Adventures With Glissons

2010-02-06T07:00:00.005-06:00

The first big snowfall of 2010 made Sydney's and Abigail's dreams come true! After almost 24 hours of snow, we had about 5-inches of accumulation, and, of course, the city was shut down. The snow around our house was frozen on top and dry underneath, so making snowmen was not possible. However, the icy topcoat was perfect for sledding (for people under 100 pounds - I kept breaking through and stopping dead in my tracks)! We enjoyed "the snow of the decade" and will hope for more in the next few months.

2010-01-16T21:52:00.002-06:00

Nice peaceful morning at Radnor Lake today - we had about an hour of good family hiking time. The surface lake was still about 90% frozen, and the waterfowl was scarce. The girls were excited to see a Great Horned Owl - one of the rangers had it out for everyone to see - we also saw (in the wild) a few deer, a red tail hawk, (heard a Barred Owl), and some other birds. Sydney correctly identified the chirping of a chickadee - Me: "Girls what bird make that sound?", Sydney: "Oh, that's a chickadee!" Rebekah could not believe it.

2010-01-16T14:53:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty psyched about our new purchase - a 4 man tent! The Big Agnes Big House 4 will be the perfect size for the whole family to enjoy camping trips for years to come. We are more than likely going to purchase the optional vestibule, which will double the square-footage of the tent (perfect place for a dog someday!) As you can see from the pictures, I was so excited that we set the tent up in the middle of our great room - it just barely fit - and, of course, I had Rebekah time my setup - I thought just over 6 minutes in a cramped house was not bad. It is labeled as a car-camping tent, but I can see us packing it up in backpacks for short trips into the woods, too. I've told the family that I'd like to go on at least 5 camping trips this year - maybe we'll go to a few of the Tennessee state parks like Frozen Head, Big South Fork, Cumberland Mountain, Natchez Trace, and Fall Creek Falls. I'll let you know how it goes!

2010-01-09T08:59:00.002-06:00

Hello Friends and Family! Thanks to all of you who have held on through the drought of 2009! I've decided that a good New Year's Resolution will be to neglect the Glisson blog less this year - with most of our immediate family in town (or not far away), we've forgotten that others have an interest in our lives. And to be honest, our 4 year olds keep us busy enough.

So, look forward to at least a few blogs per month with updates on our lives. Also, for those that want a daily-dose, Rebekah has ventured into the world of Facebook!

I am not going to attempt a summary of the last 6 months, but here are some of the events that we haven't yet shared:

Princess Party at Mia's
First Day of Preschool (Year 3)
Annual pictures with our friend, the talented Mary Alice
3-year birthday with cousin Jack
Fall Festival with hayride and hot air balloon at church
Halloween
Sleepover with cousin Jack
Building a gingerbread house
Breakfast with Santa
Preschool Christmas party and program
Opryland Hotel Christmas lights, and, of course,
Christmas (x4)

If you'd like pictures or info. about any of the above, just let us know and we'll post it. Enjoy!

2009-08-01T07:01:00.003-05:00

Sydney and Abigail are masters on the computer these days. They both move the mouse around with the greatest of ease.

They are not on Facebook yet, but they do love the Care Bears game!

2009-07-28T19:55:00.005-05:00

"Finally!"...that's what you are thinking right? Well, sorry to keep you waiting so long, but I had to deliberate for a while (almost 2 months) about what to write - kidding, of course.

With a magnificent Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake, we celebrated a big milestone in Sydney and Abigail's lives at the end of June - of course, every birthday is a milestone until you are over 21, right? The girls are now 4 years old! As Quincy of the Little Einsteins would say, "I can not buhleave it!" Time does seem to go by in larger chunks now in their lives with us - in months and seasons versus days and weeks - all part of aging, I guess.

Sydney and Abigail are becoming more independent of us and of each other. Just this week they proclaimed (after being separated from each other at night for playing in their room instead of sleeping) that they would like to have their own rooms and their own space - I guess I figured that they would want to be together always. We are still deliberating on whether or not they will get their wish. And this summer they have learned how to swim! They really can jump off the side of the pool, and swim to us with their heads underwater (future scuba divers for sure).

Until next time....

2009-06-06T09:14:00.001-05:00

Updates coming soon...in the meantime, you can read about our adventures on another blog here.

2009-04-26T15:37:00.002-05:00

Is it summer yet? It sure feels like it in Nashville where we've pushed 90-degrees the past couple of days. We are taking advantage of the nice weather and have spent much of our weekend outside. First, we went all over town to cheer on Aunt Amy at the Country Music (Half) Marathon - we were on both sides of Music Row (near the family giving away beer to the runners and near the praise band at Belmont Church) and tried to get to the finish line to see Amy. The traffic and mob of people kept us from seeing her cross the line, but we were lucky to meet up with her afterwards - there were way too many people down at LP Field! Even on a hot day, Amy finished well at 2:19.

Today, we enjoyed the weather at Grandy and Gigi's house and took inventory of their pretty flowers.

Enjoy the weather - see you at the playground!

2009-04-12T15:19:00.002-05:00

One Easter Bunny, Two Easter baskets, Three egg hunts, Four chocolate bunny-buzzes, Five chirping chicks! Whew...it seems like Easter is the new, mini-Christmas or something. I'll admit that there are many great things that come with this weekend like time with family, good food, and a focus on the Resurrection. And what a joy to hear Jesus' story through the minds of 3 1/2 year olds! The girls are actually understanding what this celebration is all about - not candy and baskets full of stuff, but on God's greatest gift.

2009-04-11T14:04:00.003-05:00

I know that you probably thought we had given up on the blog, and if you're reading this you are probably directly related to me or Rebekah, but I do not feel like giving this part of Sydney and Abigail's lives up quite yet. True - our lives do not change as quickly as they did when the girls transitioned from the hospital to home or went from crawling to cruising to walking in a matter of weeks or when we wondered where the time went at their "graduation" from the first year of preschool. But as I look back on the past 4 months of non-blogging, I think we've accumulated plenty of good stories and pictures to share.

December 17, 2008

Christmas in April? No, not exactly, but to keep the blog in chronological order, I'll be updating with posts from 4 months ago.

We enjoyed the lights at Opryland Hotel on a cold night in December. Christmas was especially enjoyable for the girls at 3 years old - just old enough to become excited about the possibilities of Christmas trees, lighted houses, gifts, and Santa. We could see the magic in their eyes!

2008-12-06T13:32:00.001-06:00

Autumn Leaves

2008-12-06T13:20:00.003-06:00

October 26 - 31, 2008: Halloween. Speaking of Snow White and the Little Mermaid...here they are with their friends Yoda, Chainsaw man, the Super Wy-Pup, and Blues Clues Pup. The girls were old enough this year to help out with the pumpking carving and taking inventory of the loot!

2008-12-06T13:14:00.002-06:00

December 6, 2008 - Breakfast with Santa. Santa was heavily guarded and cornered in a small room with a camera, so he did not actually get any breakfast. But we had lots of family and friends to share the experience. Sydney and Abigail were not hesitant to sit with the big guy, and they actually shared their Christmas wishes with him, too! (Sydney: Little Mermaid; Abigail: Snow White). I don't know if they are talking about the movies, which we already have or have access to, or if they are getting this holiday confused with Halloween, since that is what they dressed up as...

2008-10-21T20:38:00.002-05:00

We woke one Saturday morning in September to a beautiful day and decided we should enjoy it to its fullest. So, we started our morning at a local "cook your own pancakes" restaurant which the girls loved. They were able to pick their own toppings and ate till their bellies were full. We then headed to the "Dragon Park" where Sydney and Abigail played on the mosaic dragon and chased each other all over the jungle gym/play area. Brad and I had fun watching them make friends with other kids and when it was time to go, one of the little girls they had befriended told her mom that she needed to give Abigail her cell phone number! To pack even more activity into our already full morning, we bought a half loaf of bread and headed to another city park with geese. This was Sydney's and Abigail's first time to feed geese and they loved it! (We probably could have fed those birds 3 whole loaves if we'd had them.) After a leisurely walk around the pond, we headed home. What a perfect day to spend with our sweet girls!

2008-10-20T18:52:00.005-05:00

After a two month blogging hiatus, we've accumulated lots of fun pictures and stories to share! We'll start with this weekend's festivities - the Music & Molasses Festival at a local park. Although we did not get a picture, the overwhelming favorite activity of Sydney and Abigail was the horse-drawn, covered wagon ride. Coming in at a close second was the very diverse petting zoo that included ducks, a goose, rabbits, a hog, a sheep, a chicken, goats, and a donkey, The girls liked the "Farmer For A Day" area with shucking corn, washing clothes on a washboard, gathering eggs, and milking a goat! That's right, milking a real, live goat - Sydney was happy to just watch, but Abigail jumped right in and received the popular "I milked a goat" sticker.

2008-08-16T09:19:00.003-05:00

Sydney and Abigail were excited to see their new classroom and teacher on "Snoopy Day" at preschool this past week. They have almost an entirely new group of friends in their class this year which also includes two other sets of twins! Good luck, "Miss" Betsy!

The girls have grown up so much during this summer, not to mention growing two shoe sizes. We have observed better communication, more imagination, and a greater understanding of sisterhood from both girls. We are looking forward to this new school year and all of their new developments as children.

2008-08-11T19:58:00.003-05:00

We have enjoyed the pleasant temperatures in the evenings over the past few days - tonight the girls were able to ride their big wheels, swing, drive the remote control car, and take a few pictures. Last night we spent over two hours at a community playground with friends. Take advantage of the weather with your family!

2008-07-26T14:03:00.004-05:00

We were able to capture some 'personality pictures' a few weeks ago after dinner. Sydney was really working for the camera, and Abigail was giggling too hard to decide on which funny face to make. We were all having a fun and silly time.

2008-07-21T22:21:00.006-05:00

Three years have now past (July 18) since we placed Sydney's and Abigail's tiny bodies in car seats and nervously drove them home from the Vanderbilt NICU. Even as the nurses cared for them and we looked past the nasal cannulas for breathing, feeding tubes, a PICC line to deliver medicine, and sensors to monitor their heartbeats and oxygen saturation, we could see from Day 1 that they were excellently made . However, we could not have imagined that those helpless, 4 pound babies would become the beautiful, vibrant, sweet, and happy 3 year olds they have become.

We celebrated Sydney's and Abigail's birthday at the end of June with a "Word World" themed birthday cake. This year's party was so very relaxed and enjoyable for us as hosts - I think because most of our immediate families now live in Nashville and we see them all the time anyway. Maybe next year we'll venture into the stage of inviting their friends and classmates for a party.

2008-07-21T17:22:00.007-05:00

We're baaaack! And we have a few posts in mind to catch up on...namely, a BIG birthday and a view of Sydney's and Abigail's personalities through silly faces and the following:

Our Summer Vacation 2008 consisted of an 8 hour trek to Branson, MO! Can you believe it? We had good reason since Rebekah's paternal side of the family joined together for a rare Reunion. (And lodging was free at the Fairfield Wyndam Resort thanks to Rebekah's "Uncle Brad". Thanks, Unc!) This was the first time for Rebekah's cousins and aunts and uncles to meet Sydney and Abigail, so the trip was special for our family. Activities consisted of lounging by the numerous indoor and outdoor pools, basketball, shuffleboard, volleyball, and, of course, lots of eating. Rebekah's Uncle Doug and Grandma Dee are in the catering business, so we were never want for good eats. We were able to take an evening dinner cruise on the Branson Belle over the beautiful Table Rock Lake, and we enjoyed a variety show of Broadway tunes while we cruised. Here are some pictures from our adventure back in June:

all the cousins

the fam
10 grandkids, 2 great-grandkids and 2 spouses
Papa with the girls

Great-Grandma Dee with Sydney and Abigail

2008-06-17T20:19:00.004-05:00

Our summer break started with a visit from some of Rebekah's family for Memorial Day. Aunt Rootie, thanks for the new boa's and strawberry swimwear!

Pool party with all of the family means more treats than normal. Here Sydney and Abigail are chowing down on their own Blue Bell ice cream treats at the pool.

Sydney doesn't look very excited, but both of the girls love their [Great] Aunt Rootie! Victor and Steve, I've unintentionally omitted you from the pictures this time, but I knew you wouldn't really care.

A few weeks later, we continued our vacation season with a trip to Nixa, MO. Why Nixa, MO you ask? Because it is the hometown of Jason Bourne and the Dunagan/Shelton clan. Making flower necklaces on the Dunagan's "Property" - what a nice expanse of yard and open space!

Brady and Jenny chillin' in the p-o-o-l. Lots of spelling around our house these days - you can't say it or they think they are getting it!

2 sets of sisters.

Pool time, munchkin style.
After a couple of days in Nixa, we headed to Branson for a family reunion...

