...Time for JOY and Time for CHEER....'twas our CHRISTMAS

What an awesome, blessed and Merry CHRISTmas it was this year...and every moment was extra special since it was our first as parents. The season got off to a wonderful start with the arrival of Mom and Dad T and Auntie Kallie on Sat, Dec 19. And in a sheer surprise of the year (one which Gena knew about), Troy showed up at the airport when Chad was picking up the crew...what an AMAZING gift for the holidays! So this year's crew would be the 4 GA Tutts and 4 TX Tutts.

We kicked off our week with a trip to Callaway Gardens...and it was worth every minute of the 1hr and 45 min drive to West Georgia...as we went to see their renouned Fantasy in Lights...a 45 minute trolly ride through a winter wonderland of amazing lights displays. It was a cold night, but jackets and blankets (and some great work by Uncle Troy to get us front row seats in the trolly) made the evening a pleasant one. What a great time we shared out there...and it was awesome to see how much Evan and Taryn took in the sights. And as predicted, Taryn was extremely taken in by the lights...her sweet little head rotating from left to right and then back again as she glanced as every light bulb they had out there....Evan liked the lights a lot...but Taryn LOVED them! We can't wait to go back next year!

While the week that family was here seemed to go by way too fast, we had some great times and memories as we celebrated CHRISTmas together. Evan and Taryn got to track Santa for the first time...and just as they were going to bed, noradsanta.org reported that he was over the Azore Islands out in the Atlantic Ocean. They each had left a gingerbread man-shaped sugar cookie for Santa and headed for bed. CHRISTmas morning started at 8:15 AM (guess we should take advantage of those "late" starts, 'cause it won't be long before their crashing our bed at the crack of dawn to get us up and see what Santa brought! ...but we'd give up any amount of sleep for when that moment comes, 'cause oh how precious it will be!! :-) ) We had a wonderful breakfast to get things started...and stockings and presents came in two phases bracketed around their mid-morning nap. Evan and Taryn were captivated by the sit and walk cars that Santa left for them. Along the way, they had a great time trying their little hands at ripping open the wrapping paper...and of course, everything within reach was headed for the mouth! It was a toy-filled day, and the twangels seemed to stamp everything with approval...there were even toys from their Aunt Gina & Uncle Spark and Aunt Megan and Uncle Zig...many thanks for those....amazing additions which E & T love!

Amidst soaking up their new toys, Evan and Taryn got to soak up so many hugs, kisses, laughs, and smiles with their Gma, Gpa, Auntie Kallie, and Uncle Troy. The two of them loved all the attention and interaction...stimulation overload, but they ate it up! All of which made it an extremely sad time when the four of them had to head back to TX. Gena also enjoy all the extra hands to give the twins love...as it was a nice break to not be on duty 24/7 :-)

Overall, what a beautiful CHRISTmas celebration this year...sharing that time with Evan and Taryn and GMa-T, GPa-T, Uncle Troy, and Auntie Kallie was nothing short of amazing. Evan and Taryn are the biggest and most awesome gifts in our lives...and this year was a special milestone with them and no doubt created memories to carry forward and traditions to look forward to in the years to come. Aside from not having snow on the ground, CHRISTmas this year was everything we could have hoped and prayed for. ...and the celebration continues as we get ready to ring in the new year.

....oh, and we'll take "Cute CHRISTmas Photos" for $1000, Alex:

Taryn is on the Move...Are we ready for this????

I am sorry the video is a little dark...it is a dark rainy day here today and I didnt have the overhead lights on but you can still see our little pumpkin go :-).

He's Making a List and Checking it Twice

Yes...that is right we took the babies to see Santa. It was an hour wait and we almost didn't stay but we were there and I really wanted to capture their first Christmas w/the traditional Santa picture so we waited. The babies did awesome...as they always do when they are being held. However, they are getting to that stage where they are starting to push away because they want down to play thankfully we are still stronger than them :-). Taryn had no issues w/ Santa, I think Evan wanted to pull his beard off but they were both 'good' long enough to snap a quick photo and then Evan started crying. We snatched him up real quick got our free photo and headed home. No one has to know that they only sat on his lap for less than 30 sec right? Because that isn't the point, the point is to snap a super cute photo right??? In that case mission success :-)

