An Old Friend and a New Friend

On Sunday, we enjoyed a visit from my college girlfriend, Bridget, and her gorgeous daughter, Grace. I hadn't seen Bridget since my wedding - but we picked up where we left off and caught up quickly. And the buddies have a lot of little girlfriends, but I'm not sure they've met any as sweet as Grace. They enjoyed showing off for her with their climbing and jumping tricks and Grace just giggled and watched the silly boys. Before we knew it, the afternoon had passed us by and it was already time to say goodbye. I hope it's not another 6 years before we see them again!

Pajama Party Play Date

This morning we hosted a pajama party play date for 19 of the buddies' closest friends. The kids all thought it was a blast to come over in their pj's, but truthfully, that was just my way of eliminating one task from my morning before everyone arrived. And what better way to spend a cold, rainy day than in warm pj's at home with friends! Some of the mommies (including me) stayed in their pajamas this morning too.
And, I was even lucky enough to get a kiss from my favorite blue - eyed son during the event. What a lucky mommy!

Road Trip!

The buddies and I are home from a long weekend road trip to Houston. We visited two of my college girlfriends and their families. Coincidentally, all of our husbands were out of town so it was just the three of us and our 6 kids under the age of four. It was quite a different kind of weekend than the ones we spent in college, but it was fun nonetheless.

We spent our days chasing kids, watching Disney movies, dining at McDonalds, baking cookies, and playing outside. And our nights were spent with three of my favorite things: red wine, chocolate, and girl-talk.

See the rest of the pictures from our trip here.

And as luck would have it, it is my turn to host our playgroup tomorrow. 23 of our favorite little friends will join us at our house tomorrow morning. Check back tomorrow to see my brilliant (at least I think so...) time-saving idea for the party.

Pizza Party!!

Does this look like fun or what?







Yesterday, at our weekly playdate, the buddies and I invited our triplet friends over for pizza party playdate today. We were so excited to see our little friends two days in a row! Our house was quite chaotic with five 2-year olds running around and just two moms to chase them. It was fun! And it made me grateful to just have my twosome!

Our Farmers' Market Adventure

This morning, the buddies and I met some friends downtown to explore the Austin Farmers' Market, a growers only, 100% local market. What fun we had! We filled our bags with organic oranges and grapefruits (and ate a few while there). Then, we discovered a stand filled with beautiful lettuce and radishes so we picked up some of each. And we couldn't resist the freshly baked wheat sourdough bread so we took a loaf of it home. Our favorite purchase was a pound of mushrooms, though I'll admit I was a tad nervous about serving them to my littlest family members since we purchased them from a couple of hippies. They were delicious and the buddies ate a ton of them with no ill effects.

After we had visited each of the stands, we spent some time enjoying the music of a band called "The Green Onions". Then, we walked to the top of a nearby hill and let the kids run around in the small urban park. Everyone enjoyed its nice fountain and had a blast splashing around the edges.

Once we returned home I busied myself creating a meal out of our newly purchased goodies while the buddies (and their cedar-allergy distressed daddy) napped. I am a bit obsessed with cooking these days and loved creating a meal from our market finds. When everyone awoke, we devoured chicken with mushrooms and swiss, a super-fresh salad, and roasted red pepper bruschetta (Ace and my favorite!) . I can't wait to return to the market this summer when the produce will be more plentiful.

Fun Times

The buddies have had a couple of fun days. Yesterday, we met our twin friends at a park for a playdate, just after a nice heavy rain. The park was one big mud pit. We arrived first and the buddies wiped down most of the wet slides (with the bottoms of their pants, of course). We're good friends, aren't we?






After our friends arrived, Ace, Ben, and their friend Matthew showed the other kids how to gather rocks and throw them in the "pond" (ie. giant mud puddle). After a few of the kids (including Ben) had waded a little too far into the muddle, I drew a line in the dirt and told all the kids not to cross it. Of course, our favorite triplet friends ignored me and went straight in, all at the same time. Their mommy had a lot of little shoes to wash when she got home.



Then, today was a rare day where we had nothing on our schedule, so we decided to pick up Daddy and take him to lunch. What a treat! After lunch, Daddy even invited the buddies into his office to pick a "sucker-pop" from his stash at his desk. We said a quick hello to all of his friends, ran down the long, fun hallways for a minute, and then headed on our way.

