our boys

My Montage 12/22/09 at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-01-10T10:55:00.001-08:00

I am so thankful for these 2 little guys.

2009-11-26T21:09:00.001-08:00

Going to try to have an update out here soon on the boys. Everything is wonderful the boys are healthy and happy and so much fun. (tons of work) had to add that.
terrible twos is and understatement when your dealing with twin boys. So Cindy (mother of triplets) if you read this. YOUR MY HERO!!!!!
I cannot say in words how much joy these 2 little guys bring to our family its
just like God giving us a miracle every single day. Zac is doing great and he has been so much help. So blessed to have him in my life.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. If anyone is even out there reading these anymore that is.

the zoo in lake wood.. little but fun

2009-08-10T06:41:00.001-07:00

day at baybeach with the gang

2009-06-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

I just love my friends and i love my boys... thanks missy and michelle for a
really awesome day at the park..... we had so much fun...

Gamo Gofa

2009-06-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Lucas and Jacksons entire family lives in the village of Gamo Gofa in the southern region of Ethiopia. Here are actual dancers from this village. What a treasure for them to have this video to see as they grow.
so amazing...

Surgery was a success!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

Jacksons adenoid surgery went perfectly and he is a totally different little boy.
I have never seen him so happy and in such a good mood. I think we may have our Jackson back!!!!!

2009-05-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

the boys making the most of a rainy day

2009-04-30T11:04:00.001-07:00

2009-04-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

zac took this with his phone

2009-04-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all you do Zac your the best son and such a great big brother to the boys. I thank God for you everyday.

Jake came over to hang with us!!!

2009-03-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

just some pictures

2009-03-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

My cousin Chris came for a visit with her daughter Emily and granddaughter Natalie. Natalie is so much bigger than the last time i seen her she is beyond cute and rolling all around. Jackson loves her so much. He just wants to sit and kiss her.

sorry about the blurry one :(

A new addition!!!

2009-03-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here is our newest baby.

sam and esther

2009-03-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Jack and Luke!!

2009-02-25T07:46:00.001-08:00

2009-02-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

2009-02-16T19:25:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCAS AND JACKSON!!!!!!

2009-02-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

they are 2 today. cannot even believe it.

I am going to post some of my fav videos from the past year and a half.I will post some bday videos and pictures next week

Happy birthday guys..... we just love you both so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coming in from outside YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

It has been so rare that the boys have gotten time to get out an play this winter. So when we do get them out they are beyond happy. Words cannot describe the joy these 2 boys have going outside.

Well then when its time to come in you can only imagine the nightmare it can be.

Tom had the boys outside for hours the day he took this video they DID NOT want to come back in as you will soon see.

When Jackson gets upset he cries and its a pitiful cry.. Lucas is quiet he just trashes and destroys everything in his path.

so here is a short video of the drama that unfolds here when its time to come in..

Blog tagged

2009-02-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

the picture is right after one of Jacksons hair cuts.. he does not like getting his hair cut at all. but he loves carla the girl that cuts his hair. so they always bond afterward but during the hair cut its always nothing but drama. :)

Here are the rules:

1. Go to the 4th folder where you keep your pictures on your computer.

2. Post the 4th picture in the folder.

3. Explain the photo.

4. Tag 4 fellow bloggers to join

I tagged

Theresa

melanie

cindy

jessie

Just some random pictures

2009-01-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

The boys are doing great. They will be 2 in a few weeks. Wow time has just gone by so quickly
they are now in toddler beds i was NOT ready for that but they were climbing out of cribs it was time.
I want to say a special thank you to all my Ethiopia adopt moms out there for getting me through the past few weeks and the tough issues i was facing. You guys were just awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a great support group here in the area. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives.

2009-01-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

this week its punk next week who knows

2009-01-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

2009-01-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

Just a video of the boys playing outside with their dad while I was out getting groceries. It was so foggy out he could take them out.
Not a very exciting video thats for sure. I sure miss the warm weather so do the boys. Jackson is NOT a fan of winter. Lucas doesn't seem to mind as much. Jackson will spend about 5 minutes out there and he is over it. I dont last much longer than that myself. Lucas and his dad will stay out for ever if you let them. OH and i notice no mittens on those little hands daddy!!!!!
umm we will have to have a chat about that...