2008-06-14T21:31:00.003-05:00

I am happy to report that our energetic and happy daughters aced their first year of Preschool. I don't know if they were genuinely perfect kids while under their teachers' care or if it is because their teacher's are so sweet to the core, but we heard nothing but good reports everyday and we are so proud. I believe Sydney and Abigail have grown from wild toddlers into young, imaginative girls during these past 10 months. Their vocabulary and social interactions have expanded, they are both more independent and will let you know their thoughts, and they have become potty-trained (thanks to peer-pressure, I think), among other developments.You can see how they have physically "grown-up" from October to now from this previous post (November 5th post). The pictures below are of their last day of school, the popsicle party, which was 3 weeks ago.

2008-05-27T19:28:00.005-05:00

We're at the end of our second week of work since our week long cruise vacation - just Mama and Daddy, of course - and it has taken some getting used to! I think we were just beginning to enjoy relaxing on the top pool deck or snorkeling in the clear waters of the Caribbean, or just the general lack of responsibilities for a week. We sailed on the Enchantment of the Seas with Royal Caribbean to Key West, Cozumel and Belize, and we enjoyed almost everything the 11 floored ship had to offer. Being served at every turn and enjoying time as a couple was much needed and a great time away from the responsibilities of parenthood.

What did the girls do without their Mama and Daddy for a whole week, you ask? Took advantage of their grandparents, of course! Grama and Papa practiced their toddler roping the first half of the week, and Gigi and Grandy were able to use those air traffic controller ear muffs we gave them for Christmas the second half of the week. All kidding aside, except for a few days of fever for Abigail and missing a day of school, the week was a success on the homefront. Thanks to the grandparents for the trips to the playground(s) and parks, going to get library books, fixing many toddler-related meals, a trip to Chick-fil-a, and opening our kids imaginations through so many other fun activities. Sydney and Abigail also enjoyed going to the airport and surprising us at our arrival (but not half as much as we enjoyed it!)

We had a great week just focusing on ourselves and doing what we wanted to when we wanted to, but are so glad to be back into the swing of things with our two sweet girls!

2008-05-26T12:39:00.004-05:00

On May 10th, we had the privilege of a free family day at the Nashville Zoo as a reward from Brad's company, E. Roberts Alley & Associates, with his co-workers. The highlights for Sydney and Abigail were the petting zoo, the largest animals (elephants, bongo, etc.), and the carousel. They enjoyed it so much and knew so many names of the animals, we've decided to make sure we frequent the Zoo this summer. Abigail really loved the goats at the petting zoo - she ran down the hill with this one particular goat and made the gesture as if she wanted to ride it (you can see the goat likes the plant on the outside of the petting zoo area and Abigail was not afraid to get really close)! We died laughing. We are loving this stage of the girls' lives right now. While they sometimes challenge us, we have so much fun with them answering their questions about animals and everything they see. It is great to experience life again through their little eyes!

2008-05-24T10:05:00.003-05:00

In early April, we took our "annual" trip with Brad's family for a long weekend - last year was Gatlinburg, this year Chattanooga. With family in town, it is nice to sometimes get away and spend time together just for fun, instead of using a birthday, holiday, or other event as our excuse to be together. We spent about 3 hours at the Aquarium, which felt like we were running through it- I don't think the girls really understood what they were looking at most of the time, and I know Cousin Jack was just along for the ride. We saw the newest portion of the Aquarium, the "Ocean Journey" building, for the first time, which included the penguins, butterfly room, and petting the sting rays. Definitely leave time in your trip for this portion if you have younger children - I think this was Sydney's and Abigail's favorite part. After lunch, we attempted the 3D IMAX movie of the Grand Canyon, but neither of the girls were crazy about the water splashing around their faces in 3D or the loud theater audio. They made it through about 15 minutes or so, and then Rebekah took them out to the hall behind the theater to play for the rest of the time. All in all, we had a very nice weekend and will enjoy these memories for a long time.

2008-05-23T13:05:00.004-05:00

We are alive and well and busy, but we honestly would like to keep everyone up to date on our lives. I admit that having our immediate families in town does not promote blogging our daily lives like it used to -- we started the blog back then as a nice vehicle for pictures and videos. You'll be happy to know that we've restored our computer to working order and the computer whizzes retrieved ALL of our pictures, videos, and music from our old hard drive! We did lose many of the programs and other documents that made our former computer easy to use, but we cannot be happier that the precious memories were saved.

As I've said, Sydney and Abigail keep us busy on a daily basis, and they have really been enjoying dress-up time lately. The above pictures are from sometime last month when Rebekah pulled out last year's Christmas gifts - the nurse/doctor outfits! The outfits go great with the doctor kit Mama and Daddy gave them (thanks, Gigi). With excellent bedside manners, the girls can now listen to our heartbeats, take blood pressures, give shots, and check for reflexes! More to come...

2008-05-22T15:16:00.002-05:00

I know, I know...it is almost like we forgot we had a blog at all. It has been 6 weeks since the last post, and we've had plenty of good and exciting things happen in our lives. Keep in mind, a portion of this time was without a home computer. With the upcoming holiday weekend, we should be able to catch up with a few posts on events like our trip to the Chattanooga Aquarium, Mama and Daddy's cruise vacation, and today's popsicle party, among others. Thanks for hanging in!

2008-04-11T11:06:00.003-05:00

Growing Up. No we are not yet to a birthday milestone, but we have experienced a couple of developmental milestones that I need to mention. Both milestones could be used as indicators of a child coming out of "babyhood" and into "childhood".

First, potty training has been a long road for us - not that it has been bad or that the girls don't enjoy having dry pants - but it seems like we have been doing this for 1 1/2 years now! Both Sydney and Abigail have been out of diapers for short times at home for a few months now, but we dare not take them in public or school without pull-ups because they forget. For instance, the girls were helping Daddy plant tomato plants in our garden beds yesterday and one of the girls (who will remain nameless) forgot to inform, sat down, had a very pleasant look on her face, and wet her pants. No big deal, but we wonder when they will start remembering. Our milestone has come over the past couple of weeks when Mama is at home with the girls all day - no diapers all day, even during naptime, and they have been telling us when they need to go! We are very proud.

Last weekend brought the second milestone of our girls' lives, which I am sure they learned from one of their school friends...the "why" word. Many of you with young children remember this time in your kids life - your every action or statement is questioned. Of course, the "why" game is a great way for the girls to learn, but it seems like their minds are never at ease. I think it started this past weekend, on Saturday morning, when one of the girls asked "You going to work today, Daddy?". I explained that it was Saturday, Daddy's day off, and that I would be with my girls all day...which was followed by "Why?" Oh, boy...

2008-04-10T06:39:00.002-05:00

An update and a public service announcement (PSA) from us today. The PSA is a reminder to backup your files from your computer on a regular basis. Our computer crashed last week - I've often heard of this phenomenon but never believed it would happen to me. The computer was rebooting after a very common update download (Itunes), and we had nothing but a black screen and an error message. The computer folks said the "partitions" were bad - I think all of our data is jumbled up in one big pile instead of being in the folders they were previously in - and they said they'd try to retrieve as much as possible. Of course, it will take time and be costly.

We have many pictures, videos, and documents from around Christmas 2006 and before backed up, except for 2005 pictures, and are missing 2007 - present stuff. I'll let you know how it goes...

Sydney and Abigail are so proud of their new silky, nightgowns - they are awfully cute!

Below are some pictures the girls created last night with markers. I thought their different styles of coloring is very interesting - with twins we are able to notice these subtle differences. Any art teacher or personality pseudoscientists out there that can explain these styles to us?

2008-04-01T21:48:00.003-05:00

Okay, okay, it's been a while, we know. So here are a few photos from the past few weeks.

Our new favorite place to play - great for coloring, playing with playdoh, or arranging blocks.
Although the brisk wind kept many inside for the Easter Egg hunt, the girls would not be deterred.The girls gathers plenty of eggs...but not more than the quota of 12 set forth by Miss Janet.
Sydney and Abigail liked the shiny ones! (Just like toddlers, eh?)
Grandy and Papa helped too!Even after sharing with some of the other kids, the girls had plenty of candy to go around.

Of course, Sydney's and Abigail's Easter outfits were a hit - stylish dresses with matching jackets.

2008-04-01T21:33:00.002-05:00

Abigail delivers a crowd pleaser...and Sydney takes the show into her own hands. See video of the girls' March 13th Spring Program here.

2008-03-08T10:18:00.002-06:00

Let it snow, let it snow! We woke up to about 4" of snow this morning - the most all year! It was a dry snow and was not packable enough to build a snowman. Abigail enjoyed making psedo-snowballs to toss at her sister, and both the girls enjoyed participating in feeding the birds. Much thanks, again, to Rootie for the snowsuits that kept the girls dry and warm.

2008-03-07T07:53:00.002-06:00

This video showcases the hilarity at our house on a daily basis and our kid's wonderful sense of humor! We think this must be a new song that was taught at preschool - we don't know the song, but could it be a variation on this Woody Guthrie song? I couldn't find an audio clip anywhere to compare...

2008-03-01T18:24:00.002-06:00

New video for you...click here.

This is for all of you that haven't had a conversation with a toddler (or toddlers) recently. This is a simple dialogue that progresses from the question, "Where do you want to eat tonight" to going the zoo to rainbows. Enjoy!

2008-02-29T19:34:00.004-06:00

Here is a post dedicated to the many things, pets or otherwise, that have unique names in our house:

Fish - Kiwi and Strawberry

Stuffed Dogs - Turner and...Hooch

Baby Dolls - Betsy and Margot (nurses at Rebekah's chiro. office)

Care Bears - Share-Bear and Cheer-Bear

Dora - Doe-wa and Doe-wa (realistic hair and plastic hair varieties)

Stuffed Bears - Milky and Sammy (brown bears that sort of smell like chocolate)

Little People Girls - Mia and Elena

Cabbage Patch Sprouts - Carmine and Julie

and last but not least....

Abigail's Leo the Liger and

Sydney's Paco the Puppy...(see them at the 1:05 mark on this video from about a year ago)

2008-02-26T21:06:00.004-06:00

A health update from our house...no we have not been stricken by the stomach virus/flu stuff that has shut down so many schools in the area. We found out last weekend that Abigail had an ear infection, and the doctor indicated it was the kind that was the "most" painful that happens all of the sudden without warning. She was puny for a day or so, and we just finished her latest round of antibiotics this morning. In the meantime, Sydney had a short-lived fever on Sunday. As soon as we picked the girls up from Sunday School, we noticed that Sydney was not feeling well (sorry Sunday School playmates if you had it too), and she had the sleepy/sick eyes that only a mother can recognize. It was seemingly only a 24-hour deal since she woke up happy on Monday. Hopefully we can stay away from the violent and overwhelming sicknesses this year!

I know that everyone thinks their kids are the smartest, but I have to brag on our girls for the intellegent (and funny) things that they have been saying lately. We will occasionally hear these things around the house:

"I am so proud of you Mama for staying in bed until the sun comes up"

"He's a nice man (after playing with her 3-year old friend at Lifegroup)"

"Daddy is a crocodile man (Where did Abigail learn that?)"

"Daddy watches this eeevvvery day (after seeing a clip of a football game on TV)"

"I am so proud of you (after Mama or Daddy goes to the bathroom)"

"I am so proud of them (keeping with the theme - talking about Mama and Daddy to Gigi and Granddy!)"

"I want something (asking for something else after eating all of their lunch/dinner)"

2008-02-16T10:37:00.002-06:00

attempting to mobile blog from the waiting area of the doctors office. abigail said her ear hurt last night around bedtime and woke up once in the night with a painful cry. over 30 minutes of waiting-great saturday morning!

2008-02-13T17:43:00.002-06:00

Happy "Clementine's" Day To You! When at the store today, the girls pointed down the aisles of red and pink and exclaimed, "Mama, Clementines!", which is the cutest toddler translation of Valentine's that I've ever heard. And when picking out Valentines for their classmates, everyone's favorite Disney character was given the name "Sticky Mouse". Hilarity abounds in our world.

2008-02-10T07:27:00.000-06:00

Our first family game night was a success! And we didn't even start with the "kiddy" games...

2008-02-06T20:13:00.000-06:00

Wow, two posts back to back! "What has gotten in to them?" you may think. I (Rebekah) have really wanted to post the "8 things about our girls" that others have recently posted on their children for a few weeks now, but it's taken me awhile to think of enough differences between the girls. So, for now, you'll have to read the few I've come up with. (The rest of the post will be written in the girls' voices.)

Since we've done almost everything together since our first day of life and since we're identical, we have more similarities and interests in things than differences. So, we decided to tell you four tidbits about us together and two things about us as individuals.