Leaps an d Bounds

It seems that Evan and Taryn are honing in on their skills and picking up new ones everyday. I cant believe how quickly things have progressed especially for Evan. He went from only slightly crawling one day to crawling a little better the next to well now have fun trying to keep up w/ him. He went from only pulling to stand while holding on to me which I didn't really count as who knows how much I was helping him, to pulling up to a stand while holding on to one of his toys. Then last weekend he was just about getting into a sitting position on his own but really only half way there as the other 'cheek' was still in the air and he was propping himself w/ the opposite arm and then last Monday while we were playing on the floor he just went right into a sitting position like he had been doing all along. Then after his nap I went in to get him and there he was sitting in his crib waiting for me and then today just one week later Chad went in to get him after his nap and he was standing in his crib with his arms hanging over the edge. So I am sure you can guess what we did next...we lowered his mattress I was afraid at this rate somehow next week he would learn how to crawl out of his crib :-).

But lets not forget about Taryn she is making progress too. She crawled for the first time today...not very far maybe about a foot but her form was flawless. She crawled right to her momma and then tried to pull herself to a stand while holding on to me and I will admit I did help her but she did a lot of the work herself :-). I have also heard the beginnings of possibly mama and dada come from her sweet little mouth but she is not saying it w/ any meaning just part of her routine babbling. Maybe she will say the first word.

They continue to do well w/ their solids and much to my surprise didn't flinch at all when I introduce broccoli and asparagus. They love cheese and yogurt and/or whatever I am eating...depending on what it is I usually share little pieces w/ them because they stare me down. Tonight they got introduced to refried beans and flour tortillas...they loved it :-).

On a funny note...Evan has been fascinated w/ the bottom 'saucer' part of his exersaucer and had been trying to climb under it since he started crawling well the other day he was finally successful but once he was under there he realized that maybe it wasn't such a great idea but couldn't get out on his own so he started crying for help. Of course I helped him out but not until after I snapped a photo. I am telling you he is everywhere...dont turn around for a second because he will be gone :-)

Our First Thanksgiving

We had a great first Thanksgiving....we were even able to have our first Thanksgiving bites and they were Yummy. Mom let us try turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes and dinner roll and we even had pumpkin puree w/ our yogurt for dessert. We cant wait until next year maybe mom will let us try some of that pumpkin cheesecake her and dad like so much.....sure does sound good :-)

Thanksgiving

I couldn't let Thanksgiving go by this year w/o sharing what I am thankful for as I am sure it is very obvious to everyone that I have so very much to be thankful for. Yet, with how I feel, "thankful" doesn't seem like a big enough word to express the amount of gratitude I feel. I am so grateful that God has blessed me so plentiful that I cry every time I think of my babies and my husband and our little family that He has given us....it is the most amazing gift ever!

I am Thankful for:
1. Having God in my life. There is so much in my life that I would not have made it through w/o my faith to hold on to. It was Him who picked me up in my weakest moments.
2. My husband....I love him dearly and spent much of the first years knowing him just marveling at the fact that God had brought such an amazing person into my life. I am thankful not only for the husband and father he is but for the man he is. He is more than I ever prayed for and I am so blessed to be his wife...and Evan and Taryn are so blessed to have him as their Daddy.
3. My Twins....I cant even think of them and how incredibly full my heart fills because of them w/o sobbing tears of joy, happiness, contentment. Now I know why our journey through infertility hurt so bad. This is what was missing in our lives and to now be able to experience all the joys and challenges of parenthood is a gift I will never take for granted. They are the most precious gift and again I am humbled at the fact that God would choose me to be not only a mother but "their" mother.
4. To be a family...to have a family of my own where we can start our 'family' traditions. This is something that Chad and I both treasure from our own childhood's. Those things that mom and dad always did that made the Holidays (whether it be Thanksgiving or Christmas) feel like the Holidays...I will forever remember my Dad waking early every Thanksgiving (and Christmas for that matter) and putting the Turkey in the oven. He always made sure we ate well...Love you Dad.
5. For my parents who taught me what it felt like to be loved and how I want to love my children (you know....the way only a mom or dad could love their child)
6. For the chance to be a mom...and to have the chance to experience these overwhelming feelings of love and joy that only a child could bring
7. For slobbery wet 'kisses' (from the twins) LOL.
8. For sweet baby hugs...Evan and Taryn both will decide in the middle of playing that they need love and will either turn towards us or cry for us if we are not in reach and then just snuggle into us for a minuet or two. It melts my heart.
9. For sleeping babies. Our angles sleep from 7pm-8am every night w/o waking...that is worth mentioning and being grateful for I consider this a huge gift :-). Thank YOU Evan and Taryn for learning to sleep well and so quickly Mommy and Daddy are so thankful for that :-)
10. For our Thanksgiving feast....yes, it is a ton of work and yes, it is a ton of food for just 2 people but it is worth it and I think it helps Chad and I feel a little closer to home when we are so far from those we truly long to be with.
11. For Football on Thanksgiving Day...what could be better than sharing a day w/ loved ones and stuffing your face w/ turkey and all the trimmings....well doing that while watching 3 football games :-)
12. For everything and everyone who has touched my life...and if you are reading this chances are I am talking about you...so know that I am thinking of you, I am grateful for you and I cant wait until I get to see you again!!!!!
13. There are 5 million other things I could list that I am thankful for but I think you get the idea LOL and really do you want to read about me being thankful for coconut chocolate chip ice cream :-)....I didnt think so.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!! MAY GOD BLESS YOU AS HE HAS BLESSED ME!!!!