Happy new year everyone!!!

some xmas photos at dads

2008-12-23T05:28:00.000-08:00

Leave it to my dad to get the boys their first car. He got a great deal on it and couldn't pass it up. They are a little young for it but I have no doubt Lucas will know exactly what he is doing with it after a few times with it outside. They love to sit in it and pretend for now. We did hook the battery up and Lucas took off and I have never seen such a happy child. He was just glowing with joy it was so funny.
He was NOT happy with us when we shut it off. As you can imagine. It was either that or my Dad and Nancy would no longer have had a home to live in. And as I had mentioned in previous posts Lucas loves his music. He played the flute and nancy pulled out a harmonica and it was all over he fell in love with that thing. We are going to make a quick call to Santa for a last minute gift. Thank you Grandpa and Nana for a very fun Christmas!!!!!!!

take a look at the video on my video bar

2008-11-30T13:43:00.001-08:00

check out my video bar
awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slide show

2008-11-29T05:35:00.000-08:00

The boys aunt Mary and Uncle Jim came for a visit and brought xmas gifts.
We had so much fun the entire weekend didnt want them to leave. My new sister in law is just beautiful and amazing she brought great energy to our weekend. Had a blast.

Some pictures of Jessie and Jake with Lucas (jackson was still napping) jess and jake are 2 of my favorite people in the world I love them both so much. They also have one of the best moms to have ever walked this earth love that girl

then we have some thanksgiving with my family who I just cannot get enough of. And Jackson posing with a santa hat. I am soooooo LUCKY

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Updates on the boys.

Lucas is obsessed with tools and fixing things(well he thinks he is fixing things)
He also likes to wrestle so be aware of that if you come visit us. He just wont stop. He just loves to hang out with the guys he loves to shovel snow , any kind of work he would rather pull Jackson in the sled than ride in it. He also loves to help me vacuum or any kind of cleaning or picking up. I doubt that will last long.

Jackson loves his letters and numbers and any sport he can shoot hoops dribble a basket ball punt a regular size foot ball kick a goal into the soccer net and throw a baseball in the air and hit it with a bat. (toy bat and ball not adult size)
Everyone that sees him is pretty shocked and amazed he will also sit and watch any sport

Its been awhile

2008-11-20T10:28:00.000-08:00

Been trying to post pictures and videos just havent had time.
I video taped the boys drawing some pictures and Jackson doing his
letters, numbers and shapes. he is a little smarty pants. I am
hoping Lucas starts talking soon. He may need speech therapy.
Another bug going around in the house so this is going to be short
Lucas is pretty sick again. He just had tubes put in then he got
yet another ear infection and now a high fever brought him in this
morning they just said its a virus but we have to watch his fever
special hello to my cousin kelly. Kelly email me if you can.
miss you

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

We had a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish i could have gotten pictures of all of it. Tom was doing his best with shooting videos and snapping photos. GOOD JOB DADDY. As you will see we didnt get one shot of him. Sorry Tom.
It was a fun day, the boys were running crazy for the entire visit to the P patch.
I would suppose most parents there were thinking i should call nanny 911 for a little help.

Lucas is doing great after his surgery.

2008-10-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

just a short video. we went to visit grandma garner and all 5 of us went to the park.
they love the parks as do most kids i would suppose
we usually end up at a park at least 4 or 5 times a week the boys NEVER get tired of it. Sometimes we go 2 times a day. We have some really nice parks in seymour very lucky there.

updates.
my left knee is healing up and no more surgeries for me YAHOOO I can get back to chasing the boys the way I am suppose to be. Instead of hoping around on one leg.
lucas is having surgery wed. He is tongue tied so they are clipping that and putting tubes in his ears. We are very optimistic that once we take care of that Lucas will
be talking. He tries so hard to say words. Then our family is ALL done with surgeries this year. Knock on wood that will be nine procedures this family has had this year. YIKES and what a year it was. Thank God they were all minor things and we all healed up great.

2008-10-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Finger painting with chocolate pudding?? Are you kidding me????
who finger paints with chocolate pudding? you finger paint with finger paint you eat chocolate pudding. However this is the best way to eat chocolate pudding who needs a spoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay i know i am a bad mom. Life is too short :) have to let loose now and again.

slide show

2008-10-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

just some pictures of the boys hanging out with friends and family. I have had yet another knee surgery so daddy has been taking care of the boys and he thought it would be funny to take pictures of breakfast time with coke and m&ms for breakfast
very funny..... anyone have any halloween ideas for the boys.. i just dont know what to do this year.
Want to say happy birthday to.
some friends and family
happy birthday to
Grandpa Garner
Ian
Julia
Kimberly
Tava

Hello to my cousin Kim and my aunt Mary 2 people i wish i could see again soon

boys 18 month photos

2008-09-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Getting photos of the boys together is nearly impossible when in a open room with equipment everywhere. Lucas wasnt happy with any of us since we werent allowing him to grab all the wires and lights, so no pictures of him smiling. Its easier to just chase them with a camera in the back yard or the park and snap whatever we can.
We want to try to attempt again with their Packers jerseys in a couple months hopefully that one will go a bit more smooth.

