Summertime has been hot…very hot. We have consistently had temperatures over 100 degrees day after day. Thus, the boys have been in the pool quite a bit and ironically, the best “swimmer” is Aiden. He lays back (in his little life jacket) and kicks all over the place. Ethan and Evan are more restless in the pool and like to be held.

All three are doing a good job understanding things. Their vocabulary is growing and they are even saying complicated words like “oxygen” (this is in reference to Aiden’s oxygen tank). They have also learned “uh-oh” and “no-no.” Of course, this means that they are getting into all kinds of mischief!

Enjoy some of the pics below.

He turned into a superhero

Off to rescue someone (a superhero with an oxygen cord and feeding tube?)

Aiden, you forgot your mask

He is loving this

Evan, what on earth?!

Ethan?

And now you are upset?

Aiden is too

Because he is caged

He wants to be free…

…looks like he is scheming

Ethan, are you hitting Aiden in the head with the phone?

Fun in the sun

Good morning sunshine

Is that nice and soft?

Boo, what are you up to?

This looks like potential trouble

“Puppy” is very popular these days

Evan, such a nice kiss!

Aiden loves to hug his brothers (even if they don’t hug back)

Get puppy

Evan, what are you pointing at?

Here he comes

Evan loves to hide under the pillows

Still loving their little pet…

And now Aiden gets a chance to love puppy

Happy Independence Day! The boys have decided that they are independent, and a law unto themselves. That is requiring a lot of work and training…but it’s not all bad. They can do so many things themselves now, and what they can’t do, they certainly make up for in trying hard! Evan is doing a great job feeding himself cereal very neatly with his own spoon. They try to put on their own shoes (certainly know how to take them off) and clothes (also do a great job taking off their pants and diapers, unfortunately…I’ll leave the rest to your imagination!). Even Aiden is trying to buckle himself into the car seat and stroller.

Their vocabulary has completely taken off, and they can say just about anything, and easily convey what they want. Their latest favorite words are “Boom” and “Bang,” and they like to put those into practice when they say it, from toys to food to whatever happens to be at hand. Sadly, that has caused some injuries to each other. Despite the fact that we have been teaching them that you cannot throw (“Boom!”) toys, and especially not hit each other with toys (“Bang!”), apparently this is a hard thing to learn, because it is soooo much fun to throw things!

We attempted to make it to the July 4th kiddie parade here in Flower Mound, but were delayed when Aiden had a massive blowout as we were putting him in the car seat. As you can see from the picture below, the boys were a little disappointed that they did not get to see the “kids” in the parade. Ethan and Evan are still going through some separation anxiety from Hannah being in Boston so long, and they are afraid that she is leaving every time she walks out of their site, but they are doing great in the nursery at church. It has been a bit of an adjustment for them, especially since service is right at dinner and bed time, but they are so excited to get in the car and go to “chuch” to play in the nursery with the “kids.”

Such long, thick eyelashes you have, Evan

Everyone loves the doggy

My own little Boo

Laughter

Don’t pull too hard

Ethan is posing for the camera

Aiden and his little tongue

Are you trapped on the window sill?

Are you two trading clothes?

Ethan, you forgot something

Little boys and their toys

Evan is growing a moustache at such a young age

Aiden, did you make your cousin cry?

Either way, he has the chair all to himself

Interesting life jackets. Ethan does not seem to like it much

Aiden doesn’t either, but he loves swimming more…

Sharing his book

Boom! Bang! They love throwing things

There goes another toy

Aiden is worried they will throw him next

So, he goes into defense mode

The trips having fun

The twins try to catch a fly

Aiden, are you throwing things too?

Classic Aiden…look at the eyes…and the hair

The twins’ new favorite: “hot tea”

Ethan plays with his “little piggies”

The boys missed the July 4th kiddie parade because we were late. They even had on their little red white & blue outfits

This past Father’s Day (and for Manish’s birthday), the boys were able to piece together a “Happy Father’s Day” to their daddy. They said it not just once in the morning, but also before they went to bed. They were so proud of themselves!

Speaking of Manish, the boys still call him “Da”, “Dodden,” and “Didden,” but some recent, new names are “Dadoo” (the current favorite) and “Daddus.” Hannah is consistently called “Mommie,” and even when she is right there, Evan calls for her over and over. Ethan and Evan are very concerned that she is going to leave again, and have definitely developed some separation anxiety since the last trip to Boston.

As a nice Father’s Day, the downstairs air conditioner in our house went out that afternoon and was completely out for nearly 3 days! As you can imagine, this is a bad time of the year to have no A/C in Texas. Fortunately, we finally got it fixed last night…and everyone is very grateful to have lovely cool air!

It’s been busier than usual here–almost two weeks ago, we had some big storms come through and a couple of tornadoes touched down here in our town. Many of our neighbors lost trees, fences, windows, roofing, etc. One such casualty was the beautiful Bradford Pear tree that graced our front yard. It was once again struck by lightning and crashed into our neighbor’s driveway and our bushes (we were very thankful that it missed the house!). Everywhere we go in the area, we see debris and downed trees from the storm. It definitely made an impression on the boys, particularly Ethan. Everytime he sees a tree, he talks about it. In his words: “Uh-oh! Tree! Mommie, tree. Uh-oh!”

Hopefully, our next update won’t take as long as this one did. Being without air conditioning in 100+ degree weather (with 3 toddlers) is brutal…to say the least. Hope you are all enjoying your summer and staying cool 😉

What is with the spoon?

You too, Evan?

Ethan is ready to get out

Evan stuffs everything in his mouth so he can be done first

Ethan wants to be released

So he waits

Departure time has come!

Evan say “my turn!”

(Aiden ripped off his O2)…love the tongue action, Aiden

Ethan, nice swim diapers…they look like baby speedos

They love swimming

Evan, are you posing?

And now Ethan has to also

Evan just realized he is wearing baby speedos

After nearly 7 weeks in Boston, Aiden has finally returned home. Hannah and Aiden arrived on June 2nd. Although he is still throwing up, he is recovering well from the surgery and is extremely happy to be back with his brothers. He has been doing well with walking, although his balance still needs some work. His hair has grown by leaps and bounds and he has beautiful little curls. Finally, Hannah had to take him for a haircut (Manish says he was “Samsonized”!). The little locks were a big part of his charisma and charm…but don’t worry, it will grow back.

All three boys are increasing their vocabulary. For example, “car” and “keys” combinations now include the word “door…open the door.” Additionally, they love listening to their “A-B-D’s” music. We are working on getting that right but they are convinced that is what it is called. At the end of the B-I-B-L-E song, they will say “Bibee” (Bible), and they have a name for each song. Ice Cream is a new favorite, expecially for Evan. After dinner, Manish asks them “who wants…” and Evan is hooked because he knows what’s coming. See the video below for his little reaction.

Hannah will take Aiden back up to Boston Children’s in late July for the laryngeal cleft surgery. Please keep him in your prayers! In the meantime, we are thoroughly enjoying being back together as a family for a couple of weeks. Enjoy the video and images below.

Look who’s back in town!

All of the “Things” are finally reunited

Thing 3 is so happy to be back

Simply adorable

The twins new favorite is their Shapes video

Aiden is laughing it up

He has so much hair (this is before the haircut)

Indian style on the couch

The trips

A battle over the toy is looming

Always smiling

Ethan, do you like Mickey Mouse?

I guess not

Hello Rabbi Aiden

Shalom!