We love to sing. Sometimes we will each sing a different song at the same time. (It gets a little crazy at times!) Christmas songs are still a favorite around our house right now because we loved them so much this year. Some of our current favorites are: Frosty the Snowman, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and 5 verses of Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Even before we received our medical kit for Christmas, we enjoyed giving each other "shots" many times a day. We are great little doctors with lots of love and compassion.

We are early risers. We had been getting up around 5:30 am, but recently we are sleeping until 6 am or so. We think there's too much to do in a day to wait for the sun to come up!

Recently we have found that getting into bed with each other in the morning is lots of fun--we have a lot to giggle about! Plus it lets Mama and Daddy rest a little while longer.

Sydney Lane

I love to "read" books. When Abigail and I are not playing together, you can usually find me on the couch with a book. The only thing better than reading a book is reading it with my family.

I really enjoy having my back scratched or my hair played with. It's very relaxing and a good way to wind down.

Abigail Kate

I love putting puzzles together. I will sit for awhile and try to figure it out on my own before asking anyone for help.

I am quite a monkey--I love to climb on anything (including Daddy) and Daddy says I've got a really strong grip. Climb Nashville--here I come!

2008-02-05T18:22:00.000-06:00

Hours of patterns, buttonholes, hemming, understitching, tacking, sizing, etc. have come to fruition! Sydney and Abigail debuted their new hand made dresses on Sunday morning and received too many compliments to count. We are all so proud of Mama for her handiwork - they looked great! Thanks to all of you who continue to check up on us.

2008-01-02T08:42:00.000-06:00

Our first haircut!

Sydney before...

...and after.
Abigail before...
...and after.

The girls sat so very still as the stylist cut their hair. The only tears came just before Sydney was all done; she wasn't scared of the haircutting, but I think she wasn't quite sure of the stylist, Eric.

2007-12-29T14:24:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Glissons...please try to ignore the snot faucet. Click here to see the video.

2007-12-28T22:08:00.000-06:00

"Breakfast With Santa" Crafts with Sydney & Abigail!!!

The semi-finished product

Sitting with Santa: these are the biggest smiles we could get out of the girls--they were not thrilled with him this year

Merry Christmas...

...from us!

2007-12-07T22:50:00.000-06:00

We'er so proud of our little architects

New favorite game on the office chair (check back later for "New injury from game on office chair")

Happy B'day Uncle and Mama

Playing with Daddy's face lotion

Funny faces with Abigail

Funny faces with Sydney

2007-11-11T14:03:00.000-06:00

Rebekah here. My parents have now been here in Nashville for 2 weeks and are beginning to feel more comfortable with getting around town on their own. We drove out to their new home today after church to check the progress and to let Sydney and Abigail explore the inside of the house. It's coming along nicely! Brad and I have been taking pictures of the house for my parents over the past few months and every time we have the girls with us, we've been telling them "this is Papa and Grama's new house!" Which the girls usually reply with, "Papa and Grama house in uncle louis". (Back in August when we went to Indiana, we stayed with my Aunt Lanie and Uncle Lewis and when we all left to go home, we told the girls my parents were going home to St. Louis. Ever since then they think my parents live in uncle louis.) So, I think it may be awhile until the girls understand that my parents actually live here now. However, my mom has been helping me out a lot during the week and the girls seem to understand that we will be seeing a lot more of my parents than we have in the past. We're excited to have them here and I know Sydney and Abigail will love having both Gigi and Granddaddy and Papa and Grama in the same town as they grow up.

2007-11-09T21:32:00.000-06:00

Sydney & Abigail - Retrospective #6 (11.3.07)

After 84 years, Papaw is as spry and witty as ever. The girls celebrated with their Great Grandparents last weekend in Chattanooga. Nitro is doing well!

2007-11-09T09:23:00.000-06:00

Sydney & Abigail - Retrospective #5 (10.31.07)

We practiced "Go Titans!", "Touchdown", and "Go Vince" throughout the season for this moment, and Sydney and Abigail did not disappoint. The weather turned cool just in time, the leaves were changing colors, and the candy was plentiful. Trunk or Treat at church was a big success, and our tour through the neighborhood could not have been better. This is the first time the girls have had access to such a wide array of candy types, but I think suckers were their favorite. They are young enough to forget easily (or be tricked by Mama and Daddy), so we were able to give one piece of candy to the girls and put the rest of the collected booty in our pumpkin to give out to the neighborhood kids!

2007-11-05T19:45:00.000-06:00

Sydney & Abigail - Retrospective #4 (10.23.07)

Parents night at preschool went well a couple of weeks ago. The girls love Miss Eva and Miss Julie, and we can tell that their teachers care for them as if the girls were their own. We are glad that the girls like to go to 'school' and are learning lots of new things from a new perspective. Miss Eva has said that she can persuade the children to do things that "Mother" cannot...they don't have a problem with them going down for a nap, they drink out of open top cartons each day without fouling their clothes, and they bring home new songs that warm our hearts (although we can't always understand what they are singing). Kudos to the teachers!

2007-11-05T19:43:00.000-06:00

Sydney & Abigail - Retrospective #3 (10.21.07)

Climb Nashville church night! We had the priviledge of the gym all to ourselves as a Celebration fellowship together. There were hundreds of people on the walls, belayers, gawkers, and bystanders, but we found a little corner of the gym to test out the climbing abilities of Sydney and Abigail. They liked the concept of being in a full-body harness and taking on the rock holds like the older kids, but while each of the girls are naturals at climbing (mostly furniture, playground implements, and Daddy), they climbed (or were pulled) above the reach of Mama and Daddy and were visibly terrified! Maybe next year...and hey, there is always the fun of picking up rocks at any age (pictures not shown)!

2007-11-05T18:59:00.000-06:00

Sydney & Abigail - Retrospective #2 (10.20.07)

The pumpkin patch was quite warm for mid-October this year, but we ventured out anyway. The girls love to see the goats, sheep, and cows in their pens, and they really enjoyed running around on the hay bales (all touching and in a circle). But what they wanted to play with the most was the feeding troughs full of corn, grain, and other seeds. Filling the cups then dumping them out - sometimes on the ground - and repeating! Yee-haw! It is in those moments that I think 1) why didn't I think of that for our backyard (maybe with birdseed), and 2) kids are so fun because they can be happy playing with tupperware, rocks, or cracked corn! And we saw some of the girls' classmates and friends from church - I don't think they noticed.

2007-11-05T17:43:00.000-06:00

Sydney & Abigail - Retrospective #1 (9.29.07)

Greetings, loyal bloggers! You will be pleased to know that we have not gone the way of many other good intentions. Yes, life is busy, but when the grandparents (who see the girls almost every week) are mentioning the lack of posts, you know this is important to somebody. I've heard it said - you can run the rat race all of your life, but at the end you are still a rat. So, I'll slow down for a couple of minutes this week and tell you what our beautiful daughters have been up to over the past month. Actually, as you can see on the title of this post, we skipped a day in September while waiting for "production". We took advantage of a very nice Saturday morning in late September and met Amanda M. at the Boulevard Steps for pictures. Sydney and Abigail were in good moods and were very natural for the camera. We all ran around, over, up and down the steps after the girls, and somehow Amanda captured some really cute shots. Enjoy. More posts to come...soon...

2007-10-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

Happy girls on a Sunday morning love to pose. We packed a bunch in on Saturday, so I was surprised that the girls were ready to wake up so early. Actually, over the past few weeks Rebekah and I have been awakened by our bedroom door opening, a tap on the shoulder, or a pacifier-to-lips kiss (Sydney kept her paci in and attempted to kiss me awake). 5:45 every morning is wearing me out...they used to wake up, we'd change their diapers, and they'd go back to sleep. Not that way any longer - and if we bring them in our bed, they kick each other or play. So back to my original story - Saturday. We met A.M. at the park for some belated 2 year old pictures - the girls ran around and would not sit still, so I hope a few good shots were captured. They were cute and had a good time - we'll let you know how it went. Saturday night we celebrated Jack's first birthday with the family - whoa, is he growing up too fast? He is such a good kid and is so very loved by all.

We've noticed a few phrases over the past few weeks that are cracking us up - of course they will not be as cute, funny, or annoying (respectively) unless you've heard them yourself, but you can imagine:

"Daddy, shirt on" - I don't know why but they like me to put my shirt on after I get up in the morning. Do we have modest girls, or what?

"Come on, baby" - And "baby" behind any other saying is common as well. "Hi, baby", "What's that, baby" "Good morning, baby" This is most likely a repetitive word that we have used as a easy nickname over the past 2 years. It is hilarious when they say it (mostly Sydney).

"That's mine" - The "mmiiiiiinnne" is really drawn out.

"What's that?" - Again, a repetitive phrase that we have used so the girls can tell us what they see when reading a book or observing a new situation.

"This way?" - Asking for directions when walking somewhere or as a "Can we go this way?" question

"I tired" - We hear this from Abigail the most. She expresses that she is tired when she wakes up, before naps and nighttime, or when she is winded from playing so much. So cute.

"Shake, shake" - The music set from the girls' birthday contains a tambourine, and while teaching them how to use it, we used this phrase. Now anytime the girls hear a tambourine in a song (mostly from the Nutcracker - yes, we listen to it year round because they love it) they identify the instrument and say this. Way smart girls and I'd like to think they are musically talented, too.

I cannot imagine when they learn the word "Why?" I don't think I am ready for that yet.

2007-09-25T22:24:00.000-05:00

If there is anyone out there holding out for a new post after 1 1/2 months, I commend you. We have been busy with our little 2-year olds for the past few weeks.

Yes, Rebekah and Brad took a trip to the great state of Maine on August 9 - 12 to summit one of the most breathtaking mountains in the Eastern U.S., Katahdin. We had a whirlwind trip because the undeveloped area that is the center of Maine is not very easy to reach. It did not help that our flights were delayed, but we made the most of it and enjoyed every minute thanks to our host. Whisper is a former AT thru-hiker and lives in Portland. She showed us around the quaint downtown and waterfront areas of Portland, and we ate, of course, lobster (in the "lobster roll" form, which is pieces of lobster on a hot dog bun, since lobster is very expensive this year). We started our hiking on Saturday morning and had every intention of motoring through the miles, getting back to our rental car before dark, and arriving back in Portland around bedtime. However, the mountain took us on the ride of our lives - up the 4,000 feet in 5 miles to the summit and across the Knife's Edge trail, which sports multiple areas without a trail and with over 1,000 feet of exposure! It beat us up and easily humbled us. We survived to tell about it -and we arrived in Portland around midnight. We were exhausted.

Other highlights that have been memorialized in pictures on flickr include:

August 22 - the girls have taken a recent interest in their dolls that were a gift from Mama and Daddy on their 1st birthdays. The dolls have sat in the playroom all this time and we were wondering if Sydney and Abigail would ever play with them. As you may have seen in the pictures, the girls like to "change" the baby's diapers, hold the baby's as if to burp them, and put the babies to sleep by covering them with blankets. Priceless!

August 27 - We have been serenaded by the boom, boom of the drum for the past few weeks (ever since Mama and Daddy were brave enough to bring musical instruments in the house for the girls 2nd birthday). Sydney has taken to drumming (Daddy has taught her to begin the rhythm by hitting the drumsticks together with a rousing "ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR") and Abigail loves shaking the maracas. We think that they will be quite the musicians - they love to sing and they love music. We have caught them singing Frère Jacques in rounds, and they have harmonized more than once on other tunes!

As an experiment, we pulled their hair back into ponytails and took some pictures. Beautiful!

September 2 - Again, with the new found interest in their baby dolls, Sydney and Abigail love to stroll their dolls around the house - chasing each other and crashing into each other, too. So we thought we should take it to the streets - we strapped the dolls in to the strollers and set off down the street. The girls really enjoyed pushing their dolls around and are feeling like such big, independent girls.

September 8 - Off to St. Louis for a farewell dinner and "roast" of Rebekah's parents. Have we told everyone yet? Her parents are moving to Nashville! Yes, building a house, jobs, the whole deal - and one of the main reasons are Sydney and Abigail. Anyway, while we were in St. Louis we dropped by the zoo - the girls loved the elephants and the sea lions!

September 15 - A 2-year old birthday party with pony rides, professional photography with props, digging for gold, face painting and a catered lunch - what's not to like?

September 22 - Daddy figured that Sydney and Abigail are finally old enough to "help" with the Saturday car washing duties. See below pictures (and try not to stare too long at Abigail's "hot pants"!). Much fun was had by all - soaked 2 year olds included.

2007-08-17T14:32:00.000-05:00

Check flickr for pictures of our trip to Maine! Post about the trip in the future.

2007-08-15T20:38:00.000-05:00

Our girls are getting so much bigger - you can tell from the pictures. Their faces look like bigger kids, they are taller (about 34 1/2 inches at their 2-year old appointment), and, yes, their hair is getting a little bit longer. Their hair is still shorter than most kids their age, but the those blond curls are too cute to us.