2008-09-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

Playing in the rain again

2008-09-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

not real exciting but something to post

It was a nice warm day out and all the sudden it just started pouring out and the boys were having so much fun so I just let them play. No lightening just rain. I had just gotten them dressed and ready to start the day.. figures.. soaked within seconds hee.. it was fun.. and jackson was just screaming its raining its raining.. he is starting to talk pretty WELL (sorry cindy :) You will have to crack that whip with me on these things i dont pay attention :) Lucas will catch up in no time.

Clean water for Ethiopia

2008-09-14T06:04:00.001-07:00

The September Campaign Trailer - www.borninseptember.org from charity: water on Vimeo.

Hey everyone

2008-09-07T15:12:00.001-07:00

The boys are doing great. I want to get more videos out here but when they see the video camera they quit whatever they are doing to get at the camera.

The boys are both teething again so some of the pictures they just dont look so happy but they are really hurting.

I want to say a special Happy Birthday to my Aunt Mary.

HAS IT REALLY BEEN A YEAR!!!

2008-09-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh I cannot believe it.. a year has gone by since we brought our little guys home. Yet it seems like I have known them all my life. That's just the way it is when you have kids. I put together a slide show of some pictures of our little boys homeland. I cannot wait to go back again. I miss it so much. There are also some pictures of our trip home with the first few days back here with them.
the first song is Ethiopian children singing a Ethiopian folk song. The second song doesn't 100% fit our situation since we did have a kid you will understand when you hear the beginning of the lyrics I just thought it was such a cute song i had to put it on.
Happy Gotcha day boys!!!!!! We love you and we thank God everyday for blessing us with each of you.

PS If you want to see some really cool pictures of Ethiopia and our trip click on the blog to the right that says OUR GIRLS, OUR LIFE. She is a wonderful photographer and traveled with us. Its really really awesome.

2008-08-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let my family and friends know I plan on putting in a order for some Tshirts and bracelets from whereislove.org if anyone is interested let me know I will put the order in with mine. I know a few of you have asked me about it so I thought i would just send one big order in. My family is really excited about this organization and what they are doing. Just an amazing group of people. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Thanks everyone.

OH MY GOSH and the big news of the week is.....

This week marks the 1 year anniversary of heading to that beautiful country of Ethiopia and bringing our beautiful boys home. I hope to put a collage of pictures together over the past year. I pray with all my heart that all of you are blessed with the same overwhelming joy that we feel every single day having those 2 little stinkers running around here.

okay gotta run before i get too mushy here...

happy labor day everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The zoo

2008-08-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

The day was okay. Its not the biggest zoo just a little zoo near our home. Most the animals are either old and tired or just looked plain depressed. Several of the animals weren't even out this day. However we did have fun. A rooster chased Tom
and just kept chasing him. Jackson was laughing so hard he could hardly breath and I am not kidding it was hysterical. Poor Tom was really kind of scared. If he sees this he will kill me. But he hid behind me and the boys in the stroller. The rooster wanted nothing to do with me or the kids it wanted Tom and it wanted him with vengeance. It didn't like him at all it was really upset about something. Maybe his cologne i don't know. I would have given anything to have photos or that on video it was so funny.
The boys did have a blast once we let them run around in an picnic area then they were all smiles.
Next year we might attempt a bigger zoo.
I know the pictures aren't real exciting but thought I would post them anyway.

Check out this blog and website if you have time

2008-08-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is a very special non profit organization that I am very excited about.
just wanted to post it for everyone to check out if you have time.

http://whereloveisethiopia.blogspot.com
http://www.whereloveis.org

Love this song

2008-08-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

Posting a video that I just thought was awesome. I loved this song so much but had never seen the video. Had to put it out here. Its awesome.
My friend Heather found the video never even thought to look for it.
Thanks heather if you read this.

