your family. Mary's entry is below. The Grand Prize: (12) meals, a bread maker and other assorted gifts. We just found out Mary won!!!!!! Congratulations to Mary on her great poem and congratulations to us on getting to benefit with the free meals and a bread maker!!!! I am very excited to claim our prize!

Mary's Entry:

"Traveling from Michigan, by car or by plane

To visit our family, this year’s been insane!

The best kind of chaos, a house filled with love,

Blessed with new twins; they’re a gift from above.

But bottles and diapers and laundry, oh my!

Can Super Suppers help us get by?

Rock-a-bye babies, read sister a book.

Where has the day gone? There’s no time to cook!

Salmon and flank steak, both fabulous dishes

And oh, that tilapia – it was delicious!

Then Mommy had surgery; stocked more of your food.

Meals at the ready sure brightened our mood.

The staff kind and helpful, we’ll keep coming back

No comparison to fast food in a sack.

Now snuggle big sister and play with a toy,

Cuddle TWO babies – a girl and a boy.

For grandparents who live too far away,

Super Suppers has saved the day! "

- Mary Luttenton

Sous chefs

My "assistants"..... Charlie is actually napping ...