We traveled to northern Indiana during the first weekend of August for a celebration and a memorial for Rebekah's Grama Gin. The celebration was for one of Rebekah's aunt and uncles 50th wedding anniversary. We made the 7 1/2 hour trip in two sections on the way up, and in one day on the way back - the girls were troopers. We stayed in a hotel room on the way up, which was the girls first experience in a hotel room as a toddler and their first time in a hotel bed. We set them on the bed when we arrived, and they both started screaming! Sydney was so upset that she let herself off of the bed quickly with the belly slide - the bed was so tall that she fell down hard on the floor and was even more upset. So, we slipped the mattress on the floor for the girls, and everyone seemed much happier.

The above picture is our sweet Sydney sitting with her 2nd cousins (once removed? - Rebekah's cousin's kids, whatever that is), Charlotte (6) and Grace (7). I think we still owe these girls some babysitting money or an ice cream cone for the wonderful job they did in occupying the girls and playing with them. Rebekah's aunt and uncle's house has a beautiful backyard on a lake, and the girls ran all over the yard, around all of the trees, and jumped on all of the floats.

The girls enjoyed their first trip on a boat - they have a pontoon boat, ski boat, a fishing boat, and a canoe, so there was plenty of time on the water for all. I think I am still sore from the tubing (read beating).

Our sweet, curious Abigail was very interested in the fish that the cousins were pulling out of the lake, but she had even more fun catching the crickets in the bait bucket! She freaks out when she sees a bug on the window at home but had no problem plucking these guys out of their cage and letting them crawl all over her. Yes, grandparents, we washed her hands immediately after her fun.

2007-07-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

Hey, folks - long time no post...life is busy with two two-year-olds and every day is full of excitement. You may be asking yourself what Sydney and Abigail have on their heads in the pictures above...yes, they are too-small diapers being used for their baby dolls. The girls wanted to use them as hats, so Rebekah obliged. Their imaginations have taken off, and anything can be used as a toy these days. And the last picture - yes, we finally bought another swing so that we can more easily keep everyone happy. Both Sydney and Abigail love to..."1, 2, 3, SWING!!!"

Another item of interest - we let you know a few months ago that the girls were beginning to open doors inside the house...well, this morning was a first - at 6:00am they let themselves out of their room, banged on the guest room door (where Rebekah's sister Miranda was sleeping), walked right down the hall, easily opened the master bedroom door, and waltzed right in! Probably nothing new to you other parents of young kids, but this morning we were surprised to be awaken by our beautiful daughters in our room - "Mama, Daddy, See-ya'll (Cereal), See-ya'll (Cereal)!!!" And, thus, we begin a new stage of independence that will change our lives forever.

2007-07-13T14:46:00.000-05:00

After backpacking half of the Appalachian Trail in 1997, the thru-hiker company thinned out, and I searched for goals each day to keep me motivated. I trudged through Pennsylvania and before I knew it, I had landed in the Delaware Water Gap hostel with The Paper Boy and BDC. But, I set out from Delaware Water Gap and through New Jersey alone and anticipating the New England States – the Kittatinny Mountains of New Jersey, the Hudson River in New York, Mt. Greylock in Mass., the Green Mountains of Vermont, the White Mountains and Presidential Range in New Hampshire, and Maine. On June 10, 1997, I took my time resupplying and packing up, and I finally left the hostel in Delaware Water Gap at 10:30. I only planned to hike 6 miles for the day since the first day out of town with a heavy pack and a full belly were always difficult. Located six miles into New Jersey is an idyllic place called Sunfish Pond. This crystal clear glacial lake is a hot spot for animal sightings and is a favorite of Jersey residents. I knew that there would be crowds and the camping spaces would be taken by the locals, so I decided to stealth-camp. Stealth-camping is a not-so-legal form of creating your own campsite for the night eventhough signage around the trailheads and state managed areas indicate that camping is prohibited outside of the marked campgrounds. I picked a very private area to the west of the pond and far, far away from the loud locals. A two-foot high, forest undergrowth shielded my campsite from view of the AT.

As I cooked dinner that night, I experienced white tailed deer sightings and a 4-foot long timber rattlesnake in my campsite, and I had one of those “I am happy to be alive” feelings that night. I put all of my “smellables” (things that smell like food to hungry varmints, bears, etc.) in a bag, hung everything in a nearby tree, and looked forward to a peaceful night’s sleep without snorers, funny noises from the water heater in my room at the hostel, or loud noises from the inebriated locals. Here is an excerpt from what I remember happening next: “6.1.97 I got a great nights sleep until five am – I heard a large rustle nearby and I shot up in my tent. I awoke to find my backpack gone and everything in it, too. My waking startled him – A BEAR! – and he ran a few feet with all of my stuff. I got out to retrieve what I could, but the bear would not go away. With my trusty hiking stick in hand, I picked up rocks and threw them at him, whistled, yelled, and just watched him go through my pack (rainsuit, cookset, fuel bottle, extras bag, water bottle and boots!). After about 30 minutes, the large black bear (he had to be 6 feet long from nose to tail) wandered off, and I was able to do some damage assessment. The most important stuff was still in tact – interestingly enough he opened the pack with the zipper and didn’t hurt the pack at all. He ripped my [fabric] AT patch off of the back (I don’t know why), bit holes in my fuel bottle and water bottle. But everything else was okay. I had to go back into town…” The extra miles back to Delaware Water Gap went very quickly since I had the adrenaline pumping, and I hung my entire pack sans a water bottle and wallet for faster hiking. The folks at the pack shop and the thru-hikers at the hostel loved the story and snapped a few pictures of my “holey” fuel bottle. When I take backpacking trips today, I still use the pots and pans that probably attracted the bear in the first place. Hygiene and KP is not a major concern for thru-hikers – usually after a meal, the only food stuff left is a bit of remnant sauce or cheese – and many thru-hikers will use river gravel, leaves, sand, or dirt to clean out pots. The natural “lava soap-type” materials are free and can be disposed of easily and the next meal will most likely be boiled. In theory, the boiling kills the unwanted bacteria and parasites. So, the night before the bear encounter, I did just that – step 1: grab fallen leaves from under nearby tree, step 2: rub out pots, step 3: rinse pots and throw leaves and rinse water at least 200 feet from campsite and water source. No problem, right? Well, the only problem is that my pots most likely smelled like a fresh tuna or mac-n-cheese to the bear. I didn’t think to put my pots in my “smellables” bag – but now I do. The pots still have the bear’s teeth marks in them that remind me of that morning. I’ve never thought of New Jersey as a very wildlife friendly state and did not expect so many animal sightings “6.1.97 Bears, bears, and more bears. Yesterday morning, last night, and now at the shelter…we have seen three bears in about an hour. Great day for wildlife again – grouse hen and 6 chicks, turkey hen and 3 chicks, doe and spotted fawn…also saw a snake in the Brink Road Shelter. Three-foot long chicken snake and a couple of other snakes on the trail.” The company was sparse in New Jersey as well: “6.13.97 This is the fourth day that I haven’t seen a thru-hiker, but I have had some good company [day hikers/weekenders]…the man and one of the dogs thru-hiked in ’93. They were interesting to talk to, and they were gone from the shelter at 6am! I caught them at about 9:30, so they weren’t going very fast. I hope they show up here – I am in a shelter all alone…Empty shelter – it would be a first…6.13.97 Nope – it wasn’t even close to empty. Ramblin’ Soldier, Scooter, Wild Bore, and Shiner (formerly known as Snail) came in last night!...It is great to be back with a group.” It seemed like everything about my trip was better when with other thru-hikers that I enjoyed. Although the scenery was outstanding and the trail magic was great, the relationships with people made my trip.

Rebekah and I will be traveling up to Maine in a few weeks to see some of those people that I have a special memories of – we will be hiking the last 5 miles of the AT in Maine – Mount Katahdin. Whispering Pine has set up this “reunion” for the class of 1997, and I couldn’t pass up the trip. More to come on the reminiscing – I will attempt to be more regular about my posts since only a few weeks and a few states remain until my goal of Katahdin – coming up: hot days in NY, Naked Hiking Day, bad mosquitoes, Upper Goose Pond Cabin, sleeping in frat houses (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute [RPI] and Dartmouth), and more…

2007-07-12T22:16:00.000-05:00

More pictures of today's lunch stop - the Bicentennial Mall - on flickr. How can it be that the girls wouldn't dare touch the water this year and last year jumped right in (eventhough they were just learning to walk)?

2007-07-11T13:58:00.000-05:00

Just a few months before my gramma Gin passed away last year, she made coverlets/quilts for Sydney and Abigail. So, after months of having fabric that matched the quilts, I have finished my first sewing project (all by myself, I might add.) I set a goal for myself at the end of May to make bedskirts, top sheets, and pillowcases by the girls' birthday party at the end of June. I met that goal (almost) by finishing 2 top sheets, 2 pillowcases and one bedskirt. Last week I finished the second bedskirt. Now, most of you are aware that I only post once in a blue moon (Brad seems better suited for the typical posts), but I really felt the need to brag on myself. Everyday I am so excited to be able to look at the beautiful quilts my gramma made for the girls.

Abigail's bed

Sydney's bed

While I'm doting on myself, I might as well add a picture of the cake I made for Sydney and Abigail's birthday party. They sing all the time, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate the 3 songs they sing most (Twinkle Twinkle, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and ABC's--all with the same tune) into their cake. We had a great celebration with our families and the girls seemed to have a blast. More pictures from the party are on flikr.

Lastly, my sweet Brad finished a project for the girls' room which we had been wanting to do for some time now. He had the idea of hanging pictures of each of our family members on either wall above Sydney's and Abigail's beds. From our immediate families to each of our grandparents, every picture is special to us. We hope our girls will enjoy looking at these pictures for years to come and know how much they are loved.

2007-06-27T19:37:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am aware that we have been delinquent bloggers - sorry. It seems that the warm weather and longer days of summer make life busier - why is that? Since our last post after the beach, it has been life as usual in our household - until this week. Sydney and Abigail will be turning the big 2 this Saturday (please save your applause until the end of the post...), and Rebekah and I have been preparing the house for the family party, designing the cake, et cetera and et al. The girls are so excited - not - but they have begun to show the new side of 2ish behavior; you know mood swings, willfull lashing out, and crying for no reason comprehendable by an adult. Our girls have always been...well, girls...and I am sure that some boys are like that, too, but as we hang out with other's kids around the girls' age, we have clearly defined them as "more energetic" than most. The following is a saying that a friend of a friend gave us that reminds us of our place as parents in their lives: "Young children have intense feelings and needs and are naturally loud, curious, messy, willful, impatient, demanding, creative, forgetful, fearful, self-centered and full of energy. Try to accept them as they are." Some weeks I will look at our fridge, where it is posted, and read it almost every day. I would add "...because they are God's children and are wonderfully made." Enjoy the above pictures of Sydney and Abigail enjoying life. (more pictures on Flickr)

2007-06-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

We are back from a week at the beach, and we are happy to say that we almost forgot about normal life! Sydney and Abigail loved playing in the big sand box on the Gulf and had their first experience with the ocean. The seas were calm one day, and we were able to put them both in floats and ride the waves. Of course, we spent lots of time a the pool and chillin' in the condo. More pictures on flickr....and more pictures to come once Gigi and Grandaddy return with their camera (our camera fogged up one day on the beach and no pictures of the Grandparents with the grandaughters were salvagable.)

2007-06-11T13:34:00.000-05:00

After not seeing Scooter and Wild Bore for a couple of weeks, they showed up in a shelter just north of Pearisburg, Virginia on a cold and rainy night in late April. These guys were witty Dartmouth graduates who enjoyed trivia, history, current events – and everyone enjoyed being around them. I was excited to find out that night in April that these guys would be on the same schedule and pace as mine for the duration of our thru-hikes. We had some great experiences together with trail magic – slackpacking and hitch-hiking – town stops and hostels like Rusty’s Hard Time Hollow on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and ate some great meals together. Rusty’s was a hostel that is near and dear to thru-hikers hearts because it is a “work for stay” opportunity and because the hostel lives off of the land – spring water, composting toilet, farming, etc. As a part of the American Cancer Society fund-raising effort, Scooter and Wild Bore had events set up that involved barbeque with all of the fixings.