THE WIGGLES

2008-08-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

I tried downloading a wiggles song to go along with the slide show and just couldn't they are all locked up tight. The boys are HUGE wiggle fans. Since the wiggles were in green bay we just couldn't pass up taking them. Since they are a little young we were nervous that it just wouldn't work. Lucas sat on daddy's lap most the time in complete awe and confusion as to how these guys were right in front of him. Jackson screamed, laughed, danced, and sang the entire show. We had so much fun i am so glad we went. It was such a fun show and it was so much fun seeing all those happy kids. Until it was over. Then there was a cry fest you have never seen in your life. We went with one of my best friends Missy and her little boy Jake who is also my little buddy.

Visit to the Lake

2008-08-18T05:53:00.001-07:00

The boys liked riding on the boat. But LOVED the lake. They did not want to leave. Its such a pretty lake the water is crystal clear i love it up there. A eagle flew right over our heads too the boys were having too much fun to even notice it. It came really close. There are more photos i will try to get in here later

the boys playing in the rain

2008-08-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

The boys in their Batman PJs

2008-08-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Zac bought the boys Batman jammies. I will get some more exciting videos out here soon we have just been real busy. Summer will do that to ya thats for sure.

They love these PJs

Grandma Bernice

2008-07-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

My heart is broken to have to update our Blog with this news.
Our Grandma Bernice passed away this past weekend.
We have lost an amazing, loving and gentle friend. The boys adored
her so much. Our lives will not be the same without her.
Grandma Bernice will always and forever be in our hearts.

We will always love you.

Jackson going for a ride.

2008-07-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Not the most exciting video, but Jackson wanted to do this all day, they had been doing this for awhile before I noticed and got the camera he was laughing hysterically until I got out there with the camera (like always)

Up north for a day this weekend

2008-07-07T09:31:00.001-07:00

Lucas really loves his grandpa. Where ever grandpa is Lucas will be right there.
I wish i could have gotten the entire walk on video it was sooooooo cute. Lucas would never walk next to me like that. He always takes off but with grandpa he wants to be his buddy. They had gone for a pretty long walk before I had even
seen them to get it on tape.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Our family is having the best summer
together ever. I never dreamed life could be so wonderful. They are just so much fun.

Pictures for dial up folks

2008-07-02T05:08:00.000-07:00

Cowboys

2008-06-30T12:49:00.001-07:00

First i want to warn you this video may be too long i wanted to shorten it up
but then i couldnt get the songs on it i wanted. So if you want to skip thru it a little bit, totally understandable. Nothing exciting just the boys playing with their
cowboy hats outside.

Oh and check out the video bar if you can. cool video my cousin Kim sent me.

Temper tantrums

2008-06-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

I am going to give the credit to this idea to my friend Dawn ‎Mcgowan.
Now before you watch the video it appears i am being a mean mom.
Lucas is throwing a tantrum because i wont let him have the video camera
and Jackson's tantrum is because i wont let him stand on the table.
They aren't always this crabby but now and again they throw HUGE fits if they don't
get what they want. So I had to take out the camera to show one of the many sides of these 2 wonderful boys : )

oh and make sure to watch the very end of this video it will give you nightmares!!!
But i had to add it because it was the scariest thing i could find and these temper tantrums are pretty darn scary!!!!!!

Lucas

2008-06-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Lucas dances allllll the time to every kind of music imaginable!! But as soon as we pull out the video camera he stops well we finally caught a couple of his dance moves. Notice in the second video how he just means business and throws his sippie so he can concentrate on his dance moves.

PS in the second video ignore the outfit we dont dress up too much around here hee hee. also the house is covered in cardboard, duct tape, blankets anything you can think of to child proof.

The boys want to give a special shout out to their Grandma Bernice.
We LOVE YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH GRANDMA BERNICE!!! You mean everything to all of us.

Something i put together during their nap today

2008-05-29T15:40:00.001-07:00

moving video down so the video bar to the right shows up when you play
the videos

Lucas and the lawn mower

2008-05-27T04:50:00.000-07:00

Lucas loves mowing the lawn or any yard work there is. If grandpa or daddy are working in the yard he is right there. He takes it very serious if any of us laugh or think its "cute" he shoots us a look you wouldnt believe. Jackson helps here and there but he would rather play catch or kick the ball around. So most of this video is of Luke. We did go up north some of the pictures/video is of up north I will do
a seperate video of their first memorial weekend up north. I have some stories about that too. Wanted to get this in because it is a true passion of Lucas.

