July 2009

As I was reviewing pictures, I noticed that I have over 200 pictures from July alone. We are used to having a digital camera where you can take as many as you want and then delete (like that happens) the ones that aren't good.

We had lots of play dates, some in our backyard with the sprinkler and fort and some around town like the fountain at Coolidge park and playground at the mall.

The boys "graduated" to the next Sabbath School classroom for 2 and 3 year olds. It is pretty exciting to see what the big kids to and the favorite activities of this quarter is the trumpets and the swings.

We like going to the Chattanooga Market and looking for great local produce as well as the boys play with a train table and look at the musicians and instruments. This was dog day and the boys liked seeing and petting dogs. The cuteness of their boots got as much attention from others as did the dogs.

I like this picture of Ethan playing in Papa's car. It shows how much he will need to grow before he turns 16.

No posts for 6 months

I must apologize to the fans of this blog that there has been no activity for six months. Two things have taken the time I use to use to blog. In July I become President of the Chattanooga Area Mothers of Multiples Club and starting to collect coupons and track sales at grocery stores and drugstores. Both have been rewarding but the time commitment has meant that I've had to let a few things go. I'll give you a short update on each of the past 6 months and will attempt to update at the beginning of each month from now on.

Weekend at Nana and Papa's

Andrew and Ethan spent the night at Nana's and Papa's so that David and I could go to the Primerica meeting in Atlanta on Friday. We enjoyed the time away and had a good time in Atlanta especially our visit to Ikea. We bought some chairs for the living room and then a short while later found matching kids chairs.

Andrew and Ethan spent time playing with bubbles and even made cymbals out of metal coasters from Great Grandma McCoy.

Sky Fort Contruction

The boys received a great birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa. The Sky Fort playhouse started as a bunch of odd shaped wood pieces and a box of bolts and screws. David completed it in three weeks with help at the beginning and end. Andrew's favorite part is the slide and crow's nest and Ethan prefers to swing.

Summer has begun

Summer heat has begun and we are spending more time outside. The boys are excited whenever they see their swim suits out. They will either play in the sprinkler or splash in a swimming pool.

We've attended a few play dates with the Mothers of Multiples Club with the highlighting being the Day at the Farm. The boys enjoyed a cookout, riding the cow train, swinging, sliding, and testing out big kids toys like bicycles, wagons, and a gator. Though the cows were not nearby, we did see a large garden, a barn, and two huge tractors. Between 8-10 families attended so that made for a lot of children. There were 2 sets of triplets and the rest had twins.

2nd Birthday Party

Andrew and Ethan Walters turned 2 years old on May 21, 2009. They celebrated their birth day on Friday evening with a party at the Crawford dock on Lake Chickamauga. We enjoyed the company of some family and our friends the Whitmills. The boys are beginning to feed themselves more often and in the second picture, Andrew is stealing a pickle from Ethan's plate.


After supper the kids enjoyed splashing in the small swimming pool and then taking turns riding a waverunner with their parents. Though the waverunner was fun the boys preferred to splash in the pool. It was hard to get them to come out of the pool to open presents.

The party had a minor theme of Little Einsteins, a TV sho

w that focuses on music and team work. Many of the presents where Little Einstein related including a 3 DVD box set which their mama appreciated just as much or more than the boys.

Thank you to all who helped us celebrate. A special thank you to Lezlee who taught the boys the answer to "how old are you?" "I'm two!" while holding up one finger.

24 Months

Well the 24th month has been filled with small advances culminating on their birthday with two more firsts. When I went into their room to say good morning, Ethan was trying to sing "the Bible tells me so" from Jesus Loves me. Then just a short while later Andrew learned he could walk backwards.

They have grown in height, Ethan is over 34 inches and Andrew is 33 inches. Andrew is 28 pounds and Ethan is 27 pounds. They still have a ways to go before they can fill Daddy's shoes.

Words continue to increase. Ethan is trying to copy my sentences in particular when he asks for something. For example he attempts to say "May I please have more juice" though I only understand the first and last word.

Andrew can now say two word phrases like "diaper wet" and "cat gone". He is very polite and says "thank you" often. In this picture he is asking where the cat has gone. It is fun to go to the grocery store/Sam's club and quiz them on the food or other items in the store. They know so many words I would guess it's close to 500 words.

After taking an assessment for 24 months old, they are both ahead of the curve in development. They run well, kick and throw balls, stack blocks and megablocks, scribble with a crayon and use utensils with some success.

We read before nap and bedtime and they would love for us to read "again" and "again." It's crowded in our reading chair now. I'm not sure where I'll read when they are too tall that I can't see over their heads.

We are blessed to have two great boys.

New Orleans

We had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans April 15-20 for my sister's wedding on April 17. This post will be more about the city sites.

We stayed in the garden district on St. Charles Avenue about 10 blocks from the French Quarter at the Avenue Plaza Resort. Since we were on the 11th floor we had a great view of the city. You can see the Super Dome in the picture taken from the rooftop of our hotel. Driving is a bit difficult in this city since streets don't run north/south, they follow the curve of the water around the city so it's important to learn some basic streets or areas to understand directions. We borrowed a GPS unit and it did come in handy.

We were able to visit the french quarter and as usual there was a festival of some sort. During our afternoon out, David and I ate beignet's at Cafe du Monde, roamed the shops, watched the street artists, and tried on masks.
One of the best parts of the trip was the tours we took. It allowed us to see an overview of the city though the down side was flying right passed an area that sparked our interest. We sailed the Mississippi on the Natchez, a wooden paddle wheel boat. This tour provided information about commerce and the importance of the New Orleans Port for this country.

The other tour was by bus through the city to show the French Quarter (old city), the street with Cajun houses on one side and American homes on the other with the "neutral zone" or median in the center. That was an interesting reminder about prejudice and that it comes in all forms. We made two stops, one at a cemetery where the people are buried above ground. The next stop was the City Park which was fabulous. The live oaks are evergreens, some have ferns on the branches called "resurrection fern" because they resurrect after a rain and look green for 9 hours and then lay dormant again. They have added a playground near the "walking oaks" and they are a favorite of kids for climbing. I think the trees and some of the interesting house architectural styles were my two favorite things about New Orleans.



The boys had many first experiences. For the first time they rode a bus, sailed on a boat, and traveled in a street car.

Though not pictured, we drove across the longest continues bridge, 23 miles, across Lake Pontchartrain on two days. There is something about the expanse of water and the clicking of the tires on the bridge added to very tired boys that caused them to fall asleep each time we crossed it.

Travel with 7 Poeple

So are you wondering how it's possible to travel with 7 people in one minivan? Here's how!

First you buy some Starbucks coffee for those that are grouchy or tired. Next you pack an ice chest full of snacks, lunch, and drinks. You'll still have to stop at McDonalds or Dariy Queen to use the restroom and have a treat. Then you need a DVD player to keep them from asking "are we there yet?" or "I'm hungry."

As for packing, make sure you pack in small size bags and remember you can buy groceries at your destination. Lastly, buy a rooftop luggage carrier that will fit at least one small adult. Okay, just kidding! It should fit about 5 bags so there is enough room for BOB the stroller, 2 portable beds, supply of diapers, and all other belongings.

Once in New Orleans, Grandma used her walking sticks, the boys rode in BOB the stroller, or enj

oyed walking. When we traveled on the street cars they wore their animal backpacks so we could hold onto them in the crowd.

Enjoy this short video showing our seating arrangement in the van.

Favorite Photos from Trip

Here are some of my favorite photos during our trip to New Orleans.