As a thru-hiker, an All-You-Can-Eat buffet or free barbeque is wonderful. On the AT, hikers face the dilemma of food weight – if you carry enough in your backpack between resupply points to fill up on each meal, your pack will weigh so much that more energy will have to be extended. In essence, thru-hikers burn more calories each day than they can ingest, so they rely on big meals in town or the occasional trail magic for a caloric binge. The Shenandoah National Park in northern Virginia was a caloric binge for me. The AT follows the Blue Ridge Parkway through the Park, and we passed a lodge, restaurant, campground (with barbeque-ing tourists), or hostel every day! While in the Park, I noticed a shift – in service, food options and hospitality. “5.15.97 We have been comparing the North and the South the past few days. Everyone else is from the North and they expected the changes – the short answers, lack of hospitality, no sweet tea or refills on sodas, different menu items (no grits, biscuits and gravy, etc.), different restaurant chains…The hospitality is the big thing that gets to me – I prefer the South!” I quickly learned to live with it and expected it – and my spirits were lifted by all of the good food. Maybe it was our aroma that affected how others responded…”5.16.97 Yesterday, I shaved – yes, I had to…well, I didn’t have to but it was more than two months [of growth] and you couldn’t tell from 5 feet away! I am still going to let my hair grow out – I’ll just have to wash it more. I did get a shower yesterday, but I already smell again.” The temperatures quickly turned and summer was in full bloom – 80’s and 90’s during the day did not help the smells either.

966.5 miles down as of May 19, 1997. I also hiked with a guy from Pennsylvania in May named Cowanesque. Cow was a 45 year old, Auto/Diesel College grad, excavation business owner, and Boy Scout Troop leader with a couple of kids. He was a very quiet and introspective guy, but we enjoyed each others company while Boar and Scooter were slackpacking or off to another friends wedding or conducting fund-raising events. Cow and I strolled through the Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania on Memorial Day – “5.26.07 Fooled again! Poor man’s Pizzeria, 0.5 miles away, and closed on Mondays. Agh! At Caledonia State Park now and the grill should be open. But it’s not – and even worse all of the people on their Memorial Day cookouts haven’t even recognized that we are hungry thru-hikers…Not only is the grill closed, the restrooms are too! No coke machine either!” Can you tell that I had food on the brain at all times? I participated in a thru-hiker tradition in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park that involved food and is worth mentioning – I consumed an entire half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting! And I have the wooden spoon to prove it! This was a sort of right of passage and a celebration of half way – 1,080 miles complete on May 28, 1997. In 75 days of hiking, I took 5 “0” days with no hiking; averaged 14.4 miles a day; slept in a shelter 57.5% of the time; 20.0% in a tent; and 22.5% in houses, hostels, and motels; had only 8 days of rain; 2 days of snow; and I completed 37 sheets (74 pages front and back) in my journal and had 37 more sheets to the back cover!

2007-05-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, Daddy is officially 30 tomorrow, and Mama totally surprised him this past weekend. Gigi and Grandaddy's house was full of family and friends for a fun Mexican themed party. Much thanks to all who made it happen!

Sydney and Abigail celebrated Memorial Day with family at the pool. The girls love the water and are great a blowing bubbles.

2007-05-18T15:04:00.001-05:00

I found these pictures today on the camera that I use for work, and I was reminded how fun it is to be a dad. Since the weather has been nice over the past few weeks, we have hiked at the local parks with the girls on our backs. On this occassion, we brought our supper to eat after the hike. They seem to really enjoy it, and it gives Daddy and Mama a good workout! As a dad, I receive their precious "Iey-Yah-Yous" (I love you) before I go to work each day, which makes me look forward to coming home/picking them up each day!

2007-05-13T17:36:00.000-05:00

We would be remiss if we didn't thank Papa and Gramma for their help last weekend while Brad was away. In true grandparent fashion, they came with toys, a table and chair set, lots of hugs, and lots of love. Thanks again for giving up your time and energy for Sydney and Abigail.

2007-05-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

I took a trip last weekend that I'll never forget - to the Havasupai Canyon (aka Havasu Falls Grand Canyon). A couple of buddies and I flew into Las Vegas, drove to the canyon, hiked the 12 miles to the three main waterfalls with backpacks, and out 12 miles in 4 days. I would suggest 5 or more days to truly enjoy the oasis that is Havasupai Canyon and to have ample time for napping and sunbathing and exploring. When the backpacking websites indicated the trip was strenuous, I had no idea. The heat and dust make the 2,000 foot climb out of the canyon a challenge. Of course, you can make it easier with helicopter access, pack animals to carry your stuff, a lodge for accomodations, and burgers at the reservation's restaurant, but then where would the success of overcoming the challenges be!?! I highly recommend this trip for the adventurous spirit. More pictures on flickr...

2007-05-11T13:11:00.000-05:00

After the snow in Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area in April 1997, I enjoyed great weather through Central Virginia and the Shenandoah National Park in May. The Virginia section of the AT is the longest at 540 miles and is referred to as the land of the “Virginia Blues” because of the lack of state lines as goals. As a hiker courses through certain parts of the trail, the accomplishment of two or three states a month can be very motivating – not in Virginia. Also, VA is “flat” compared to the balance of the trail. The flat part is not completely accurate, but I did average more miles per day in Virginia than any other state.

On April 19th, I participated in my first “Lord’s Supper” with a fellow hiker. We were sleeping on the porch of the Mt. Rogers NRA Headquarters and woke to a beautiful morning with birds chirping and the sunshine warming our faces. Youngblood had started a southbound hike in 1996 and was about a month from completing his thru-hike. He was a jovial, older man with a long white beard and spectacles. Youngblood and I talked into the night over a large pepperoni pizza (order from a payphone at the HQ and delivered from Sugar Grove, VA!) and had so much in common. Youngblood was a wanderer like me and he professed his faith unlike anyone I had met on the trail so far. I hadn’t adhered to a rigid Bible study schedule or packed the extra Lord’s Supper accoutrements that I was used to at home – every Sunday. I did not worry about the actual juice and crackers because I had a connection to God at all times on the trail. The connection with my brother, Youngblood, was nice, but unfortunately he hiked south and I hiked north. I will never forget him.

Little did I know, but my uplifting experience with Youngblood would be helpful in upcoming conversations with another hiker. I hitchhiked into Sugar Grove to resupply, and as I was packing my bag, a car stopped next to me and asked if I knew the other hiker around the corner. I indicated that I wasn’t with anyone but asked why – they said that there was a hiker near the pay phone that was lying on the ground. I went around the corner and found Bomber passed out on the ground! He regained consciousness within a few seconds and indicated that he was okay – but he was still blue lipped and pale. I met Bomber the night before the “marathon” hike into Damascus – he was a professed atheist from Connecticut, very soft spoken, and a very fast hiker (he wanted to complete the trail in 4 ½ months). Bomber knew of my faith and, out of the blue, indicated that he could see himself being baptized and believing in Christ “when he got older.” He said that he wouldn’t want to die without somewhere to go. Bomber asked many interesting and probing questions on Christianity and, like all of us hikers, was searching. For instance, he theoretically asked if he could be baptized, not truly believing in God, and still go to heaven. After we shared a hotel room in Pearisburg on April 25, 1997, I didn’t see Bomber again. I hope that my Christian influence helped.

During my stay in Pearisburg, I had one of my worst experiences on the trail – sickness. This 24 hour period was the only time I was sick on my hike – one sickness over 6 months! I stayed in the Holy Family Hospice – read free hostel – after the hotel room with Bomber, and I was able to collect my thoughts in my journal, send postcards, and truly rest. I sent a postcard to a church friend and outlined my recent experiences and gastrointestinal troubles – after the next Sunday’s church service, this friend asked my parents, “So, is Brad out of the hospital yet?” They said, “Brad was in the hospital!?!” because I hadn’t informed them over the phone in Pearisburg that I was staying in a Hospice. I guess the friend thought the hospice was a hospital, and this was very disturbing to my parents. I am sure that my Mom’s heart skipped a few beats.

On April 28th, 1997, my journal entry foreshadowed a significant event: “I am on the same schedule and pace as Scooter and Wild Bore so I will probably be seeing them – they are here [Bailey Gap Shelter] tonight.” In fact, from this point on the three of us would be no more that a few days away from each other through the completion of our thru-hikes. Both Scooter and Wild Bore graduated from Dartmouth in 1993 and worked at consulting firms in D.C. from 1993 – 1997. They both planned to thru-hike the AT by August and go back to graduate school. Their thru-hike had a fund raising element to it as well. Wild Bore’s employer, Booze Allen, agreed to match any donations, dollar for dollar, from their thru-hike for the American Cancer Society. More on these guys and their story later…

I found out quickly that there were only a few ways to make a thru-hike any easier – drop pack weight, have someone else carry your weight (by sharing a stove or assisted with a car), or “slackpacking.” Slackpacking involves entrusting your backpack, your world, with a stranger with a car. This “trail magic” usually happens when other thru-hikers have family nearby, former thru-hikers live near by, or the general public likes helping these smelly, dirty, skinny and bearded hikers. This person with a car takes your pack to a destination further down the trail – another road crossing, the next town, etc. – and the hiker covers the miles without a pack! At first I was unsure if slackpacking fit in to my definition of a “purist.” The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a purist or thru-hiker as a "2,000-miler" as a matter of tradition and convenience. ATC defines a "2,000-miler" as anyone who has hiked the entire Trail between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin in Maine, and they don't consider issues such as the sequence, direction, speed or whether one carries a pack. They do expect that persons applying for inclusion in the 2,000-miler records have made an honest effort to walk the entire Trail. Good enough for me! I usually will tell folks that if a person that attempts a thru-hike has seen each of the white blazes on the trail, either southbound or northbound or flip-flop, they are official. May 1, 1997 was my first opportunity to slackpack and I took advantage of it. I met Southpaw, a 1995 thru-hiker, at a road crossing, and we hiked 6 miles without our packs!

Since this post is getting a bit long, I’ll revisit my Shenandoah stories with Wild Bore and Scooter at a later date…

Completed To Date: 62 days, 830.6 miles = 38.5% completed

2007-05-04T18:35:00.000-05:00

We all had a good time at Jack's 3-year birthday party last weekend! The girls loved the sand table, the big ladder and slide on the play gym, the riding toys, and all of the toy dinosaurs! And Mama and Daddy were worn out just from watching.

2007-05-04T09:19:00.000-05:00

You may think I'd forgotten that our family had a blog...that needed to be updated, but I didn't forget. Life busyness...what can I say.

I want to let everyone know - we are all doing great. Sydney and Abigail are talking more now - of course, we cannot understand what they are saying half of the time. These are fun time to be a parent, because we can ask them very complex or very simple questions and received the same answer every time..."No." This is the girls' favorite word - "Do you want more fruit?", "No", "Can we change your clothes", "No", "Do you want a snack?", "[silence with affirmative head nod]". So they do know the concept of "Yes"!

We have had a busy past month, but I cannot recall what we have been busy with. The girls have be on-again, off-again with runny nose/fever-type sicknesses. But they seem to be great today.I know that we had a great time with Brad's immediate family during the weekend of April 14th in the Smoky Mountains. We were able to explore a few trails with the girls on our backs, and we experienced the dynamic mountain weather, first hand. On one of the trails, the weather was sunny and 60 degrees at the trailhead, and less than an hour into our hike, it turned cold and began to rain. With the health of our daughters and their 7-month old cousin (Jack) in mind, we quickly turned around. The kids slept through it all and had no idea what had happened.

Sydney and Abigail are getting used to their toddler beds and are really enjoying the freedom the beds provide. At night, we will put them to bed and for the next 30 minutes to an hour, they will play, talk, sing, beat on their door, and jump on their beds. When the room gets dark, they will finally crawl into their beds and go to sleep. As long as they are not screaming, crying, or hitting each other, we don't mind one bit. Also, they have officially switched beds (sometimes) - Sydney will sleep in the bed to the right and Abigail in the bed to the right - who knows why...

We are coming up on the girls two year-old birthdays, and folks have mentioned the "Terrible Twos" to us. I think that we may have seen the willful, can't make me happy, do thinks to spite the parents stage already. Hopefully so - we realize everyday that we have been truly blessed with two wonderful daughters.

2007-04-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

The 1 ½ weeks from April 7 – 18, 1997 were very intense times on the Appalachian Trail for me. I met many more thru-hikers with some funny names: BDC – Bacon Double Cheeseburger, Grizz, Love-To-Hike, Tippy Canoe, Ichabod Wayward Traveler [the infamous Traveling Jack who has hiked more miles on the AT that anyone in history], Crash, Jake, Bomber, Beavis, Shaggy Goose, Movin’ On Up, Scooter, Wild Bore, Pyro, and Skywalker. I experienced extremely cold temperatures and snow and extremely long hiking days. And I witnessed a human experience that I described in my journal as “the worst I had ever seen...”