Have a nice memorial weekend everyone

2008-05-23T07:46:00.001-07:00

I want to say a special thank you to some special people who
are brave and selfless and we will never be able to thank
them enough for all they do and have done for our country.

Mary Egesdal my sister in law who is now serving in Afghanistan
My uncle Danny Garner who served in Vietnam
My uncle John Needham who served in Vietnam. He is no longer with us
but his spirit always will be.
Zacs good friend Jeremy has both of his brothers serving in Iraq
Jason Busch
Josh Busch
My good friend Missys husband Pat who served in Iraq
Please keep all of them and the friends they lost in your prayers.
All of these people I have listed have lost friends, people they loved and cared about through all of this I just didnt want them to think we forgot and that we
remember this isnt just a 3 day weekend its so much more.

Take care everyone

Just some quick updates on the boys

2008-05-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

Jackson is getting molars and not real happy about that. You can tell
he is hurting. Lucas has come out of his shell in a HUGE way. That kid
has more spunk than any child i have ever seen. I have a feeling he is
going to give me a run for my money. when he wants something the entire
house knows it. They love playing the the sandbox and going up a slide.
going down is okay but going up is the fun part for them. They love to
climb the ladder. Jacksons fav things are Dogs, (any animal really)
and playing catch and he actually plays catch he can throw, kick and catch a ball any ball.. its amazing.
Lucas loves food and music just like his big brother zac. He will dance to
anything and everything including the theme song to little house
on the prairie and the beginning of the dr phil show. ( just a quick note zac doesnt dance to little house on the prairie or dr phil he just loves music) wanted to clear that up :) My cousin Chris bought him a
Fridge dj its a little radio thing that plays music. That is one of his fav toys.
He will eat anything and everything. He loves to eat.
Both the boys fav food is for sure with out a doubt PIZZA!!
The only way I am going to survive this summer is if we put a fence in the backyard
all they want to do is head for the street. Playing outside isnt even really fun anymore they just want to run in the road. So our big dream is to put a fence up
everyone cross your fingers that we make it happen.

Hope everyone is having a great spring. I never see comments so i am not sure
if anyone is even reading these anymore. So if anyone has time to leave a comment
i would be soooo thrilled.

I added some pictures for people with dial up

2008-05-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Jacksons hair cut day and rasta hats

2008-05-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Okay I am retyping this and I added pictures.

The slide show is of Derek and Heather (Friends of the family) and their little girls Izzy and Derda. Derek cuts the boys hair and he is also Jacksons new best friend. Jackson made Derek sit by him at supper and wouldnt let him out of his sight. Jackson loved Derek but hates the clipper. So
Derek had his work cut out for him, and i am not kidding. As soon as we turned that thing on Jack went nuts. Heather and Derek are seriously 2 of the
nicest people and were so good with the boys and to put up with jackson and that clippers thing as long as they did GOD BLESS THEM BOTH!!!! The boys absolutely love
their girls too. They are the sweetest and prettiest little girls.
We decided to wait to do Lucas another day. But Derek thought it would be funny
to puff up Lukes little fro and give him a part. It was so funny!!!
there are some pictures of that too.

and to my total shock we told the boys to say good bye to the girls and Jackson
walked right up to both of them and gave them a kiss!!!.. now i have been trying to
get kisses from that little stinker for ever i have even tried bribes no one and i mean no one gets a kiss from jackson... whats up with that????

both the boys walked right up and tried to kiss them.. no one even told them to...
yikes.. sorry heather and derek i will have to make sure to watch those boys around your girls......

THank you so much Nana for setting that all up and feeding us
And thank you Derek for putting up with all the screaming hopefully
jackson will some day grow to love the clippers..and thank you heather
so much for all your help.. You guys are awesome!!!

There are a couple pictures of the boys in their Rasta hats their auntie Shari
made for them.. they LOVE those hats but i cant keep them still enough to get
their pictures with them... Our goal was to bring them somewhere for pictures
with the hats.. havent gotten in yet..

I put in a little reggae music to go with the rasta hats...:)

Last picture is of Jackson with his new hair cut

While mommy was recovering from surgery Nana took some pictures the day she babysat.

