My Family

Dear Mom & Dad (Opa and Grandma Suzy)
I could not ask for better parents, or Grandparents for that matter. You both have such a passion for Ella and Aidan, and are so involved in their lives, despite the 4 hour distance.

I love the fact that you will spontaneously decide to drive up for a visit, even when it is for less than 24 hours. I love that you remember each of their pediatrician visits and always call to find out how things went, how much they weigh, etc. I love that Ella and Aidan remember you at each visit, and how they get so excited to see you guys. I love that you get down on their level and play on the floor with them. I love that you are both exhausted and in need of a vacation after a weekend with the babies – that just shows how much you played!!!

I know that I didn’t show it too well in those early days of sleep deprivation, but I love that you were here for their birth, and that (aside from Mike and I) you were the first ones to hold each of them.

Mom - I have many memories of you up literally all night long with Ella. I remember how she would fall asleep in your arms, and then the minute you tried to lay her down, those two little eyes would just pop open!! I remember walking the house with Aidan for hour upon hour while he cried (this was before we switched his formula) – and Mike even walked him out in the street and backyard at 4 AM!!

Those early days were so hard…beyond words hard. And you guys were here for every bit of it – encouraging Mike and I in so many ways. You just kept saying “It will get better”….and you were right!

Dad - I love your unannounced visits….getting a phone call on my cell phone asking where I am because you are sitting in our driveway. It brings me to tears typing this because those visits are so special.

I love you both for your support of us, and for your constant concern about my well-being and emotional state. To be honest, I tend to be the one who is forgotten about most of the time. Everyone always asks about the babies, and comments about how hard Mike works and how tired he must be….but they usually forget that I might be just a bit tired or drained as well. I know, I am the Mother, it just goes with the territory, but I need a break sometimes too – and you never fail to acknowledge that parenting, especially twins, is a daunting task in and of itself.

Thank you – first for being such wonderful parents to me, and second for being even better Grandparents to Ella and Aidan.

Uncle Christopher and Aunt Emily
I cannot express enough how much it means to me that you are coming to Ella and Aidan’s birthday party in a few weeks. You guys have so much going on with your upcoming wedding, and to take time out for us is incredibly meaningful. Isn’t it odd to think that just over a year ago you guys were here for Easter and we all walked around Freedom Park and I was as big as a house – and now they are nearly a year old?

You are truly a wonderful Aunt and Uncle and the babies simply adore you….and we cannot wait to see you…and to come up for your wedding day. Gosh, my little brother is going to be a married man….

Great Aunt Mimi / Great Aunt and Uncle Kiki and Gary
Oh how I adore how you have all “adopted” Ella and Aidan as if they were your own. You send such wonderful gifts for them, often on just a random occasion. It is so neat to come home and find a box on the front porch – especially when it is addressed specifically to Ella and Aidan.

Your gifts have been some of the most thoughtful we have received – it is clear that you have put a lot of time and effort into selecting just the right thing for each of them.

But, this isn’t just about gifts….its about your love for them, and how even from a distance, you are a part of their daily lives. They both love you just as much as I do. You have all been such an influence in my life over the years, and it warms my heart to see that continue on with Ella and Aidan.

I finally figured out how to download videos off of our camera....you guys get to be the very first video on our blog!