A Year Gone By

We're 1!

Look how far we have come in just one year. Roman's birth weight was 3 lbs-7 ozs and he is now 22+ lbs. Eden started at 3 lbs - 12 ozs and is now 21+ lbs. We've come a long way.

Our first family birthday party and our first candles and cake. For some reason, Mama and Daddy insisted on a duet whistling version of Happy Birthday.

R: "Mmmm, sugar, where have you been all my life."

E: "So why didn't you tell us about this cake substance earlier?"

R: "Um, yeah, Dad, I can't read. Let's get on to the presents."

"Yes! Just what I wanted. Now, if I can just get this truck out of the way so I can play with the empty box."

"Hmm, who is this one from? Hopefully they got me something to deal with my hair."

Chilling at the new picnic table.

"Grandpa Smith must have learned his wrestling technique from Daddy. It is eerily similar."

E: "Daddy, no, not like that.... straighten that out! Let me up there, I'll do it"

R: "Take that, gingivitis!"

E: "Seriously, what is this for? I have two teeth. Plus this green color clashes with my sweet 80's era puffy sleeve sleeper."

R: "My long lost identical twin brother is just on the other side of this door."

E: "For my next performance, I'll be playing the Theme from Jaws."

New baby update....

Mama at 21 weeks with new baby girl.

No comparison, Mama at 21 weeks with the twins.

The Balance of Power

" You heard, right? You know the news. What? You don't know. Well listen up.

We're going to have another sister."

That's right. The new baby is going to be a girl. The balance of power in the Smith family has been tipped to the side of the ladies. Of course, in terms of gross weight, Roman and Daddy will probably maintain the upper hand for quite a while, but in terms of sheer numbers, they are losing 3-2.Baby girl: "Finally I'm not an 'it' anymore! And maybe Mama and Daddy will stop saying 'they' when referring to me. I guess old habits die hard. I am growing just right and everything appears to be going well. Top picture is a skewed profile and bottom picture is a shot of my face (my head is rotated 90 degrees CCW from vertical) I know the pictures might look a little funny, but remember I only weigh 0.5 lbs and could fit in the palm of your hand. Give me a little time here folks."

Eden, upon hearing the news of a new sister: "Ha ha ha. With a new young apprentice, now I can spread my empire of naughtiness even further."

Roman, having heard the news: "Another one! Seriously, another one? As if Eden doesn't cause me enough problems. You're joking right?"

Amidst all the excitement with the new baby on the way, Roman and Eden have really started changing. Eden is crawling at light speed and Roman rolls along right behind her. Eden has also started to stand up. We also hear a lot of a certain word these days: "No"

Daddy's pink panther on the prowl.

E: "If I can hide behind this native foliage, Mama won't find me and I won't have to take a nap."

R: "Behold! My greatest discovery to date. Linoleum! A new rolling medium! I predict there will be much floor banging on this surface."

E: "Daddy, I'm stuck under the table again."

R: "Daddy is clearly more interested in this book than we are."

E: "Seriously, what's on TV?"

E: "Touchdown MICHIGAN!"

R: "I give this meal two teeth up"

E: "Check out my new ride. I don't have a hemi, but I've got a Daddy."

If we're very still we can catch a glimpse of the ever-elusive Roman, operating in his natural habitat.

R: "I am Roman the Red, conqueror of the crib, soiler of the diapers and I am perched atop my trusty steed - Bluey."

E: "Mama, you forgot to add the fabric softener."

Loving Life

R: "Life is good these days. I now have 2 teeth, Eden has one. We're ten months old, starting to eat table food, doing some crawling, lots of rolling and having lots of fun playing. We also love to play wrestling games when Daddy gets home from work. We all have a great time together."

E: "Like Roman said, everything is going well these days, we're getting really big. Roman is still bigger but I am not far behind. I am what daddy calls "a Ham" when the camera comes out."

Roman shows off his teeth.

E: "It looks like I'm taller here because the weight of Roman's head forces him into perma-slouch."

E: "After dinner, we often take stroller rides with Daddy. Exercise for him, outside time for us, and a break for Mama. Sometimes it's warm. Sometimes it's cold. Regardless, the rides typically end the same, with our dual impression of Grandpa on a Sunday afternoon."

R: "I glued my ear to my shoulder."

E: "Head.... too..... heavy..... gravity.... overcoming....neck.....I... must....resist."

R: "After stroller rides, daddy gets in trouble and we have to warm up with blankets."

E: "Ok, I'm warm enough. I'm outta here."

E: "I like my feet. I do not like my socks. They are removed early and often."

R: "This horse is not meeting my expectations. Clearly untrained."

E: "I can crawl backward and spin in a circle. Going forward rarely interests me."

E: "Daddy's not coming home until when?"

All decked out for cousin Carter's baptism. Roman looks forward to going away while Eden and her ruby reds remind him that there's no place like home.

E: "As mentioned, I'm silly with the camera."

R: "Look at me! I'm upside down. Drool release in 3...2....1."

R: "Look how high I am! I can see my house from here!"