2008-05-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

div>

Wow they are just growing so fast

2008-04-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

First pictures are of Lucas and one of his really bad head bumps. He had a giant goose egg and the only way to keep the ice pack on him was to ace bandage it on.
next he is kissing his frog
the other 2 are of jackson outside eating a cracker.

just a couple clips of the boys

2008-04-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

couple notes about the video
the april snow: they out grew boots and mittens so we could only stay out for a few minutes. They threw a small fit when we came in. Didnt tape that.

the clip with them laughing is the 2 of them playing "big bear" which is usually what their dad plays with them.. dad wasnt there so lucas and jackson played the part of the bear and were chasing each other. as soon as they see the camera they stop.. but i got as much as i could... oh and the towels are on the arm of the chair due to lucas constantly hitting his head...

the clip of them playing in their jammies.. i had to cut the tape short.. lucas sneezed and it was gross..

Alemitu and Selame‏

2008-04-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

We went to the African Childrens Chior last week. Which by the way
was amazing. Okay so we get to the show which is sold out and it is
packed. My mom, Zac, Tom and myself. I am checking out what door to
go in and I see 2 little girls that I immediatly knew!!!! Alemitu and
Selame, they were 2 beautiful little girls that were at Care center in
Ethiopia with the boys. I was positive it was them so I looked up and
there was mom and dad. Dawn and Tom Caldart!!! I could not believe it
I was so excited to see them. We havent seen them since we left Ethiopia
and we bumped into them purely by accident. It made the nite even more
special. They all looked so good and so happy. It made me realize how
much I miss all of our friends from the guest house we stayed with.
We were so lucky to be able to share that experience with the best bunch
of people you could ever meet. It made my day to see those girls again
and Dawn and Tom. They were all doing so amazing.
It was awesome to run into them.

And how cute are these little sweethearts!!!! They are so beautiful and
so fun to be around.

This is what we call in our house. THEY GOT THEIR SECOND WIND

2008-04-12T20:31:00.001-07:00

this is what happens when we take off their cloths to put on jammies.
you should see them when they come out of the bath tub.... OMG that is
a work out for mamma

Monkey Joes

2008-04-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Nana took us out to Monkey Joes today. Lucas tore the place up. He loved it.
Jackson had fun but wanted to kind of just hang with mom most of the time.
That place was made for lucas i have not seen him smile so much in one day.
Thanks so much Nana and thanks for the pictures too

2008-04-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

The boys finally got to meet their cousin Matthew for the first time over Easter.
I wanted to put it out on the blog sooner than this sorry Matthew :(
He was sooo good with them and he loved them so much.

Thanks Tina for having us over!!!

2008-04-01T18:21:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures Jessie took. Jessie is going to be my summer
helper and I am soooooooooo excited.
We had such a nice time. Thanks so much Tina we love you guys

Oh and I threw in a picture of Jake since we didnt take any of him. hee hee

I am still working on the easter pictures yet.. sorry...

I thought this was sooo cute.

2008-03-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Slide show of the trip to MN

2008-03-22T18:19:00.001-07:00

There are a few people that I wish we had pictures of the boys with.
Their Uncles, Jeff and Priscilla, Any of the cousins. So if anyone has any i would
love to add them to the slide show
Thanks everyone it was so great to see everyone. We are sure blessed to
have you all in our lives
It was so nice to meet Mary she sure is a wonderful person. And
thank you so much Julia for being so much help.

MN TRIP... Requesting photos

2008-03-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

To all the wonderful people who we seen in MN at Jim and Marys party, we need photos for the blog. Tom and I did a terrible job at taking pictures we do have a few but not nearly as much as we would like.
We would really appreciate any pictures you took emailed to me.
It was so nice to see all of you. What a awesome bunch of people.
We just adore all of you.

my email address is kgarner67@hotmail.com

thanks so much

I hope i dont sound like i am bragging but seriously how lucky am I???????!!!!!!!

2008-03-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Boys morning routine before breakfast

2008-03-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Their dad let me sleep in one morning and while he was getting breakfast ready
the boys were sitting in their lazy boys sipping their morning coffee enjoying the
morning news..
well more like their Thomas the train chairs sipping juice out of a sippy cup watching sesame street....

HUGE SESAME STREET Fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just like their mom was and just like their big brother Zac.. It just runs in the family.

Preparing for Six Flags

2008-02-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

Before you watch the video keep in mind a few things.
Their dad lifts 50 - 60 lb boxes all day even more than that
so dont be scared.
Also a warning it may make you dizzy watching this.
I just had to put it out here its one of their favorite games with dad.

Boys are still recovering.