With all my love
Gena

6 & 7 Months Update

I feel so delinquent in posting on our blog isn't not intentional...we just got really busy. Busy is good right :-). The babies will be 8 months in just 1 week. OMG where did the time go. I had been meaning to do a 6 month recap but since I never got it done I guess I can do a combine 6 & 7 month summary.

We are all doing very well. The babies are growing so fast and they seem to learn something new everyday. We are working on our baby sign language but don't expect to see any results from that until they are closer to 1 year. I really just focus on milk, more, all done for right now. Once they start showing that they are picking it up we will add more.

The babies have been lagging a bit in the weight department that coupled w/ the fact that they were born small to begin with has me a little concerned so I have them on my own version of a high fat/high cal diet to help them gain weight. I am sure the fact that I am nursing doesn't help but it is best for them so we stick w/ it. Taryn has pretty much shown that she prefers solids over milk which is very frustrating to me since she is so small and her milk is so important so I have taken to adding scoops of dry formula to her oatmeal she doesn't really like it when I do that but she's got to get it one way or another and if she isn't going to drink it than she has to eat it :-). We have done other things too to help boost their calories like adding butter to their cereal 3 x a day....that they love. They are doing awesome w/ their solids we have added a bunch of new foods including cherries, butternut squash, melons, berries and yogurt. We are on round 3 of our batch cooking of homemade baby food. The first round yielded 300 oz the second round 400 oz and the third round toppled over at 500+ oz of baby food resting as frozen cubes in our freezer and ready for consumption. It is a ton of work to make their food but I have fun doing it and once it is made and in the freezer we are good to go for about a month or so. Our efforts to address the weight gain issues has seemed to pay off so far the babies have each gained over 2lbs. in about 6 weeks much better they are averaging about .75 oz a day vs. the .30 oz they were averaging before.

Evan has 2 teeth now....the second one appeared this past weekend. Taryn is still working on number 1...I am not sure when we will see it. Sometimes I think in the next week or so and then other times I think she is going to be 10 before she cuts her first tooth....oh and I mean 10 years not 10 months LOL.

Evan is "crawling", well almost anyway...he is pretty close and seems to get a little better at it every day. Taryn has crawled backwards a few times and has pulled herself forward a few inches but is nowhere near as close as Evan is. She did start getting up on her hands and knees and rocking about 2 weeks ago....so maybe we will see her make some progress as well in the next couple of weeks. Evan also started pulling himself to a standing position while holding on to me. I am not getting to the point where I realize I cant turn my back for a second because they reach for everything...and w/ their abilities to be mobile and pull up on things increasing every day who know what could come tumbling down. I guess that means it is time to child proof the house. With 2 of them and 1 of me you know they are already figuring out how they can play tricks on me.

Speaking of playing...they are playing so good these days and they are actually starting to play w/ each other...well I don't know if you can call it playing but they are really good at stealing toys from each other...so I guess that begins early :-).

Well I think that wraps up where everyone is right now. They are just awesome, wonderful, loving babies who are growing up so fast and amaze us each and every day :-)

And We Are on the MOVE

Just incase this doesnt work...I am trying to post a video of E-man's attempts at crawling...he is doing good...gets a little better everyday. Right now I think it is more of a lack of motivation than ability...it is easier for him to cry for momma than to do the work himself :-).