Old Crow and I hiked together, on and off, for a six week stretch in March and April of 1997. Old Crow gave himself his trail name for a couple of reasons: 1) Old Crow was his drink of choice, a Kentucky bourbon whiskey, and 2) it was the very thing that motivated him to hike. I found out later that this thru-hiker was actually running from something that had taken over his life. Brad H. from Raleigh, North Carolina had clearly experienced a different life than Brad G. Old Crow had stories about drinking, partying, and fraternity stunts, and he delivered the stories with a wit and humor that made me laugh. After a very cold night (single digits) in the Overmountain Shelter on April 9th (an old horse barn), Old Crow wanted a break from the harsh conditions of the trail, and I thought that I deserved a break, too. He called some friends in a nearby town, Boone, NC, that picked us up at the nearest road crossing. I wrote, “a free place to stay that is warm, what more can you ask for” and thought that it would be an uneventful side trip – I was wrong. “4.11.97 Last night was close to being the worst night [so far]. I got very few hours of sleep because of the party [downstairs], and I saw a bunch of college students at their worst. Crow got really messed up…” For most of the early morning (3 to 4am), I was awakened by Crow and his drunken friends coming in the room and making a lot of noise. I assisted his friend in setting Crow’s sleeping bag out and taking his boots off – he passed out and urinated on himself. “Then I realized how bad it really was…This was the lowest and he had been there before…I knew then that this is why Brad was on the AT – to change this part of his life.” Crow told me later that he had been sober for a month before that night – the first month of hiking. The pull toward his addition was too great. I insisted to be taken back to the trail by someone sober and, at that point, I didn’t know if I’d see Crow again. There are so many things to pull a potential thru-hiker off of the trail – the past catching up with you is one that I hadn’t considered until now.

I hiked on through Southern Virginia and into some of the best relationships of my entire trip. Many thru-hikers were pushing 20+ mile days at this point in the trail. One month down and I was in the best shape of my life, so I decided to attempt “The Marathon.” into Damascus, Virginia. From Iron Mountain Shelter, it is 26.3 miles to town and Damascus fever (the longing for good food and good company) had me convinced that I could pull it off. It was a very tough day that I don’t remember much about…I arrived in Damascus at 6:30pm and got word that my Dad had been there. Come to find out, Dad drove to Damascus to deliver my next maildrop instead of shipping it, and I missed him by a few hours. I came into town and thru-hikers, hostel keepers, townspeople, and restaurateurs all asked, “Are you Optimist? Opti, did you see your Dad?.” I was so sad that we had missed each other. I met Scooter and Wild Bore during my first night in Damascus – I was headed to the pizza joint and ran into these two mid-twenties guys, graduates from Dartmouth. After we shook hands, Scooter immediately asked, “So you are Opti Phil 4:13? ‘I can do all things through Christ’ guy?” I was profoundly amazed that someone was actually reading my shelter entries. Each shelter contained a register, usually a spiral bound notebook, that was used by hikers to communicate with each other. Entries usually contained information on the nearest spring, the resident skunk, encouragement to friends, words of protection, etc. The register was something that no thru-hiker passed up, and although it may sound silly, we looked forward to reading through each register and connecting with the trail community. Since I was given a trail name with meaning and purpose, each of my register entries were slanted toward the positive and optimistic and signed “Optimist, Phil. 4:13.” I would occasionally write out the passage at the end of my entries as well. I thought that, if even just a small way, I could lift people up in a hard time and give a nugget of wisdom from Paul’s letter to the Philippians with each entry. I had apparently succeeded, and Scooter and Wild Bore would become fast friends. More on their story later.

Snow put a twist on hiking in the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, “4.18.97 Definitely say the AWESOME power of God today! Last night, Two Winds, Bomber, Bob (weekender) and I were in the loft of the Thomas Knob Shelter, and it was a good thing because there was a few inches of snow on the first floor. We got about 3 to 6 inches of snow last night, and it was cold (teens). I didn’t get a very good nights sleep because the snow was coming through the roof, and it dusted everything. I woke up many times last night and was cold some of this morning…I passed Bomber and broke trail [for] eight miles – the drifts were sometimes knee deep! I kept moving and stayed warm…Two Winds stayed at the shelter and Bomber and I moved on – a good thing too because it was colder [up on the mountain]. I was getting tired f Two Winds again, anyway…I have been singing a lot on the trail…it defiantly helps pass the time. So does my Walkman – I listened to National Public Radio today and the miles became less noticeable. I listed to the [mix] tapes also, but that drains the batteries quickly…Today’s walk was nothing short of INTENSE! It was the worst weather I have seen – snow + wind (gusts up to 40 – 50 mph) + cold (20 – 30 degrees) + wind chill (-20 degrees). Scrambling over the rocks and not being able to find the trail were the worst parts [the white blazes that marked the trail were covered by snow or blended it to the background, and I was off trail for a while]. It was a nice change of pace, but I am ready for spring…”

497.7 miles down, 39 days

2007-04-18T08:03:00.000-05:00

It's time for the toddler beds! Just as Mama and Daddy were settling in to the couch with a bowl of ice cream last night, we heard a thud on the floor...and a blood-curdling scream! Abigail crawled/flipped/jumped out of her crib and was lying on floor and screaming. It seemed to have profoundly scared her for a time, but we couldn't find any injuries to her little body. Of course, it shook Mama and Daddy up, too - so we pulled their mattresses out of their cribs and placed them on the floor. The girls slept okay last night, and we haven't seen any lasting effects in Abigail from the fall ! Praise The Lord! For the record, Abigail, this is the second time in your life! The 2-year old birthday is coming up soon - gift idea: bungee cords and a stunt net.

2007-04-17T22:10:00.000-05:00

Of course there are Easter pictures! Life has been busy since Easter weekend, but I'll attempt to catch everyone up in a series of posts, pictures (see flickr), and videos over the next week or so.

On the Wednesday before Easter Sunday, the girls "performed" in their first Easter program at Mother's Day Out. "If Your Happy And You Know It" is one of the girls favorite songs; however, all Abigail could do is a couple of hand motions and her swaying dance, and Sydney was dazed half of the time and cried half of the time. At times, they both looked as if they were enjoying the spotlight, but the jury is still out on both of them for an acting or singing career. The teachers at MDO had an Easter Egg Hunt set up for each age group, and I am happy to say both Sydney and Abigail mastered the art of hunting. They filled their baskets up in minutes - so heavy that they could barely keep them from dragging on the ground! We counted a combined 50 eggs! I'll put a video together of the hunt - we couldn't be more proud.

We also participated in the hunt at church on the Saturday before Easter Sunday - for approximately 7 minutes. It was cold! The "Dogwood Winter" blanketed much of the southeast in early April and killed many unsuspecting plants. Question: if a late frost wilts the plants and pollen-producing growth on the trees, will a warm up in the true Spring and Summer bring even more allergies!?! We bundled the girls up in their winter coats (thanks again, Rootie!) for the church Easter Egg hunt, but they did not care anything about eggs. They both ran around with the other kids and passed up the eggs! Mama and Daddy did not want the candy in the house anyway!

As you can see from the pictures, Sydney and Abigail looked like princesses in their dresses and were very sweet to each other during picture time...holding hands, hugs, and kisses! So sweet. We were blessed on Sunday morning by our experience at church - it is amazing how God works through the testimony of others to show his grace and love. Lunch at Great Grandma and Grandpa's created more photo opportunities (see flickr).

2007-04-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

Twenty-eighth day and 341.3 miles down. I experienced the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the last week of March and enjoyed the budding dogwoods and wildflowers of spring. I had anticipated the Smokies since leaving home because it had always been one of my favorite destinations for family trips and overnight backpacking jaunts. Little did I know at the time, the week in the Smokies would be an early turning point in my hike. I quickly learned to “hike my own hike” and not be concerned with the schedule of others.

The AT crosses Fontana Dam at 480 ft. above sea level and gains thousands of feet of elevation to the highest place on the trail, Clingman’s Dome (6643 ft.) – and I hiked those 31 miles in 2 days! Because of the push to meet my family, I continued through the park without many of my new thru-hiker friends. Although I made new friends and acquaintances, I felt that the posse from the Blueberry Patch was my true expedition partners at the time. We had traveled through so much territory together already and had experienced the wonders of the trail, and it wasn’t easy going my own way. I met Two Winds, Turtle, Slowwalker, Crazy-Two Feet, and Grey Squirrel in the park, but I thought 'I do not have as much in common with these people as I do Cruise, Whisper, Two Gulp, Old Crow, and Phluff.' What did I truly have in common with anyone on the trail? Virtually nothing but our current circumstances! It was a shift in my mindset that made the difference – I was ready to be on my own and free from the drama of the big group once and for all. The only problem was Two Winds – he did not see my new found wisdom the same way. He wanted to talk about anything and everything, “3.24.97 Blah, blah, blah…Two Winds came into the shelter later tonight and hasn’t stopped talking since….Blah, blah, blah…no silence in the shelter tonight, and Two Winds said that he has a tendency to snore. Not the greatest for my first night in the Smokies.” and “3.25.97 Blah, blah, blah…Yep, you guessed it – Two Winds is getting started with the stories. His story: is 24 and has been off of the trail for 10 days – he has been in Knoxville for court. As he was driving somewhere in Knox County he was pulled over (a few months ago) for speeding and unfortunately had marijuana in his car. They fined him and he is now back on the trail…When he saw me reading my Bible, it prompted him to tell me about his relationship with the Lord. He is on the right track, and I hope that I can help him and everyone else find The Way.” He is a character that would be a part of my hike for many miles.

Right around this time, the spiritual component of my hike was showing itself, “3.23.07 …Did my first 20+ day today, and I am hurting pretty bad. I hiked with Cruise most of the afternoon today, which was good. We got to know each other a little bit better. We had a little bit of a change of pace this morning (a Sunday), and I read from the Bible. There were about five or six that listened to me read some scriptures that dealt with hope, comfort, and rejoicing. ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’ No wonder I am an Optimist.” I became more willing to discuss the Bible and the life of Jesus with anyone, and my relationships from here to Maine were seasoned with Good News.

The Easter visit in Gatlinburg with the family was physically rejuvenating; however, I found myself yearning to make more miles on the day off. Once I was on the trail again, I expressed the emotional toll in my journal, “3.30.97 Today was one of my toughest days emotionally and mentally. After the time off, I was really eager to get back on the trail because I was getting too soft and comfortable. The depression kicked in today mainly because I didn’t have much motivation. Usually I am trying to catch up to someone or get to the place where everyone is staying the night, but today the only motivation was to get to the shelter – in out of the rain – which I did successfully…I questioned, today more than ever, why I am out here. I enjoy myself almost all of the time, but after being in Gatlinburg for 36 hours, I saw what I was missing…”

2007-04-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

The excitement never ceases around our house....or wherever we are. The pictures are from our playtime at a local park on Thursday evening. Sydney is posing just above the imprint of her body in the mulch below - yes, she tumbled off the platform, and, no, she didn't break anything. Both Sydney and Abigail were crawling up and down the stairs on the other side of the play gym, which has the slide. Sydney wanted to explore the other side of the gym and crawled backwards down the steps and off of theplatform. A mouthful of mulch and a few minutes of crying were worth the skydive!

As I mentioned in a previous post, the girls are 'stretching out' and are able to reach door knobs and, occasionally, open doors. For the first time on Friday, Sydney locked a door. It happened to be the door out to the garage and Rebekah and Abigail happened to be on the other side. To load the car, we take one munchin at a time and leave the other to her own devices in the house. Each of the girls will usually stand in the kitchen and wait, but Friday morning, Sydney decided to play with the door handle and accidentally lock the handle. Rebekah had her cell phone but no keys. All available extra keys were an hour or more away, so your friendly locksmith 'Hajijibaba' was summoned to pop the door open! The drama lasted for over an hour and no one was injured, praise the Lord! Backup plans are now in place so that we don't have a similar situations in the future.