2008-02-27T06:35:00.000-08:00

Boys are still not feeling 100%. Hoping this illness is out of the house
by the end of the week. And hopefully no one else gets it.
Hope everyone out in the real world is doing good. We are heading back to MN
in a few weeks. Looking forward to just getting out of he house but dreading the long trip with 2 babies who dont like sitting in a car seat more than 10 min.
they are going to get to meet family for the first time on toms side. Tom is looking forward to that. Boys were both walking before they got sick now they
arent as much. They have ear infections so I am thinking thats why.
I hope to have walking videos within a week or 2.

The boys got to visit Grandma Bernice and Sister Carol and Sister Gracie again!!!!!

2008-02-24T05:43:00.000-08:00

The boys had the best time. And I LOVED the visit I think more than anyone. It was a much needed break to have them visit and just play with the boys. the boys are both really really sick and this visit was the first time I had seem them smile in awhile.
Thank you so much Grandma and Sister Gracie and Sister Carol we love you so much.
Thanks for bringing so much joy to our home.

Birthday party photos

2008-02-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone.
The party was so much fun. And Grandpa Al and Uncle John both called to say happy birthday to the boys for their birthday. That meant so much to us thank you both.
The boys are working on their thank you cards for everyone.
Thank you cousin Paige for helping us with our gifts and helping mom and dad with us during the party you were awesome.
Nana took all the pictures for us and she did such a good job however..... in doing this we didnt get any photos of Nana with the boys so we added some of her visit earlier we are so sorry Nana...
Lucas is really sick with a horrible cold and fever and I am sure Jackson will be getting it. So I couldnt take the time on this posting that i would have liked to so its kind of long and I didnt edit real good.
Thank you everyone for your gifts and cards we are so lucky to have such wonderful freinds and family.

NEWS FLASH!!!!!

2008-02-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

Lucas started walking. Jackson will take a step or 2 but Lucas is starting to walk
cant wait to get it on video to share with all of you.
Lucas has been one giant suprise. He was the weakest little baby and so far behind in development. Now he is taller than his brother, heavier and walking.
I will have some bday pictures and videos out here hopefully next week.

Happy Birthday Jackson and Lucas!!!!

2008-02-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday boys!!!!!!
Wow they are turning 1 on Feb. 16th.
What an amazing journey it has been. Tom and I have never
been so happy and so tired in our lives :)
We thank God everyday for these amazing boys.
We are so excited for what the future holds for our entire family.

fyi: the first video clip is our first day with the twins at the guest house in ET
the second is on the plane ride home.

Jackson sharing his political stance with his dad.

2008-01-31T06:27:00.000-08:00

and heres the boys peeking thru the door

Nana came over to play with the boys and took some pictures

2008-01-25T17:41:00.000-08:00

I think they were planning their escape in one of these photos... I am sorry to have to inform all of you of this however, shortly after this picture taken Jackson did escape with Lucas close behind. Thankfully they were captured and incarcerated without any further crimes being commited.

In all seriousness... the gate is only up some of the time so I can get things done or i sit inside with them. I wouldnt want people to think I keep them gated up all day. They would have none of that anyway they love to roam way too much for that.

UPDATE

2008-01-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

Grandpa is home and doing wonderful... Yipee...
Thank you everyone for your prayers... prayer really does work!!!
I have a ton of miracles to prove it.. thanks again everyone

The boys are madly in love with their Grandpa. He had to go into the shop for a tune up. The boys miss him and wish they could go visit him at the hospital but they cant. Come home soon Grandpa we want to cheer the Packers on to the super bowl with you this weekend!!!!!
We love you so much Grandpa hurry home.....

Here we go...!!!

2008-01-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

2008-01-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

Okay when your stuck inside with 2 very energetic boys you have to be innovated and daddy has proven that many times now. Here is what he pulled off to entertain them last nite.

Took a ace bandage tied it to the ceiling fan tied their zebra to the ace bandage turned on the ceiling fan and ta da ... the boys loved it.

i am afraid of what he will come up with next.. yikes!!!!!!

Merry Christmas a few weeks late

2008-01-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

Here the boys are in their santa suits. They out grew them a week after we got them.
Had to put them in the exersaucers to keep them in one place to do the video.

and Jackson would not leave the hat on. :)

Happy Birthday Aunt Mary!!!!!

2008-01-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

The boys Aunt Mary is serving our country in Afghanistan. Her birthday was on Dec30th
and her nephews wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY and THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!!!!!!!!!

Love you Jackson and Lucas

Now I am officially in trouble!!!!!!!