Breaking News................

.....and I say it again....we have BREAKING NEWS....we have a tooth....I repeat we have a tooth....oh and it belongs to Evan. FINALLY after 3 long months of teething one of those suckers finally decided to break through and I don't even want to think about how many more we have to go through x 2....but at least we have the first one :-)

TWumpkins '09

While we don't "celebrate" Halloween, we do pile up the pass-out candy and keep in the tradition of carving a pumpkin. The cool thing about this year was that it would be Evan and Taryn's first pumpkin! While we can't wait for the day when they are old enough to walk through the pumpkin patch under their own power and pick out THEIR pumpkin, we wouldn't let this first opportunity go by to get the tradition for them started. So after a trip to the local pumpkin "yard", we found a petite-medium and a chiseled-tall that we claimed as ours and brought home. Evan claimed the tall pumpkin, and decided on a "Boo" theme for his carving (which included a ghost that he named Nave...his name spelled backwards!). Taryn defaulted to the petite pumpkin, and wanted a "bat" (which she nicknamed Herby) theme for hers. After settling on their designs, I got to work. Between the sketching, carving, and detailing, it took about four hours to do both pumpkins. As is standard with every pumpkin we do, there's a design on the front and name on the back. Overall, I thought the pumpkins turned out great...and so did Evan and Taryn...they were each thrilled with their very first pumpkin! And as an added bonus, we got tons of pumpkin seeds, which Gena baked up in Spicy and Halloween flavors...totally yummy!
Well, there's no way we'd let all this fun go by without capturing some of the moments on film. So Evan and Taryn dressed up in onesies that their GMaw and GPaw in Helotes sent to them. Here's a few bookmarks of the fun time with pumpkins '09.



















Evan and Taryn with Herby (left) and Nave (right)



(Casper (Evan) holding hands with his "Friendly Ghost" (Taryn) :-) )

During his photo shoot, Evan was asked by a local news reporter what he thought of Avacados...to which he signaled:

Two E's for Two T's

Last weekend was an adventure-filled milestone for Evan and Taryn; with mom and dad both working the guard weekend for the first time, it marked the first time that TWANGELcare was needed. Having done an "orientation" of sorts with their care-team a week prior, we had as much of a comfort level that any first time parents could have when they have to leave their children under the care of someone else for the first time...which, yes, was VERY nerve-wracking :-) But they say that care, whether it be of the home or day variety, is harder on you than it is on your children...really, it's just an opinion because in our minds we want to be there for every second of every day!

All that being said, we were set up for Team Emily to watch Evan and Taryn. The Emily's are juniors at Warner Robins High School; I (Chad) work with one of their dads on the base and that's how we initially got things going. The two of them are extremely sweet and reassuringly responsible. They did great during their first trial visit, and Evan and Taryn had no problems taking all the extra holding, hugs, kisses, and attention that came with them being here.

Day 1 was Saturday, and the girls arrived early in the morning (7am)...that says a lot for two teenagers who are willing to get up at 6:15am on the weekend. Gena and I left the house while E-man and SweetPea were still sleeping; having left a list/schedule for the Emily's, we promised we were just a phone call away and to call if they needed anything. The first morning went great...Evan and Taryn ate well and played well...and minimally napped. Gena stopped by the house around lunch time for a bit, as we planned to bring some pizza to the girls for lunch. She arrived to find Evan and Taryn happy and recieving a great deal of attention from Team E.
It's kind of a double-edged/Catch-22/Good&bad scenario...you want Evan and Taryn to cry their heads off because they miss you and do the same when they see you come home because it makes you feel extra special and important to them....all the while wanting them to do great in the absence of the both of us because it means that they are getting good care and that they can rely on each other to make things good until mom and dad get back. So their lack of over-elation when Gena got back to the house was an admittable downer...but also reassuring in the necessary context...as if to say "we're good MOM...we love you and will keep playing until you and daddy are done working for the day."

Day 1 ended at about 3pm, and the rest of the evening was back to the 4 Tutts. Day 2 was a shorter of a day, being from 7:30am to 12:30pm. Once again, Evan and Taryn did great with the Emily's.