2007-03-26T07:50:00.000-05:00

Over the past ten days on the AT, I solidified many friendships and would become my own person – Optimist, they call me Opti. The group of thru-hikers at Neels Gap stayed together over these 10 days and became very cohesive because of our shared experience. We had a few days of rain in northern Georgia and decided to take it easy during this period with two nights in hostel/campground facilities with showers (The Blueberry Patch and Rainbow Springs Campground), a zero-day (0 miles of hiking) in Franklin, NC, sunbathing at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, and lots of good food sprinkled throughout. Don’t think we were loafing – 108 miles in 10 days – but we were going slower than many of our schedules allowed. I had scheduled to pick up a mail drop of food at the Fontana, NC post office and be through the Smoky Mountains to meet my family for Easter in Gatlinburg on March 28th – 70 miles in 4 days = 17+ miles per day. Another good reason for me to go slower during this stretch of trail was the issues I was having with a tendon in my right foot. I can now tell from my journal entries that I was not going to give up. I believe I had a “Never Quit” mentality, and I would have spent time in a local town or hospital to recover rather than taking the trip home. Although I was mentally ready for challenges like these, I was worried for a few days that this early issue could be my downfall. “3.14.97 Here at the Tray Mt. Shelter – only made 4.5 miles today b/c of foot. Plenty of good company here, though. It rained most of the night and everything got wet. About 3:30 and the sun came out. Tomorrow I am going to try and hike in my running shoes and see if that helps any. Wheat said that a couple behind us had to go into town because of the same problem and found out it was tendonitis. OH NO. Things are looking good except for a tendon in my right foot – maybe the Achilles…Life is good…3.16.97…I hiked in my running shoes today again – tried to put my boots and on it killed – going to call the store in a couple of days and get some [different] boots. Hopefully that will help my tendon…3.17.97…My feet hurt more today than they have yet because of these flimsy running shoes…Anyway you look at it, the boot situation won’t keep me off of the trail for too long. I have seen that it really doesn’t matter what kind of gear you carry because anything that will keep you dry and warm will work.” The miles in the running shoes (70 miles) must have given my foot the rest that it needed, because I did not have any other foot issues for the remainder of my hike. “3.20.97 Tomorrow will be a fairly easy 15 miles into NOC. My boots (new) will be there, but I wore my boots today and my Achilles felt okay. If it feels good tomorrow I may send the new ones back home…3.21.07 Got my free brand-new pair of boots in the mail today – and sent them back home.” Completed To Date (CTD):17 days, 168.7 miles = 7.75% completed.

Radnor Lake

2007-03-25T19:45:00.001-05:00

pictures 046
Originally uploaded by Adventures With Glissons.

Although we've battled through a cough with both girls this past week, we were able to get to Radnor Lake this weekend and take advantage of the good weather. No surprise that both Sydney and Abigail had this new round of sickness; we had to resort to the heavy-duty cough syrup, so they could get a good night's sleep. The picture is of the girls on the bridge watching the water roll over the spillway. Rebekah's mom was in town for the week and helping us out over the girl's "spring break" and, again, experienced what a week at our house is like (she'll probably need a week or so of recovery time). She was so helpful in so many instances and made at least one week of our lives that much easier.

2007-03-14T12:13:00.000-05:00

Since there is more that I want to tell, let’s back up a few days: I motored up Blood Mountain on March 11, 1997, with a full cache of water for the evening’s cooking and drinking. I carried eight pounds of water to the top of this mountain so that I could experience sunrise and sunset from the first “mountain” on my trip. I was taking my time and taking lots of breaks, because of the phone coordination I had previously set with my parents. In 1997, portable cell phones were not yet mainstream or afforded by college students, so I relied on pay phones! Imagine that! I knew that my schedule would vary over the next weeks and months, but I wanted to call home that first week to assure my family of my wellbeing. So, we set a day and a time to talk. As I was taking in the beautiful landscape of Blood Mountain and eating my lunch, my mind changed; I did not want to “waste” the next few hours by sitting around and waiting on the sun to set, so I decided to hike on. What to do with the 5 quarts of water? “3.11.97 Now that I am descending, I decided to use the water while I had it, so I took a shower. I still smell a little bit, but I feel much better. The point is I toted eight pounds of extra weight for a shower! I still need a trail name.” I resupplied that afternoon at the world-famous Walasiyi Center at Neels Gap, called home, and met my first large group of thru-hikers. The Walasiyi Center is famous because of it’s location on the AT – three to four days from the southern terminus, the Trail passes through the Center’s breezeway and in between the pack shop and the hostel – and the contents of many potential thru-hiker’s backpacks is traded, tweaked, or sent home. Over a pint of ice cream, many hikers decide that the Trail life is not for them, and they catch a cab for home. The thru-hikers that I met at Neels Gap will infuse my stories from here on out and included Phluff-Head, Nugget, Buzzard, Old Crow, Whispering Pine, Goose, Scarecrow, Boogy, and 180º. That night I stopped at a campsite with Old Crow and a guy named Todd, “3.11.07 It is still beautiful out. Old Crow says the next time he sees me, he wants me to have a trail name.” Sitting around the Low Gap Shelter the next night with Phluff, Nug, Sleepy, Zac, BSUR (Be As You Are) and Whispering Pine, everyone had questions for me. They inquired about my hobbies, character traits, or idiosyncrasies that would work for a trail name. Whisper said that she had noticed how happy I was on the trail and how encouraging I was to others that were having a hard time. “Happy” or “Encourager” or “Barnabas” didn’t really fit, and the discussion was dropped for a few minutes during dinner. As I sat in the shelter and reviewed my past few days, I read through my journal entry by headlamp from 3.8.97 “Tonight is the first on the trail for me…I have started my THRU-HIKE!...FEARS: only small ones – not succeeding – staying healthy – depression and loneliness. Even though these have been expressed, I am very optimistic.” That’s it! Optimist! The other thru-hikers at the Low Gap Shelter liked it, so it stuck. I was immediately fond of the substance of my new title.

2007-03-13T22:07:00.000-05:00

Doors - What happens when your toddler(s) start opening doors!?! How do you keep your stuff safe and your toddler(s) safe from your stuff? Sydney and Abigail have been "practicing" at the interior door handles for a couple of weeks and have occasionally opened a closet.

2007-03-12T14:14:00.000-05:00

For those of you that don’t already know, the Appalachian Trail was completed in 1937 and is a unit of the National Park Service. The AT houses more than 2,000 occurrences of rare, threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant and animal species. The Trail crosses six national parks, traverses eight national forests, and crosses numerous state and local forests and parks. It is located from 124 feet to 6,625 feet in elevation. It takes approximately 5 million footsteps to walk the entire length of the Trail, and more than 9,000 people have reported hiking the length of the Trail. And I was determined to see it all.

At first glance, a thru-hike of the AT seems like a daunting task with averages like these: 6 months away from home, 12 miles a day, a 40 lbs. backpack, 72 lbs. of mac-n-cheese, and 250 Snickers bars. I had to remind myself each and every day that the only way to eat an elephant is…And to focus on the here and now, I would consult my trusty “Appalachian Trail Data Book 1997”, pictured here. The Data Book is the thru-hiker’s Bible and provides those mini-goals that every hiker needs – next water source, next road crossing, next shelter, and so on. On March 12, 1997, I had completed 41.3 miles from Springer Mountain, Ga. and I had passed more creeks, stamps, tops, shelters, gaps, roads, and “mountains” than I could count. I didn’t think about Maine or even the Smokey Mountains – each landmark was a goal and I was taking this one step at a time.

Yes, my trail name was an early issue. An excerpt from Larry Luxenberg’s book, Walking the Appalachian Trail, explains the trail name well: “As part of their pilgrimage, most thru-hikers assume a new identity—a trail name. Trail names on the A.T. go back at least to the early seventies, but they caught on in the late seventies, when the number of hikers increased dramatically. Now trail names are almost mandatory. Some fit so well that after a while it's hard to recall the hikers' given names. Trail names reflect a sort of split personality, in which one's trail identity is far removed from one's other life in, say, the corporate world. Trail names are so widespread that one can hike with someone for weeks and not know the name his parents would use. ‘It's dropping one persona and taking on another,’ said Leonard ‘Habitual Hiker’ Adkins. ‘In high school and college, people get nicknames. Trail names show that you are being accepted into the club. You're freer to become someone you always wanted to be.’ Greg ‘Pooh’ Knoettner, assistant ATC field representative in New England, earned his trail name when he left the A.T. in 1989 to attend his sister's college graduation in upstate New York. On his way back to the trail, he was waiting for a train at Pennsylvania Station in New York City. He set his pack down too hard and a big glass jar of honey inside the pack shattered. The honey went over everything, Greg recounted. ‘So I'm sitting on the ground in my grungy thru-hiker clothes in Pennsylvania Station, taking things out and licking them off and putting them down next to me. I felt like a derelict. Then some guy, faking a foreign accent, came up to me and said 'Rockefeller Station. How do I get to Rockefeller Station?' I knew from my days living right across the river in New Jersey so I started explaining to him. Then he said, 'No. Write down.' I wrote it down and gave it to him. Then he said 'thank you' and disappeared. I looked down and my camera equipment was gone. My jacket was gone. I'd been scammed. He and somebody else had robbed me and it was all because of this stupid jar of honey.’ Like Winnie, Greg the Pooh is now known for his love of honey.”

So, for these first days, I was known as Brad. Folks would say “Which Brad are you?...The whiskey drinking Brad, the pilot Brad, the speedy hiker Brad, or the tall, skinny, blonde Brad from Nashville?” So I’d say, “Yea, that last one is me.” And they would frown and lament my lack of a trail name, and say “Nice to meet you, BRAD.” I needed a trail name. Here are a couple of journal entries that show a glimpse of my frustration: “3.9.97 It was another beautiful day, today, and rain is in the forecast. Right now I am looking forward to meeting these guys [Jaded and Chameleon] and making it to Neels Gap. Jaded gave me the name “Bones” – I don’t think I like it. 3.10.97 Today was not too bad, but it seems Georgia just goes up and down. Those two guys had planned on staying were I am now – Jarrard Gap – but I guess they couldn’t quite make it. It was more difficult that I expected also. My feet are starting to hurt a little, and my sleeping bag is too hot [since temperatures were in the 70s and I had a 0-degree sleeping bag at the time], and I can’t get may pack adjusted JUST right, but other than [those things], everything is great. I hope this beautiful weather lasts. I am still thinking hard for a trail name.”

2007-03-08T12:45:00.000-06:00

At this point in my planning process, most people asked, “Who are you going to do this with?” or “What was your parents reaction when you told them about your trip” or “Aren’t you scared of bears and snakes and being robbed and loneliness?” or “Are you going to take a gun?” I’ll answer all of these questions at some point, but I believe the question about my parent’s reaction had the most impact on the success or failure of my trip. I had been reading and planning in secret while I was waiting on the next customer at Todd’s newly opened pack shop – not really in secret, but I was not discussing the intricacies of how to be successful as a thru-hiker with my parents – the mail-drops, the resupply points, the support from home. So when I said that I was going to leave for 6 months and walk to Maine, Mom’s first reaction was (and I am not paraphrasing) “NO!” She and Dad came around slowly and were 100% on-board by March 8 when they carried me to the trailhead in Amicalola Fall State Park in Georgia. They could not be more proud of their firstborn, and I don’t know how I could have succeeded without their blessing. The entire family made the drive and the 2-mile hike to the southern terminus of the trail, Springer Mountain, to see me off. Mom presented me with a gold angel pin and promised that she would be praying for me each and every day. There was much weeping. Later on, they said that the crying lasted the entire hike back to the car.

So there I was - ready for the companion of solitude that the trail could provide; ready for a physical and spiritual challenge; ready to get away. For a different perspective, I’ll try to share some of my daily journal with you each post – although I rarely captured the inspirational moments that were transpiring around me each day. “3.8.97 Tonight is the first on the trail for me…I have started my THRU-HIKE!...It has been a great day today as far as the weather goes – 68 degrees at the Ranger Station and around 50 degrees right now – when is now? – dark. The only thing that I forgot was a watch – I thought it was packed but I haven’t found it yet. The stars are out tonight and the people are friendly, so far. I met other thru-hikers and a lot of day hikers. I didn’t want to take a chance my first night so I set my tent up, but this would be a great night to sleep under the stars and the great expanse of sky. FEARS: only small ones – not succeeding – staying healthy – depression and loneliness. Even though these have been expressed, I am very optimistic. I need a trail name. Brad”

2007-03-07T13:25:00.000-06:00

November pre-registration for the Spring 1997 semester came and went. And Christmas break came and went. Now it was time to study the state specific books, countless maps, planning workbooks, and books on the personal accounts of other AT thru-hikers. The AT is the longest continuously marked footpath in the world – over 2,100 miles – and follows along the Eastern seaboard and the Appalachian mountain chain through 14 states. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) defines a person hiking the entire length of the AT as a “2,000 miler” and equal recognition is given to those who complete the trail in sections (Section-Hikers) over many years. I decided to travel from Georgia to Maine.

I had my approach to becoming a thru-hiker figured out – so I thought. A local pack shop (outdoor gear outfitter BRMS) had a presentation/Q&A session in January 1997 about the AT to give potential candidates more information on thru-hiking. I prefaced my first question with “I’ll be starting my thru-hike on February 15th…” and I received an earful. The moderator began dictating the commonly known facts to me – the traditional start date for thru-hikers is April 1, before the summer crowds and after the snow; hikers that hike alone (i.e. starting too early in the year or hiking from Maine to Georgia) have only a blah-blah percent chance of overcoming the mental obstacle of loneliness; and, last but not least, preparing for the chance of bitter cold weather in the Appalachian mountains for a thru-hike is insane. The weight of clothes and food that must be carried is directly proportionate to the energy needed to sustain your body heat. For example, if you have to eat more to stay alive, then you have to carry more – and a person can only carry so much. So, yes, I had read about all of these issues in a book somewhere- but the moderator, we’ll just call him Bill (because that is his name, if you know him) added emotion and first-hand experiences from his TWO thru-hikes over the previous 10 years. I was blown away; however, I intended to brave the elements and tackle this beast with the grace of God, vast experiences in the mountains, wilderness survival knowledge, and dumb luck. And then wisdom teeth happened – yes, the wisdom teeth that had been happy in the back of my mouth for so many years had to come out immediately. So, the endodontic appointment and subsequent recovery time pushed my start date to March 9, 1997. Maybe this was a sign - God works in mysterious ways.

