Brenden and Jackson's Big Weekend

6/30/12

We began our first of two trips home this week.  Mom had to work all morning so the responsibility of packing and getting all the boys ready fell into Dad’s hands.  I started the day with a nice 3 mile walk/run with Brenden, Jackson and Baxter.  It’s always a good idea to get as much energy as possible out before we spend 3 and a half hours in the SUV.  Brenden and Jackson didn’t do quite as good as last time but we had no major problems.  Mom got off work at 1:00 and we were on the road by 2:00.  We stopped at a rest area just south of Champaign to feed the boys and let Baxter out.  Luckily, the heat wasn’t too bad.  We found a shaded bench outside.  Mom, Dad, Baxter and the twins were all happy to be out of the car!  That evening we were greeted by open arms and another excellent home cooked meal.  Mom and Dad both tried out Brenden and Jackson’s new wheels, a bike trailer.  They recommend waiting until the babies are 1 year, but it’s going to be pretty tough to let that thing sit in the garage for another 10 months.

7/1/12

The next morning, we woke up and started prepping for Brenden and Jackson’s big day.  Most of the work had already been taken care of due to our wonderful families.  A special thanks to Grandma Esker and Nana for all of their help!  As I dressed the boys in their brand new white outfits I couldn’t help but think, “please don’t have a blowout.”  Brenden and Jackson both did really well in church.  Both their behavior and diapers were easy to manage.  The ceremony also went really well.  Father Vernon delivered a very meaningful baptism while keeping the mood light.  When he poured the water over their heads he said, “these boys take to the water like fish.” Haha!  He even managed to embarrass Aunt Michelle a little during his serman.  A big THANKS YOU to all the godparents.  Uncle Brent and Aunt Lynn were there to support Brenden and Uncle Scott and Aunt Kaleigh were there for Jackson.  All of your future guidance and prayers mean so much to the boys and us.

After Church we head back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for lunch.  I’m sure Brenden and Jackson got their workout for the day because they jumped from hand to hand like a couple of hot potatoes.  I took advantage of the time off and ate until I was completely miserable.  We got to bed early that evening, little did we know, we were going to need at.

7/2/12

When we woke up, I loaded mom up with the boys for a quick feeding and packed the SUV so we could get an early start.  Mom had to work at 1:00, so we wanted to be able to get back and eats some lunch before she went off to teach.  We were about 3 hours in when the babies got a little fussy so we stopped to feed, fuel up and get some food for ourselves.  This is the point at which mom and dad’s stress level reached an all time high.  Mom received a call from one of our neighbors that the power was out due to severe thunderstorms and high winds.  She also said that it might not be back on for another 5 days.  A few phone calls later, we made the decision to turn around and head to Newton for a few days...  nothing like a 6 and a half hour drive from T-town to Newton.  We’ll just tell people we took the scenic route.  That evening were joined by Aunt Lynn and Cousin Eli for food, drinks and plenty of B-ball.  The stress level was quickly restored back to its normal state.