Overall, it was a good experience. Most of our apprehensions and fears were put at ease (don't know that you can ever get by ALL of those)...we both appreciated and felt extremely good about the care the Emily's were providing to Evan and Taryn. It's cute to see that they each have "their" baby...while it makes it easy for scheduling and duties, it's fun to watch them with their "favorites" and tales of "mine finished their food first!" Taryn still analyzes everthing for her Emily...and Evan flirts with his Emily every chance he gets...and he LOVES her long hair (we've "warned" her about his grabbing prowess and grip strength :-) ) We think we've got a good thing going here with the Emily's and are glad to have that in place for when we need it.
This time, it was a milestone both for Evan and Taryn and the two of us....and we made it without too much worry/stress :-). We found it extra comforting to see how much love our babies were getting in our absence and really that is all that matters.

TWINZ Kickin' it....6.5-style

What do you do when your 6.5 months old? The answer is probably "whatever mom and dad want you to do"...though I am sure that with all the "talking" that the twangels have been doing they have intentions of their own; but it being too early to see the fruits of sign language and even farther from the first real words, the two of them settled in for what we had planned. So the day began with a trip out to the Mossy Creek Barnyard festival (love you Aunt Megan!) It was a chilly day today (high 30's), so we bundled them up tight and headed out:




They had a grand ol' time, cooing to each other and all the people that passed by. And if we had even a dime for all the "Oh look, it's twins" / "Awww, how cute" or looks and points that the twangels get, we'd could have bought a new car after leaving there! It's so endearing, but you also learn that you "have to keep moving." ...if you stop for everyone that stops for you, you'd never get anywhere. So we exchange smiles as we continue strolling the lines of arts of crafts. It was a fun couple of hours and we left with a few goodies and gifts...'cause it was nearing nap time and that was a must for what we had planned for the afternoon....
A trip back to Portrait Innovations for another round of photos (had to catch those "official" 6-month-old photos.) It was rainy and cold, and when we arrived we got stuck in their backlog...which meant a 45-minute wait (even with an appt.) With each passing minute, we prayed the SweetPea and E-Man would remain in their extremely good moods (they were both laughing and smiling and "talking" up a storm when we got there.) Just as the mood pendulum started to swing in the "unfavorable" direction, they called our name and off we went. Overall, the twinz were real troopers and did great. The staff was patient through momentary spurts of fussiness and kept snapping away...multiple shots are great, but you really only need that "one" to make it worth it...extras are icing on the "6.5-month-old-cake." After finishing up the photo shoot and picking out the ones we wanted, we topped off the long day with a dinner at Chili's. It was a great day and gave us some more "photographic memories" to add to the scrapbook. Ah, yes, and to not share them here would be a crime....so without further adieu:

Happy 1/2 Birthday Evan and Taryn

Our babies turned 6 months old today and I can hardly believe it. Where did the time go? It has been an amazing journey thus far and I am so looking forward to the next 6 months w/ our little twangels. It has been so fun to watch them grow and change and learn new stuff every day and to see their little personalities emerge for them to become who they are...it is such a gift and a wonderful, wonderful blessing.

Evan is a sweet, sweet loving little boy. He loves his mama and daddy, and he loves to be cuddled, and he LOVES to EAT, he especially loves to nurse. He talks and sings constantly. Chad and I chuckle all the time as he just goes on and on...so cute. I often wonder what he is really trying to say. When he catches a glimpse of us from across the room he will flash us a super cute smile and lift his arms to be picked up....so hard to resist him.

Taryn is our beautiful, precious little girl. She is different than I would have imagined my daughter being but in a good way. She is serious and analytical. She doesn't have much to say (yet anyway) but you can tell her mind is always processing...she just sits back and takes the world in. She LOVES her DADDY...the way she responds to Chad is like no other...it is so precious to see. I am sure she loves me too, she loves to cuddle w/ me before her naps and after nursing...she loves it when I give her hundreds of kisses in a row...she giggles and squeals w/ delight...such a wonderful sound :-).

What an amazing blessing it has been thus far and I cannot wait to see what the next 6 months bring as we get to watch them grow and change even more. To see the little people they are becoming it is simply amazing to be able to have a front row seat to their lives.

"Evan and Taryn you are the best blessing God has ever given us. Daddy and I love you so much and you fill our hearts with so much joy and love...more than we could have ever imagined. We are so humbled and forever grateful that God chose us to be your parents. We love you with all our hearts and more than you could ever know. Love, mommy and daddy."