2007-03-07T13:16:00.000-06:00

This morning's doctor visit confirms that Sydney has a double ear infection, now. The ear infections of last month are back!

2007-03-07T11:51:00.000-06:00

First of all, thanks to our friends P&MA for the new, BIG toy! We've had to put the new kitchen (with fridge, fridge magnets, stove top, oven, dishwasher, cabinets, grill, cordless phone, vegetables, flowers, etal.) in their room, because there is no good place for it until the weather warms. Maybe the deck will be a good place for it until the mosquitoes come!

Secondly, sorry for the lapse in posts - busyness pervades. The past couple of weeks have been busy and Sydney and Abigail have amazed us everyday with new facets to their personalities. The two-year-old stage is kicking in - Abigail has accepted it and will be playing the role of the aggressor, and Sydney will undoubtedly express her distress while being pushed, pulled, or scratched soon with "Abigail, STOP, I don't appreciate the way you a treating me!". Yes, Sydney's language skills keep us on the edge of our seats. No full sentences yet, but it won't be long. You know I've said that the sweetest kid is a sleeping kid; well, the second sweetest child is the child who wakes up happy and is in awe of the world for a while - you know, like the above pictures - with blank stares on their faces, rubbing sleep out of their eyes, and rested. The hairdo on Abigail is a product of nap time sweat from her recent fever - actually, both girls have exhibited a fever over the past few days and are getting better today.

Finally, the Chronicles of Optimist will begin soon and will be rife with stories on the people of the A.T., the bear story, Phil. 4:13, favorite trails, favorite towns, Katahdin and much much more. 10 years ago, tonight - the last time I would sleep in my own bed for months!

2007-02-24T08:37:00.000-06:00

Strawberry fruit pop for a snack!

2007-02-23T13:20:00.000-06:00

It is amazing how much life can change in a relatively short amount of time. 10 years ago, I (Brad) made the decision to do something other than college. I did not know what that “other” would be, but I knew that I needed to do something to bring more happiness into my life – travel, intern/work, wanderlust, whatever. It was not that my life was unhappy, but I could tell the decisions I made as a 19 year old and in my 2nd year of college would have more impact on my future than I wanted to admit. Was pre-med truly the major that was in God’s plan for my life? I decided through perfectly placed circumstances that I needed to get away, and I chose the Appalachian Trail.

From now until August, I’ll chronicle my time spent on the AT as a commemoration of my 6 month journey and as a celebration of life since. Don’t worry – this blog will still be about our twin girls, Sydney and Abigail! I hope that you will enjoy the reminiscing, and I hope the girls will be able to someday read these blogs to find out why Daddy always talks about his glory days when he’s out in the woods.

2007-02-22T13:15:00.000-06:00

Joy comes from different places for different people. At this point in their lives, my daughters find great joy on the top level of our deck. They squealed when I carried the gate out the back door and motioned for them to come outside and enjoy the 70 degree temperatures. This portion of the deck is officially clean of all leaves, sticks and other debris - they took great pride in picking up each piece and throwing them through the railings. I'd love for them to be able to play on the entire deck, but there are too many points of escape and too many stairs. Of course, the girls would take breaks in their cleaning to point out each and every Eh-blain! (airplane) that flew over. Abigail would look at me after each plane passed and ask "Go?" (last picture) - as in, where did it go, Dad? I quickly found that I could not leave the girls outside or become engrossed in my own world, because both Sydney and Abigail were climbing on the railings! Abigail was almost able to reach the top of the railing on one attempt. Climbing is a favorite past-time these days - on the furniture, kitchen table, coffee tables, and in and out of their high chairs (which are at least twice as tall as they are). Other updates this week - Favorite songs: "The Wheels On The Bus" and "Our God Is So Big" (with hand motions) and the old standby, the tune to "Twinkle, Twinkle"; Favorite books: "Mi Primer Libro de Palabras" (thanks, Panda!) and "Raindrop, Plop!"; Favorite animals: the "maw, maw" (cat) or "ah-do-pu" (octopus, sounds almost like "ah-ba-ga" or Abigail); Favorite chores: "sorting" laundry with Mama and "dusting" the coffee tables or floor with just-out-of-the-dryer-clean washcloths; Favorite sayings: "No" and "Book!"; and Favorite tantrums: 1) arch back and fling head at floor or furniture, 2) bury face into furniture or floor and attempt to cry, 3) sustain a forced scream for more than 10-minutes at a time, or 4) go limp-legged when Mama or Daddy try to set them down. Take a peek at Flickr for more photos of Abigail's mad ball throwing skills, Sydney's funny window face, and both of their sweet smiles...

2007-02-19T13:11:00.000-06:00

Saturdays are so much fun at our house, because Daddy is able to spend 'happy' time with the girls. The video shows the good times after a nap time - the sweet and happy times for Sydney and Abigail. Blogger continues to not sync with our internet video account, but you can click here and find our newest video!

2007-02-18T13:22:00.000-06:00

Not much snow yesterday, but what had accumulated on the deck gave us a good excuse to bundle the little ones up in their killer snow suits. Thanks, Rootie! Sydney and Abigail were warmer than Mama and Daddy! This was not the girl's first snow or even the first snow of the season, but it was the first where we were all 4 home and had the energy to get out. Some areas around us had up to 4 inches of snow and multiple churches were closed this morning because of ice. As you can see from the pictures, Sydney liked the cold snow on her tounge and face; Abigail indicated that she'd take it or leave it. Oh, sorry about the lapse in posts - I'll try to add more this week; although not as much as the blogger-blitz a few weeks ago...

2007-02-04T15:26:00.000-06:00

Our little princesses were captured beautifully in these pictures by our friend Amanda a few weeks ago. She photographed during the girls' playtime and the smiles were abundant (see flickr). Sydney and Abigail haven't felt like princesses this week as they have battled their first ear infections. Dr. Mallard said Abigail has a double ear infection and Sydney has the beginnings of an infection in one of her ears. The antibiotics should be working their magic now, and we hope life will be back to normal for the coming week.

2007-01-30T21:09:00.000-06:00

Thank you for all of your support since the last post! To let you know, we actually heard about the biting incident from the parents of the biter - good friends of ours! And they apologized multiple times, so no retaliation is warranted at this time :)

2007-01-28T19:45:00.000-06:00

Abigial's left cheek is sporting an interesting impression today...no it's not Gigi's lipstick and it's not from Sydney (although I wouldn't blame her sometimes). The bite-until-you-get-your-way tactic was utilized on Abigail by a friend's child in the nursery this morning! Not a big deal to us, because we know that this is how kids are - but we hope that this won't be used between our girls anytime soon. Apparently, the boy was attempting to take the jack-in-the-box toy (that Abigail loves so much) away from her, but she stood her ground. The bite phased her only for a few seconds, and she kept the toy for the remainder of the church service!

Other excitement in our household this weekend - Sydney tinkled for the first time in the new training potty (which was more than likely a reflex) and Abigail can roll her tongue! You go girls!

2007-01-26T21:48:00.000-06:00

Sorry folks but you'll have to click here to see our little ice skaters. I guess Blogger does not want to sync with the video today.

2007-01-26T13:54:00.000-06:00

Sydney and Abigail are showing us new skills everyday. Notice one of the songs, "True Companion," while they attempt to hold hands. A grandparent tear jerker, for sure!

2007-01-25T07:45:00.000-06:00

Sleeping is a very popular topic for anyone who has young children. Actually, it is the first thing that I think of when a person asks us, "How are the girls?." My mind immediately traces back to the night before or the past few nights, and Sydney's and/or Abigail's sleep patterns seem to dominate the conversation. Maybe it is because sleep for Mama and Daddy is precious and the loss of it can feel devistating, or maybe it is because it affects so many other things. If the girls sleep well in the night, then they will usually take good nap(s) during the day, be more cheerful, and make our lives so much easier. Early in their lives (like in the one month picture above), we were very apprehensive to go into their room and comfort a crying baby because her sister would awaken and complicate the situation - imagine the 4 of us out of bed at 2:30 in the morning and playing for an hour as if it was the middle of the day! Now the girls will usually sleep through a screaming sister! How are they sleeping now? Good! Other than a this week's cough and cold with Sydney that wakes her up on occasion, the past two nights have been restful.

Another facet of sleeping that can be an issue - going to sleep. I've heard of other families that have had trouble with this, but Sydney and Abigail, for almost every night of their 19 month lives, have gone to sleep easily. Rebekah thinks that they just like their beds that much! Our nighttime routine has not changed much over their lives - pajamas/diaper change, brush teeth, cup of water (or milk bottle early on), read a story and/or prayer time, hugs and kisses, and PACO and LEO! Paco is the fist-sized stuffed dog that Sydney is fond of, and Leo is Abigail's 'liger' (tiger, lion - we don't really know, so we'll go with Napoleon's favorite - the liger). The girls literally run to their room, now, and scream "Paco, Paco, Paco!" because they are so excited! Mama and Daddy have been able to count on the two or three hours after the girls go down as "us" time - how nice.

2007-01-23T11:30:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day 'knock' Out - Sydney and Abigail play hard twice a week at a program near our home and will occasionally pass out from exhaustion on the five minute drive home. The pictures are from December and before the girls took to naptime at MDO. We recently figured out that sending their stuffed animals and blankets, which usually stay in their cribs at all times, helps motivate an hour or two of shut-eye after lunch. Drop-off and pick-up times seem to be improving - both Sydney and Abigail are eager to kiss Mama and get to the new books and toys in the mornings, and they run from Daddy in the afternoons!

2007-01-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

It is always amazing to see these two little 18 month old humans practicing a concept that many adults have not fully grasped -- sharing. In our household, it is a necessity. Often times, the sharing is motivated from wanting what the other person has - for instance, Abigail will see that she likes the book that Sydney is reading; she will find a toy or book to replace Sydney's book, force the new book into Sydney's lap, and quickly snatch the book that she wants. Most of the time, both sides recognize the game and are happy to oblige - other times we have a tug of war that never has a pretty ending. In the above pictures, Abigail is sacrificing a portion of her precious sweet potatoes for her sister, who had gobbled all of hers up. Of course, they are not perfect - from what we have witnessed, sharing with other kids needs fine tuning.

2007-01-22T10:06:00.000-06:00

Since we are all having so much fun with our little family, we don't have time to keep you updated through the blog! As you can see from the pictures, Sydney and Abigail know how to smile on cue. They are becoming less frustrated with daily life and showing it through their fun personalities and their beautiful smiles. Papa and Grandma were in town last weekend and Mama and Daddy were able to have a night alone at a bed-and-breakfast 'retreat'. How refreshing!

Time is precious, but I vow to post more in the coming days! Maybe even every day...since there is so much to say.

Blinking_Lights_Christmas_2006.avi

2007-01-02T09:34:00.001-06:00

In the middle of our family Christmas morning, the tree at Gigi and Granddaddy's began to blink on and off...Sydney found the foot switch for the lights! Although both Sydney and Abigail had plenty of newly opened toys to play with at the time, they were more excited by the blinking lights and the wrapping paper (as you can see in the video). </p><p>Although we had an in-town Christmas this year and did not have to fight the crowds on the interstates, Christmas day was a marathon! The girls needed their oh-so-precious naps in the afternoon, so we traveled from our house to Franklin, back to our house for naps, and out to Bellevue for more Christmas! 2 hours in the car, 40 miles, and three Christmases - whew. We were able to spend quality time with my immediate family on Christmas Eve night and had fun playing games. And, yes, we all received everything on our wish lists and more.
We ushered in the new year with good friends and good food. Everyone in our family is finally healthy and well, and we are looking forward to the adventures of 2007. Happy New Year!

2006-12-23T14:11:00.000-06:00

An update on our AdSense experiement...AdSense is the Google-based tool that you see on the top and, now, the bottom of our blog that is designed to earn us a free lunch!

Well, we have had the ads up for over 10 months and have earned...$6.32! Almost enough for a lunch; however, they don't pay out until you have accumulated $100. I knew there was a catch.

So, if you are interested in an advertisement or in using the new Google search engine link on the bottom of our blog, go for it! Just thought that you'd like to know.

Oh, and new pictures are on Flickr of our precious daughters, too!