2007-12-23T13:26:00.000-08:00

Lucas started to crawl and with vengeance. He was waiting until he knew he could give it his all!!!!!!!
So now there are 2 crawling around here at the speed of light.
And I swear they talk to each other and plan on how to maneuver so that its
physically impossible for me to get them both. I am thinking it has to look
hysterical me chasing them around and them both laughing.

I will hopefully have some fun xmas videos out here soon.

The Gift

2007-12-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

What Christmas means to our family is all about the ultimate gift.
And being Christian that ultimate gift was the birth of Jesus.
God gave his only son. Nothing can or ever will come close
To the gift of ones child. Bottom line it’s the reason Christians celebrate
Christmas. The gift of a son to the entire world.

So this Christmas means that much more to me. Because
this Christmas we were given 2 of the most precious gifts . Two gifts
that have brought so much joy into this home that its bursting
At the seams. Our gifts will last a life time. Our gifts bring never ending
Joy, fun, excitement and adventure.
Our gifts were given by a beautiful young Ethiopian woman. Someone so
Selfless so kind and so amazing. She gave us the ultimate most precious
Gift one could give. She not only brought indescribably joy to me Tom and Zac
she brought joy to so many others.

I think about her always, every time I look into Jackson’s eyes and every time I see Lucas smile. This Christmas no matter what joy I am feeling my thoughts will constantly be with that wonderful mother far away from here yet right here in our hearts. One of the Most important and meaningful moments of my life was meeting her. And the best part is I get to share that meeting with my wonderful sons.

I want her to know how healthy her boys are. I want her to know how happy they are and how much fun they are to be with. I wish I could share every minute of their lives with her. Her selfless act came with so much pain. Pain that I pray I never know. For one to love their children so much that they would make the choice she made

This Christmas I would love for all my family and friends to please say a special
prayer for our extended family in Ethiopia. Pray for their health and happiness.
For all of you that are a part of Jackson and Lucas’ life remember their family back in Ethiopia and keep them in your prayers.

Every year I cannot wait to give presents and yes get presents too I will admit it
I love everything about Christmas. The lights, music, family, food everything that goes with it. But thanks to our wonderful little boys Lucas and Jackson and the gift we were given It really brings me back to why Christmas is so special. And that it all started with a gift
Of a son.

I want to thank all of you for everything you have done for us, the support the friendship, helping us with the babies. We are so blessed and could not have done this without family and friends. We love all of you so much!!!!!

Merry Christmas to all of you out there in Blog land.

Another news flash!!!!!!

2007-12-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

Jackson has his first tooth!!!!!!!!!!
Lucas is now working on his second....

ya hoo

Here is another video of Jackson laughing

2007-12-14T08:31:00.001-08:00

I wish I had some of Lucas but his laugh is quiet and tiny.
but he does laugh its just hard to get it on video

Another little slide show.

2007-12-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the boys in their santa hats and our court day.
Wish we had pictures of the party afterwards but it was a little hectic
so this is what we have folks...

The one of my brother donny signing papers is him doing his football picks while
we waited for the judge to come out. He is trying to look official.
He cracks me up..

ITS OFFICIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

Here we are with the judge. She was so much fun and really sweet to us.

Uncle Donny, Grandpa Garner and Nana (nancy) and my mom were all there with us.Not everyone could make it but they came over tonight to celebrate.
The Judge said it was official and everyone started clapping. And of course I start crying. It was just a really fun day and a very happy day.

Tom and I are so honored we get to be parents to these 2 little stinkers.

Santas little helpers.

2007-12-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you for coming to play with us today Nana and for taking the cute picture

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

Lucas has his first tooth!!!!!!!!!!!!
this would explain why he has been so fussy.

And Jackson well he is all over the house.
He crawls all over. Last nite went to make their bottles
and i look down and he was crawling aroudn the corner he followed me
into the kitchen.

2007-12-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

Since we are snowed in and the boys finally fell asleep i am playing with the blog tonight. I know we add music to all of these but we like music in the family and it just makes the videos so funny besides I need something to do other than change diapers tonight :)

Here the boys are in Jacksons crib they had both just got up from a nap.
Lucas has been very fussy lately. Hoping its a phase. He either cries or
throws a fit about everything. Jackson was doing that about a month ago but
has been a perfect little saint lately. Other than trying to eat magazines and plants. So I am hoping Lucas will be out of this little phase soon and on to
a bigger and better one.

2007-12-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

They love bath time. They do end up fighting over everything in the tub.
Sorry about the background talking and Tom dumping water out of a cup. They will smile at tom doing that for ever.