In honor of their 1/2 birthday I went a little crazy w/ the camera this morning but had a blast taking pictures...and they did awesome for me. I am so happy they put up w/ me as well as they do LOL :-)

Our BabySitter Is a PICKY Eater

Today I got a lesson on just how PICKY of an eater our babysitter can be. I would have thought that I had things figured out...how hard can food temperature be? And we aren't talking the kind of difference between blazin' hot and freezing cold...maybe a mere few degrees, I would find separated approval and refusal. Don't get me wrong...I love our babysitter and don't know what we would do without her. But in my book, I figured that if issues would arise it would be for something like sticking to bedtime, rules of the household, or along those lines; but degrees Fahrenheit??? Come-on!!! I guess sometimes you gotta let be what is and take the good with the bad. As I am sure many parents can attest to, when you find that miracle babysitter you'd do most anything to keep them around and happy....and ours, well, is a one in a million. We've only known her for 6 months, but she's every part of our family.
...Okay, for those thinking we've actually hired a babysitter...well, we haven't :-) That was just a comical but true lead-in to marking a big day for Taryn....SHE's our babySITTER!! Two days ago, she put on her best sitting skills and showed off for the camera (as you'll see below). So just prior to the 6-month-old mark, she's sitting like a pro. Yet another step in her "growing up". Oh, and there is much truth to the whole PICKY-eater-temperature thing.
So I finish up her bath, and after some lotion, a new diaper and her nightie topped of with her sleepsack, we headed over to the lounger to join E-Man and Mommy. And after a few suckles on the bottle, she's kicking it out, swatting it with her hand, and rolls hot-hornet on me. Holy Moly, I think...what's wrong SweetPea??? Okay, reset and try again....two suckles, bottle kickout, and hot-hornet part II. Wow, she must be hurting....teething maybe? Zoe is quick on the draw and provides some soothing that quiets silences the hornet temporarily. Next touch of the bottle to the lips...hot hornet the third. But Zoe still works. So off I go to get some Orajel and teething tablets. After administering what I hope is the solution, I try again with the bottle...successfully generating a swarm of hornets at this point! Well, guess teeth are not the culprit. So I sprinkled some milk on my leg and it felt lukewarm-ish. Kinda out of options at this point but knowing she's hungry, I take a stab at the temperature thing and head into the kitchen and fire up the bottle warmer. After 3 minutes on the timer, I do a heat check and then try again. And wouldn't you know it...she begins to down the entire 7 oz. What a picky babysitter!! Oh my SweetPea...love you so much...and you definitely have RED hair :-) But hey...she's the most pretty babysitter ever!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?!!?

Hut one...Hut two....It's Sunday and Evan and Taryn are hanging with dad :-) while mom is at work :-(. And as the 1PM EST hour approaches, out come the jerseys and hats as we get ready to watch some football. We've dubbed Taryn as the Rams fan to support her mommie...and E-Man is a Titans fan along with his daddie. And what better way to mark the occassion than to hand the twangels a mini-football and grab a snapshot or two. As kickoff approached, it looked as if Evan would hold onto the football with no problem. But early into the action, his hunger made an appearance as he took to munching on the pigskin (hurry home mommie, need some milk!!) Taryn looked to get her passing offense going in showing early signs of holding the ball in passing form, but then took to just posing for camera (future chearleeder?) It was fun to see them play around...can't wait to get them their own little jerseys when they are running around the house...who knows, maybe some backyard two on two football is in the future! Go RAMS and Go TITANS!

A Day at Family Day

Each year we've seen the base's Family Day come and go...and never really made much effort to attend because it is centered around those with kids...and well, up to this point, it was just the two of us. So when this year's event rolled around, we packed up the twangels, loaded their green machine, and headed out to the base. It was a muggy day, but the bunches of clouds helped keep the temperatures in the reasonable range. The two hours we spent out there went by fast, but provided time to mingle with some friends, grab a burger and hot dog, check out "dad's office" (went on the jet...Evan even got a picture sitting in 'dad's seat'), do a stroll-by of the mini car show, and grab some cotton candy (since Evan and Taryn were too young for it, we obliged)...boy was that a throwback to many years ago as a kid cruising around with a tower of spun sugar that was almost as tall as we were!!!
Evan and Taryn love being out and about, and love cruising around in their green machine. And after a full day's time soaking up all the sights and sounds, you can see in the last picture that they were "out." :-)