"Firsts"

Hello All!! For our regular readers, no, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Sorry it's been so long - we've had good intentions for about a week now, but something always seems to override blogging - hungry babies, bottles to wash, laundry to do, bills to pay, sleep, etc.... you get the picture:).

This past week and a half have been full of "firsts" for Brock and Kyle. Starting on Good Friday, they went to church for the first time. They were welcomed by our loving church family with open arms, and behaved well like the little angels that they are. Overall, it was a good experience, but church was a much brighter and noisier place than either Mommy or Daddy remembered it to be. Next came Easter with several other firsts. Mommy and Daddy were on the Sunrise Service committee at church and it was much too long a day for Brock and Kyle, so Grandma and Grandpa Martin had their first extended babysitting experience - once again, they were little angels!! Then, later that day, we headed to the Leman Easter gathering, taking them on their first trip to Roanoke. They rode well in the car, and let everyone love on them without complaint. Mommy and Daddy were grateful!!

We have also started to see more of their personalities with the starts of coos and smiles. Both babies are becoming very expressive and very responsive, and this is fun for Mom and Dad. Seeing their smiles and hearing their new sounds make even 3am feedings fun. Speaking of 3am, both babies have gone 6 hours between feedings at night for the past 2 nights. What a gift for Mom and Dad. Now, if only Mom and Dad could get everything done ahead of time in order to hit the bed as soon as they go to sleep, then they would almost feel like their old selves again - all things in due time:).

Friday brought their first "photo session" at home with Auntie Lil from Tennessee. Lil and Carl are Leman family friends who came up to meet the boys, and Lil LOVES to take pictures. We decided to take advantage of this to try and get a birth announcement picture. She got some good shots, and you'll probably be seeing one in your mailboxes sometime soon.

On Saturday, Mom and Dad were feeling adventurous, and decided to take a family shopping trip to Sam's. Maybe they were enticed by the free samples on Saturdays, or maybe it was the cheap lunch options, but whatever it was, it was enough to make them load both babies in the van, figure out the new stroller, and brave the crowds. Sam's is also much brighter and noisier than Mommy and Daddy remembered, but the babies did well, and Mommy and Daddy managed to spend more than they planned on, which is what usually happens at Sam's!! ;)

It has been a busy week and here are some pics of the events for you to enjoy!!


















What cute babies!!


















This started out as "tummy time" but both boys decided to make it nap time. Don't worry, mommy stayed by their side the whole time.


















Kyle in his "Easter sweatsuit". Isn't he handsome??























Handsome Baby Brock. He's so photogenic.


















Daddy says "I know it's hard for you to be photographed with a Cubs hat". He thinks that Kyle is crying because he had to lay next to the Cub hat, but Mommy knows the truth - he was just hungry:).

Brock on his first swing ride - another first this week!!

Kyle on his first swing ride. They both seem to like it, and Mommy is glad to have another way to keep them occupied during the day.

"Praise the Lord!!"

Here we are with all of our baseball gear.

Brock and Kyle hanging out on Mommy and Daddy's bed.

A close up shot.

Both babies in their Easter sweats with their funny duckies from Grandma Martin.

Bye for now!!

5 weeks old and going strong

Brock and Kyle wrestling for the first time. Who was the winner?? At this time, we're all still winners:).

Brock and Kyle hanging out on Sunday evening after their baths. We usually do a weight check on Sundays, but forgot today. We'll post with a weight update later this week.

A close-up of the boys. Everyone is happy tonight!!

Kyle looking serious after a busy weekend.

Brock at bath time. Doesn't his fuzzy after bath hair look too cute??

Kyle all clean and waiting for some cuddles. They smell so good that it's hard to put them down afterwards.

Kyle cashed out after a meal. Yum, it was good!!

Brock the serious boy. Not a scratch due to wrestling with brother. This was self inflicted after Mom cut his fingernails.

Aunt Kara came home from Denver to visit. It had been 5 weeks since she saw the boys and oh how they have changed. She enjoyed lot's of cuddles to make up for lost time. She was here for Grandpa Martin's Birthday. We celebrated his birthday by going to Jim's Steakhouse for dinner while Aunt Ruthie baby sat for the first time. She did such a great job, we will probably, no definitely ask her again. Thanks Aunt Ruthie.

Wow, I did not know I could have had a V-8!!!!

The boys hanging out on one of their favorite spots.

Iowa Uncles came to visit this weekend also. We were excited to learn that Kurt and Kyle share the same middle name -William -and, Wyan and Brock share the same middle name - Martin. Here they are pictured with their namesakes.


















Thanks for traveling such a long distance to meet us! We can't wait to see the pigs and play on the farm in Iowa. We love you!

We also had visitors from out of state a couple of weeks ago. Uncle Dan and Aunt Polly came from Michigan for a quick stop to see the boys. Dan is holding Kyle while Polly is holding Brock. Thanks for stopping by.

We love you and can't wait to spend a summer weekend at your house on the lake when we are old enough to enjoy the water.

We also appreciate the visits from our local Aunts and Uncles. We will try to get more of you on the blog soon.

Pitcher's and catcher's have reported

As you can see, we have our uniforms on and are cheering for our favorite teams -yet to be determined (we will just go with Dad's Team for now). You may notice Brock is a little concerned about being unfairly influenced.

Too many photos --"you have ENOUGH already--just feed us"

Majority of our photo's are when Brock and Kyle are happy or sleeping so we wanted you to know they have their moments!!

"Good meal - pants are changed - time for a nap" says Kyle

Kyle is quite a thinker.

Dad is able to put Kyle to sleep by "singing" to him!

Brock is peacefully sleeping - thinking about how he can influence Kyle into keeping Mom and Dad up tonight!

Another picture of Brock napping after a feeding and diaper change

Babies in bed together. They are so cute. Don't you just want to pick them up and kiss them? Mommy has trouble convincing her helpers that letting them nap in their beds is a good idea.

This is a typical scene at the Leman household. Brock is alert and looking around while Kyle is snoozing away!

"Big" babies!!

Brock and Kyle are 3 1/2 wks old and are growing fast!! We were very excited when Grandma Martin searched her basement and found the baby scale that she used when Kara and I were babies. It's still in very good condition, and we thought that it would at least give us an idea of how the boys were doing on weight since the doctor doesn't want to see us again until their 2 month check up, well after flu season is over. She said having them in the office - even to check weight- just wasn't worth the risk of them being exposed to the flu virus. She also cautioned us against taking them to other crowded venues, so until these bugs clear the area, their adoring fans will have to wait - Sorry!! Anyway - back to the weigh in. Last night after their baths, we put them on the baby scale. Kyle weighed in at approximately 8 lb, and Brock weighed in at approximately 6 1/2 lbs. We were so excited, but already knew that there had been a significant weight gain just by how they feel when we would hold them.

We have a few more pictures to share with you. The boys have been napping more and more in their crib(s) and seem to like it. We put them in the same bed together, and once and a while, we find them catching a glimpse of each other with semi-confused looks on their faces - like - "Boy, I feel like I know you from somewhere!!" It's so cute to watch and usually means that we end up distracting them with camera flashes and video commentary while they're trying to nap. Here's

some of what we captured:

                                                                         Kyle

                                                                                Brock

Here's Brock and Grandpa Martin reading the newspaper. Grandpa is always good for a cuddle with whomever is in need of attention, wiggling around, or even just has their eyes open:). We love Grandpa Martin!! (We love both of our Grandmas' too, more photos with them to come later).