Spring Update!!!

I think that we may never have a family photo where everyone is looking at the camera, but this is the best we've got so far. We dressed them up for Easter dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Jackson was so adorable in his little sweater vest!
Poor Madden- she will probably hate this picture later in life, but it's one of our favorites! I tried to brush her hair back instead of straight down into her face as it naturally grows, and this was the result. I can't wait until she has enough hair for little ponytails.

Happy Birthday Madden!!! She liked her strawberry cupcakes much more than the chocolate ones we made for Jackson. What kind of girl doesn't like chocolate?!?!?
Yes, he is wearing Madden's bloomers on his head. He just thought he was something special with those things on his head.
Well, Madden is already a better cook than her mother. She loves this stove!! (Thank you Aunt Donna and Uncle John!)
The kids enjoying a stroll on one of the first sunny days we have had since they've been in America. All is good with the world....
....and just a few seconds later Jackson is "exploring" Madden's ear. Poor Madden. This is only the beginning.
They enjoy dumping the toys out of our downstairs "toybox" almost as much as they enjoy playing with them!
Madden was just so thrilled with herself with this thing in her mouth.
Jackson and daddy early in the morning on the way to Jackson's hernia surgery. Nothing stops this kid!! After his surgery they said he would be grumpy and probably wouldn't be able to walk until night time since they had numbed him from the waist down. Well, he woke up from his morning nap, ate a full lunch, and started running around. What a trooper!
Madden drumming up a storm! I keep thinking she will stop sticking her tongue out when she gets excited, but it hasn't happened yet.
Jackson, now an expert cupcake eater, just crams it in a fistful at a time.
Madden loves "reading" the newspaper. She likes the shiny ads the most.

OK, so Jackson is not so much of a reader, but at least he ejoys himself!

So, as you can see, the kids are doing well and getting big! They are really starting to look like little kids rather than babies. Jackson is running around and climbing everything. Madden is now walking along furniture really well, and can stand on her own. She isn't quite brave enough to walk yet, but she has progressed so much since we got home. When we first got home our pediatrician referred her for a developmental assessment because she wasn't crawling or standing yet, and we just had the evaluation a few weeks ago. It was really nerve racking watching her be tested for an hour. They were simple little things like putting a peg in a hole, turning a bottle upside down to get a ball out, etc. However, it was so scary for me each time she couldn't complete one of the tasks. I knew she had made tons of progress, but still it is an odd feeling waiting for a doctor to tell you if your child is "normal". Thankfully she is on track, and on top of that we now have an official medical report that says she is "very cute"!

It's hard to believe we've only been home four months. We've definitely settled into a routine now, and can safely say having "twins" is not nearly as difficult as we feared. Some of you reading this know how we agonized for months over whether we could handle two at once, and now that all seems so ridiculous. Although, I might be singing a different tune 17 years from now when they both start college at the same time. According to an online estimate, a four year degree at a UC school will be over $200k each!!! I suppose since they don't share my genetics there is a chance they might be good at a sport and get a scholarship- we can only hope! I also see a minivan in our future, which Kevin is dreading. I really thought our SUV would have enough room, but with the car seats and double stroller, we have no room left. I've actually been paying attention to minivan commercials, which is just so hard to believe.

So, that's pretty much it for us. We are thrilled that the sun has finally come out and our local levees are still intact. It was pretty scary for a while watching the rivers get higher and higher. Of course, now the news says that there will be a huge mosquito population because of all the standing water, and of course the mosquitos carry the west nile virus, so we really can't win. Kevin has just finished four weeks in a row of travelling for work, which was no picnic for me. Thankfully he is now pretty much done with travel for the year. I've been pretty stressed out from my new gig as "divorce lawyer". Right now my boss has pneumonia so I have been covering his cases on top of my cases, which is just insane! So, anyhow, although we have had some challenges trying to balance work and home, overall the Bristows are doing well. We are looking forward to a nice, uneventful summer!