We're ending our week-long visit with family in Connecticut. My sister- and brother-in-law welcomed 2 beautiful and healthy twins to their family in March, so it was about time we made our way up to visit our newest niece and nephew. Here's a picture of them on a bridge in Collinsville. I've been around quite a few babies, but their two babies are the happiest babies I've been around. I think it would be difficult to have 1 happy baby, let alone 2 happy babies! Before we arrived, I noticed that the 5-month old twin babies were always cheesing in their facebook photos. I just thought my sister-in-law was directing them to smile at the camera. If I was smart, I would have known that you can't direct a 5-month old baby to smile at a camera. I should have realized that they are smiling in most of their photos, because they smile all of the time! They talk so much, and cry so little! I'm so impressed! .... And seriously, who's heart doesn't melt when they see a smiling or giggling baby! From the moment we arrived, they smile directly at the camera and want to touch the camera. Lately, it seems the twins are less impressed with my silly point-and-shoot camera and now has become more interested in Uncle Patrick's pro series camera. While trying to find photos of this post, I realized how many pictures I have of our our niece smiling and how few Uncle Patrick has. My self-centeredness would really like to believe it's because I'm so awesome (but it's probably because I have longer hair for her to pull!) :O)







We got to go visit the twins' older sister's grave. Peyton had a difficult and fast battle with Infant Leukemia. The last time we were in Connecticut was for Peyton's funeral on a cold, gloomy day in October 2008. Not that it would be any other way, but I'm glad we could come back here again and visit her grave on a warm, sunny day. I'm glad that she has such a peaceful resting place. It was also nice to see that Peyton's younger brother and sister visiting their big sister.


My sister-in-law and I got to speak a lot, and it's funny how similar our husbands are.... If you didn't know better, you would probably think they were brothers! Nothing brings me more happiness than to see my husband's face light up just being around his big brother. They laugh at the same stupid jokes until they are in tears. I can tell that Patrick deeply misses having Andy around, the same way I love to be around my brother. It just feels like being "home".

We've laughed so much since we've been here, so I thought I'd share my top 10 sayings for the trip.

1. Turbo!
   Andy likes to rev the engine of his Honda Civic. It freaks me out and causes me to cringe because my Toyota Camry's engine rarely makes a noise. I thought maybe it's because it's really mountainous and curvy near where he lives, but he was doing that leaving the parking lot of the airport.
   
2. Auto PC, Activate Auto PC! - Patrick's bestie, Marco took us to the airport when we were leaving Kansas City. He was pretending that his car was a new version of KIT on Knight Rider, and he referred to her as "Auto PC". This saying just followed us to Connecticut
   
3. Blair Witch Project
   The area we're visiting is full of mountains and forrests of beautiful 3 to 4 story tall trees. There are trees everywhere, so I joked that I would not know where to go if I got lost and that I felt like this was the Blair Witch Project.
4. Do you even know where we're going?
   I pride myself of always knowing how to get places only having been there once. I can get to out-of-town places I haven't been to since I was 15. I figured out how to get to Santa Monica Beach, purely by watching Beverly Hills, 90210. I've been here for a week, and I still don't know how to get to town. There are just too many stop signs and curvy roads. It would totally be different if there were landmarks, but the only things around here are trees and more trees. I've been harassing Andy on this entire trip, asking him "Do you even know where we're going?".
5. Holly, are you watching out for deer?
   Every time we drive on this certain road that Andy hit a deer on, he asks me to look out for deer. I think this is either to freak me out a little or because he knows that I love to go deer looking. My guess is the first one.
6. Wash your hands, Patrick!
   Patrick is always forgetting to wash his hands after going outside or eating.
7. I can't dance, I'm too Jewish!
   Patrick and Andy loved playing this song by Dirt Nasty while we were in the car. Uncle Patrick even played it for the twins
   
8. How many times did it take you to learn where you live?
   Since I don't know where I am right now, it blows my mind that someone else who grew up 4 blocks from me, would have any idea how to navigate through these spaghetti streets. I am kind of feeling stupid right now since I can't grasp where I am.
9. Ulta
   I'm so OBSESSED with make-up. Over the last week, we have driven past Ulta many times and I start getting the itch. Andy and Patrick never wanted to stop, even for 10 minutes. NYX is my cooked crack and I'm a junkie.
   
10. Binderstein
    We were sitting around and I realized how cool it would be to have a Jewish last name. I didn't change my last name after Patrick and I got married in 2009, but I suggested to Patrick that I would consider changing it if we would add "stein" to the end of his last name.