Polo at the Vineyard

When a friend of mine scored a free set of tickets to a charity polo match, we jumped at the chance to join them. My friend advised that Texas polo is not as hoity-toity as polo elsewhere, so we "dressed up" in polos and shorts for the boys and a cotton dress and a big floppy staw hat for me. Afterall, anyone who's seen Pretty Woman knows that one should wear a big straw hat to a polo match.



It was fun! The boys enjoyed watching the match for a few brief moments. They certainly enjoyed the horses and cheered for a few goals. Mostly, they just enjoyed horsing around with another set of twin boys and grazing on the free buffett in the VIP section.

The event benefitted the R.O.C.K., Ride On Center for Kids, a non profit provider of therapeutic horseback riding and Hippotherapy for individuals with cognitive and physical challenges. It was great to see the community rally around a great cause.



I'm sad to report that we left before the crazy hat contest and the stomping of the divets, but the buddies and their friends had lasted as long as they could last. Next time! View the rest of our pictures here.

Best. Summer. Ever.

Here's a little recap of what we are calling the best. summer. ever. It is a bit long, so grab a snack or a cocktail (or both), turn the volume up, and pull up a chair. Enjoy!

The Cathedral of Junk

This morning, we did our part to "keep Austin weird" and met our cousins at the Cathedral of Junk. It is difficult to describe the cathedral. Basically, a guy started building it in his backyard over 20 years ago and it has evolved into an offbeat landmark of sorts.




It was truly a wonderland for the buddies and their cousins. They ran up and down the many steps and ladders, exploring all the nooks, crannies, and levels of the surprisingly sturdy structure. Aside from Ben getting "lost" in the garbage for several minutes, we all had a great time! Our two sets of brothers even teamed up for a fun game of hide and seek.




After we'd seen enough, we headed to Zilker for a picnic lunch, some time on the playscape, and a train ride. It was a good day!

Our Step Back in Time

Imagine Austin as a small town, with just a few thousand residents... Horses and buggies are the primary form of transportation... Most of Texas is still untamed, unsettled frontier prairie... Texas as a state is only 50 years old... Many families still live in log cabins...


Welcome to Pioneer Farm! The buddies and I enjoyed free admission this afternoon, as a part of Austin's Museum Day. Pioneer Farm has been on our list of places to visit since we moved here and Museum Day is the day when they bring out all their volunteers dressed in period costume, add some live music, weaving demonstrations, fire-starting demonstrations, and more!



We enjoyed touring the old homes. Ben peered into the family room in one of the larger rooms and declared, "They don't have a tv in here!" No Ben, they didn't have tv's in the 1800's. Ace checked out the kitchen and said, "But where is the refrigerator?!" And so we explored the smoke house out back where the family stored their cured meats.




We checked out old farm equipment and got eye to eye with some animals. We practiced our wood-chopping skills with real axes. We explored a few tee-pee replicas, assembled on a site where Tonkawa Indians, a nomadic tribe, camped seasonally. We bought penny candy at the General Store and sat on the porch with our treats and listened to a band play songs from the 17oo's. "Dixie" and "Yankee Doodle" were among the favorites we recognized but we also enjoyed a peppy song about a woman trying to convince her man not to go off to war. When we finished our candy, the buddies danced along to the music, much to the delight of the band.



Our most eye-opening experience occcured when we explored a German Immigrant homestead - a one-room house about the size of my bathroom. The volunteer asked the buddies how many people they thought once lived there. Their response: "None!" Actual answer: 15. Yeesh! We are glad to live in the 21st century.

Check out the rest of our pictures here.

This is all starting to be a little too familiar...

I'm sad to report that we are becoming regulars at Dell Children's ER. I know exactly where to find the good parking, don't have to think twice about directions as I carry one of my wheezing boys up to registration, know where all the bathrooms are, and know where to find the person with the toy stash when my child starts climbing the walls at the end of a long visit. When a nurse that we've had on at least two other visits recognized us, I didn't think much of it. Then, the nice respiratory therapist visited our room and remembered us as well. And, then the pediatrician. So, that's it, I guess. We are regulars.

But, at least it is a nice place where our boys receive excellent care.


Ace looks like a completely different kid in this picture than he did when we arrived, just a few hours earlier. He is patched up and on the mend and we're just in for a few lazy days at home. A big pot of chicken and dumplings is simmering on the stove and all will be well in a few days.

Fred the Cat

Just in case anyone was worried, the buddies' preschool mascot, Fred the cat, was found today. It seems he was hiding under a desk because he was scared. It was much too noisy for him on the first day of school. :)

First Day of School

This morning was bittersweet for us. While the boys are excited to return to their beloved preschool two mornings a week and I am excited to have those two mornings a week to catch up on long-neglected chores and errands, we are also really sad that summer is over. Because this has been the best. summer. ever. We will miss our morning excursions to the pool and "Adventure Mondays" and our trips to the lake and our annual two-week vacation to Pennsylvania, and all the extra play dates with friends that we just don't see often enough during the school year.

But, today was the day that the buddies donned their new shoes, strapped on their backpacks, and carried their lunchboxes into their last year of preschool.

If you asked them about their first day, you'd likely hear that they are "the cats and not the skunks". And that they are in "Ms. Klink's class and not Ms. Heather's". And that "Claire is in their class but not Cooper and not Wyatt". And that "Fred the cat got lost because sometimes cats run away from home". Luckily that last one was explained to me in a note home from Ms. Klink. It seems the class mascot got lost and the children searched for him all over campus. They passed out posters with Fred's photo and asked, "Have you seen my cat?" to everyone they encountered. According to both boys, Fred was never found so perhaps the class will find him on their next school day. Or perhaps my two wild boys weren't paying attention when Fred was found. Either scenario seems entirely plausible.

Labor Day at Texoma

We are home from another long weekend with Grandma and Grandpa at their awesome lakefront home. We decided to head up early and took in four pretty full days of fun.

We spent every day either on the beach or out on the boat. Here's a rare moment when we captured both buddies sitting:


The buddies also experienced a few more firsts on the trip. They went camping! They helped Grandpa nail in the stakes and then happily slept in it all night long with Grandma. Grandpa didn't want to miss out on any of the fun but gave up after an hour of trying to sleep amongst the giggles and horse-playing. Steve and I just stayed in the house the whole time.

Another first: water skiing! We don't have actual pictures of the skiing because we needed two adults in the water, one adult holding the rope that attaches to the wee-person skis, and another adult to drive the boat. But, they both did it! Neither was able to stand but glided along behind the boat in a squat position. Ace wasn't so sure about it.

Ben beamed from ear to ear and went back for more.


There was also a lot of this going on :


And then, of course, the Fourth Annual Festicle.

Good times. Check out the rest of our pictures here.