Fun at the Farm

This morning, we accepted an invitation to spend some time with my cousin and her family at their farm just an hour's drive out of Austin. We were all excited to leave the city behind us and run around in wide open spaces in beautiful 70 degree weather. It was a perfect day and after a week of very cold weather we couldn't wait to be outside.

Our hosts let us pile in the back of their pickup and took us on a tour of the almost 300 acre farm. We saw cows galore and all the beautiful ponds on the land. We can't wait to come back in the summer and go swimming! The buddies loved throwing rocks in the pond (though they got a little too close to the edge for my comfort) and also spent a good amount of time pretending to ride the lawn mower "tractor". And after lunch, they made bird feeders out of peanut butter, pine cones, and bird seed and then proudly hung them in the trees.

At the end of our very fun day, our two tired boys climbed into bed. Ben said, "I go a farm. I throw rocks!" and Ace said, "I go farm too! Ride tractor!" I think they liked it.

Four cousins and one Daddy, ready for the tour.

This is a scary picture. Ace was not getting ready to jump, but winding up to throw his rocks. The two moms behind cameras gasped when it happened but all was well.

"Not My Gumdrop Buttons!!"

We finally got around to decorating the gingerbread men that I baked (and froze) weeks ago. Can anyone guess which boy decorated each cookie?

The candy thief even had the audacity to snake some
frosting during my brief photo shoot! Hmmph!

And the day after Christmas...

With the exception of three meals and a quick trip to Target, this is what the buddies were up to today. I think Santa must know them pretty well.




PS - Thanks for the cool shirts, Me-Mom! :) :)

Christmas Day

Santa was certainly good to the buddies this year. Our big day started with a bang (and a big scream) when Ben awoke to find his eyes sealed shut with pink-eye gunk. What a day for that to happen! He was sure glad after he pried them open, as Santa had brought a new train table and set it up in the playroom. The buddies didn't even make it downstairs for breakfast or to see their stockings and other goodies for a good hour. And even after we did coax them down the stairs, Ben looked around at the presents and announced that he was going back upstairs to play with the train table. We spent the rest of the day opening presents between train table sessions. Ace was a little more game about unwrapping and was able to take on all the joint gifts while his brother glued himself to the train table.

Today, the day after Christmas, we are busy playing with all the toys. They also received scooters (Ace loves his and is quite skilled on it), a big Shrek (for Ben, who loves the green ogre), Ernie (for Ace, who is a fan), and tons of great educational toys from Me-Mom. More packages arrived today, so we'll have another present-opening session when Daddy comes home from work.

Below are a few pictures from the big day:

Ace and Ben's loot.

Ace, opening a gift from Me-Mom. Notice he is in regular clothes, not his Christmas jammies, as he insists on getting dressed immediately in the morning. No lazing around for this kid!

Ben, opening Clarabel.

An interesting tidbit: Each boy received one of Thomas' two coaches (Ace - Annie, Ben - Clarabel). They are almost identical, except Annie faces forward and Clarabel faces backwards. Each boy can distinguish one from the other (I cannot, unless I read the names) and adamantly prefer the one they were given. I'm am often amazed at how they distinguish between many of the similar trains in the series, but this one blows my mind a bit.

And last...our Christmas card wreath.
It's a bit garish and has taken over the front door, but we love looking at all our little friends. Our fridge couldn't hold them all last year so we had to try a new solution.

Christmas, Part 1

What a fun day we had yesterday! Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Carlee, Uncle Mike, and Cousin Michael visited our house to celebrate an early Christmas. The day was filled with family time, good food, presents, cookies, games, tickles, and lots of hugs. I suspect that when the buddies wake in a few hours to find an empty, quiet house, they will be disappointed.

Hyper Dash - a fun game if you need a last minute gift!

Even Grandpa played!

One Sugar High and One Big Mess

The buddies and I have been busy creating our holiday traditions. Yesterday, we decorated a gingerbread house and I was sure it would be an awesome experience that we'd want to repeat again and again. I'm not so sure now, but I definitely learned a few things from our first attempt.

