The White clan returns to Atlanta

It has been over a year since I have been back to Atlanta and the girls have never been so we thought it was a good time to make the trip and introduce them to our friends down in Georgia. We survived the car ride down and went into Elizabeth's old office to see Anisa and crew. The girls fit right in with an office full of women. I thought I was outnumbered at home.....

After that we made our way over to see my old office and dine on our Atlanta fav - Taqueria del Sol. What a difference two years makes! I had no idea when we left Atlanta we would be back in less then 2 years...with two babies!

Once we made the rounds, we decided on the scenic route to Chip and Lauren's to drive through our old neighborhood. Everything looked the same and brought back a ton of memories. It was our first house together, where we got engaged, where Pearce grew up, and where we spent so much time with Chip and Lauren - before we had kids.

Tyler and Harper got to spend a ton of time with Hill over the weekend. He was very interested in them ("the babees") starting right when they arrived. We are really going to have our hands full when they are as mobile as Hill is. Thanks again Chip and Lauren for all the hospitality.

Click the link for more pictures of our trip - here!

First trip to the beach

Well the bikini babes did not quite make an appearance out on the beach this time around. The sun was out and the the skies were clear, unfortunately it was a little too windy on the beach for the girls to strut their stuff in their new bikinis and shades. We decided to set up camp in the backyard of the house which was protected from the wind. I spent about 30 minutes setting up a "beach dome", getting the chairs out, bringing magazines and water down, etc... all for about 5 minutes of time outside before the girls got fussy and we had to retreat to the couch.

Vacation has taken on a whole new meaning. First, you have the car ride to the beach. Take a second to reflect back on how crazy you used to make your parents on family trips in the car. The girls are obviously not at the stage where we (as parents now) need to orchestrate a distracting game of "eye spy" or encourage the girls to record the various state license plates we pass, but the trip was no walk in the park either, just ask the other folks in the Wendy's off I95 about the crazy couple that devoured Junior Bacon cheeseburgers while taking up three tables to simultaneously feed twin babies. Gone are the days of taking a book or two down to read as you relax on the beach or the deck. It would be a feat to get through a set of Cliff Notes having to tend to babies 24X7. We jokingly made comments about how crazy it will be this summer when the girls are actually mobile, but really it is no joking matter. I am just looking forward to building the best sand castles on the beach with my bikini babes for many summers to come!

Thanks Honey, Pop, Uncle Brandy, Emily Rose, and Yo Kris for helping out and giving the parents some much needed rest.

Here are some pictures from Easter '08!

Beach Bound

We're off to the beach for Easter! 

Bikini Babes

Hippity HOP!

Easter is on its way! Tyler & Harper went to their first Easter Egg Hunt today at the club. We think next year will be a little more eventful when the girls can actually run around and pick up eggs to fill their baskets.

Meeting the Easter Bunny

Family Photo

Hanging with the grandparents

Jellybeans

Jumperoo

The girls are finally big enough to play in the Jumperoo. They love looking at all of the rainforest animals and listening to the sounds of the jungle. For sure their favorite toy right now! 

Here are some more pictures of the past 2 weeks or so~

Spring has Sprung

Tyler & Harper are getting so big. The stack of clothes that they have outgrown is growing by the day! Both girls are still talking a lot and love to smile. They have just started facing each other and seem to listen to what the other has to say. Also new this week is shaking their rattles. Everyone thinks it is so cute to see the girls holding onto something (all except Pearce who has almost gotten whacked by the rattle a few times!) And any chance they get ~ the girls want to stand with their parents help. They are very into standing tall (while wobbling) and looking around. The world must look so much different from that angle because they are fascinated. Their legs are getting so strong I think we are going to have some soccer players on our hands!

Playing with our new musical toy.

Anything that makes noise makes us very happy!

We thought it would save time to put both babies in the bath... 

W R O N G ! 

It took twice as long as usual and there was water everywhere. 

The girls are about to move to the big girl tub.

Baby Tadpoles

Our favorite new CD is the Little Mermaid.

We listen to it every day.

Enjoying the nice Spring weather.

We love our fake big brother toy. This dog actually plays with us!

Tyler & Harper loved the new scenery of the back yard. 

They looked around with excitement 

(when the sun wasn't in their eyes)!

Big Bro comes to check out the new additions to his backyard. 

He got close enough to sniff them then ran away. 

Mr. Mom

Unfortunately there is no evidence of Mr. Mom in action this evening.  I had Harper in the baby Bjorn while preparing my knock off California Pizza Kitchen Thai crunch salad.  I think she was entertained for a while then quickly got bored - too much chopping!  I had to play Mr. Mom on Sunday as well when Elizabeth was out of town for a shower.  I admit, my mom was in town the better part of Sunday, so I was really not alone for more then 3-4 hours with the girls, but I was still exhausted by the time Elizabeth got home.  Hats off to my lovely bride as always - this is hard work!

But I do feel like an old hand at this now and am eager to pass along everything I've picked up in the last 3 months to my friends who are at different spots along the same journey.  We have friends in Birmingham who recently had a beautiful little girl and several others here in NC that are currently expecting (or just found out they were expecting).  The next generation is developing right before our eyes and it is all happening so quickly.  I can't wait to see our girls grow up and interact with their new friends.  I did have a chat with them after their double date the other day just to make sure everyone was on the same page and to ensure they knew no boys are allowed in the house without their dad's approval.  I guess there are some aspects to them growing up that I CAN wait on! 

I saw this quote the other day and thought it spot on for how we feel about our interaction with the girls and what is most important to us right now - spending as much time as we can with them every day.  "The best inheritance a parent can give to his children is a few minutes of their time each day."  Everyone tells you how quickly the time flies by - and after only 3 months I would have to agree.

 

Bedtime Basics

a kiss from mom...

a kiss from dad...

and a warm bath =

happy babies that sleep through the night!

Goodnight Tyler & Harper. Sweet Dreams.

A Double Date

Tyler & Harper had their first double date today. We had a little playdate with Colton & Cooper (identical twin boys that are now 5 1/2 months). There sure was a lot of flirting going on. We think they will all be great friends soon!

Colton, Tyler, Cooper & Harper

Baby Playtime!

Harper & Cooper

Tyler & Colton

Thanks for bringing the boys by Melissa!

Baby Talk & Best Friends

Tyler & Harper nap together during the day...

... and quite often we walk in to find them holding hands,

sucking on the other's fingers or nose or all cuddled up together.

True Best Friends already!

Tyler & Harper are 3 months old now and have just started to baby talk. They are so into it that when they get going - it can go on for quite a while. It is almost like they are having a conversation with each other. Its hard to catch it on video- so here is a little snippet. We promise to get some more exciting video of the girls soon.