fter driving through the Ohio Valley, we wound up at my brother’s house.

The boys thought this was as far as we were going, but Ben figured out pretty quickly that the book we had given him was too long for such a “short” (9-hour) drive. We left westward around lunch the next day.

fter Miles’ cupcake class last Wednesday, we headed right out… after waiting for a HUGE thunder shower to pass.

BTW, the Disney Sing-along DVD from Brother Bear has great travel tunes: I’m on My Way (Brother Bear), Go the Distance (Hercules), and On the Open Road (A Goofy Movie).

rooke and I had been conniving for well over a week to spring a big surprise on the kids. So, last Wednesday morning, we had them open some presents at breakfast.

Ben got a nice, long book (The Fellowship of the Ring).

Miles got a new game for his classic Game Boy.

Isaac opened a Yo Gabba Gabba DVD for him and Asher.

Asher... Well, he was still in bed.

The presents weren’t the surprise, but they were intended to keep the boys busy while we took them on a long trip…

rooke and I had been planning a big surprise for the kids (updates to follow) and had worked all Monday and into Tuesday getting things ready for the event. I was at the computer in the basement when I heard a thud, followed by Brooke’s trademark “Omigosh.”

I got to the stairs to see her lift Isaac from a step about halfway down. I saw blood on the carpet, so we took a closer look. He was missing one of his two bottom teeth, and had blood gushing from the middle of his tongue. Our doctor advised us to take him to the ER.

Of course, Ben and Miles had friends over, so we had to call their parents. Then one of us – me – had to stay behind and Isaac had to ride to the hospital without someone attending him in the backseat. Oh, yeah, his car seat had to moved too.

Asher was visibly upset to find Isaac’s car seat missing when I drove them to the McNeeseses (thanks, Carol). Before I went into the ER, I called Brooke’s parents, then mine (talked to my dad), and my brother the pediatrician (who didn’t answer). When I finally got to Brooke and Isaac, here’s what I saw:

Isaac was just fine, sleeping, and the physician said there was no use stitching the wound. I snapped that shot and sent it to my brother with the text, “We’re fine.” I decided to send it to my parents as well.

Little did I know that my mom was not with my dad, and that he hadn’t called her to tell her what had happened. So, my mom got that pic out of the blue, and thought someone had died.

Since Tuesday Isaac’s mouth has almost totally healed, but we’ll have to wait a few years for a new tooth to come in. Until then, you can tell which twin is Isaac by his curly hair, his outtie belly button, and his goofy single bottom tooth.

Before: Note the two bottom teeth.

After

 found these on Brooke’s cell.

ur Museum of Play memberships expired, and we thought we should look for something a little more twin-friendly this year. (It’s not that there isn’t anything for the twins to do at the museum, it’s that it’s too hard to keep track of them there.) We told the older boys we had a surprise for them and headed out last Saturday.

Miles was the first one to figure out where we were going. When we pulled into the parking lot he shouted out, “Ben! The zoo’s the surprise!” We asked him how he knew, and he said he saw a sign that said “Zoo.”

“Ok,” I probed, “Miles, how do you spell zoo?”

“Z-O-O.”

Boy, his kindergarten teacher is in for a surprise.

Anyway, the zoo was great, and the twins really couldn’t get enough. We could have left them at any one exhibit all day and they would have been happy.

Here are the twins watching the sea lions swim by.

he twins have been thinking vertically for a while. They’re just a little too short to climb on the couch or look out the windows unaided, but they’re quickly learning that a toy, book, or pillow can give the necessary boost. Of course, it doesn’t always work out.

Here's Asher using the sugar bin to find some treats in the kitchen.

And here he is perched precariously on a folded chair.

saac and Asher have a new technique for eating: Anything we feed them in their highchairs winds up on the floor. They fuss, squirm, and cry, but they won’t eat. Then, when everyone’s done and they’re free to go, they climb up on the table and have at the leftovers.

he boys are enrolled in some summer classes at our local bookstore. Miles had a blast making these cupcakes (and you can see how proud he was of them).

Oh, and he even gave one to Ben.

fter we bought the mower, we figured we would need a shed in which to store it. Last week I was mulled how big I should make it, but I realized that no matter how big it was, it would get filled up (as evidenced by our basement). So I took the morning to clean scrub out the garage and see how much I could actually fit in the space we already have.

There's about a foot to spare between the mower and the vibe.

I can't open the tailgate in the garage anymore, but I can still pop the window.

Here's the secret to parking without hitting the mower.