1) Decorate after a meal. Duh! I don't know why I let the kids go at it right after they awoke from their nap. I handed Ben his bowl of candy and his eyes widened - he's never been given that much candy in his entire life. He ate and ate and ate, occasionally putting a piece on the house. When I finally clued in and took the bowl away, he ran around the kitchen in a big circle yelling, "I go! I go! I go!" He was wound up! And an hour later he only ate three bites of dinner.

2) Ration out the candy before hand and then put the rest out of sight. Again, duh! Ace, who does not have a sweet tooth, is a dumper. And he is very into doing everything by himself. So, while Ben was putting away more candy than he normally eats in a year, Ace was grabbing the bags of M&M's and gumdrops and candy canes and dumping them into his bowl and then Ben's, saying, "I do myself". There was candy everywhere (except on the house).

The good news is our house looks pretty good. Gingerbread houses are apparently very forgiving of small artists. Our house may not be a masterpiece, but it is certainly festive. The buddies couldn't wait to show Daddy when he got home.

Three Parties in Three Days

In the past three days, the buddies have attended three parties. On Sunday, they attended our neighbor's birthday party. On Monday, they had a Christmas party at preschool. And today, we joined our twin playgroup for a Christmas party, potluck, and gift exchange. I better come up with something exciting to do tomorrow, as they have come to expect a bunch of fanfare lately.

Ace, opening his Dr. Seuss book.

Ben chose a Dr. Seuss book as well.

Brrrr! A Chilly Party at the Amusement Park

Our neighbor and little friend turned four this week and invited the buddies to his birthday party. I have to say, I am glad our boys were born in April, since the thought of planning a birthday party amidst all the other holiday happenings might send me over the edge. But, we were more than happy to join our little friends at Kiddie Acres for the big celebration. The buddies love riding the rides there but before today had only been during the summer months. The crowds were much lighter today - only those attending little Will's party dared such an outing today, since the temperature was in the low 40's and we had 20 mph winds. Brrr! The parents huddled for warmth during the party but the kids barely seemed to notice. The birthday boy even declared that he did not want to wear his coat over his awesome Peter Pan costume but was visibly shivering.

For the first time ever, our buddies took a turn on the pony rides. The lines are usually too long for us, but they were not today, of course. They thought they were hot stuff on the little equines. They enjoyed all the rides, especially the train, ate some birthday cake, and then headed off to cheer for Daddy at his soccer game.

A funny note from the game: When the first goal was scored on Steve, the goalie, Ace said, "Oh no, Daddy! Daddy's so sad!" Even though his team lost 6-2, the buddies shouted, "Yea! Daddy did it! Great job!" after the game. Daddy couldn't be sad for long with such sweet fans.

Santa's Train

The mall is usually the last place you'll find me when there are just 12 shopping days left until Christmas. Our presents are wrapped and under the tree or traveling to various places across the United States. But, yesterday, I learned about a train at one of Austin's malls that the buddies just couldn't miss out on.



We arrived as the mall opened and the line to see Santa Claus was already 25+ families long. Thank goodness we took care of that before Thanksgiving. We met our triplet friends, (a.k.a. "the fearsome threesome"), in front of the train station and loaded onto the ride. Our kids enjoyed four laps around Santa and we even got a few bonus laps when the train had to stop to let a terrified, screaming child off. Don't let the buddies' serious expressions fool you - they loved the train ride. They are just very serious about their trains and sat on their bottoms enjoying the ride.

*Almost* Real People

Steve and I have been having the same conversation a lot lately. We are amazed that the buddies are almost real people now. We've taken most of the baby gates down to give them the ability to roam free around the house. They tell us what they want instead of throwing tantrums (and usually accept it if it is something they cannot have). When something hurts, they tell us and ask us to fix it. We have very basic, yet real conversations with them. Best of all, we are almost ready to ditch our stroller when we go out in public. After spending the last 2 1/2 years of my life practically attached to their heavy, bulky duo-glider, I won't be sad to pass it on to another family.

This morning, the buddies and I made a trip to Costco to buy some items for our Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve parties that are quickly approaching. As we completed our shopping trip, we stopped for our usual 1/2 pound hot dog and soda (for just $1.50!) at the snack stand. Instead of making them eat strapped into the cart, we decided to sit at the tables and eat, like "real people". They loved it and sat very nicely. And they took turns drinking our lemonade, passing it back and forth, saying, "Ace's turn!" and "Ben's turn!". I enjoyed my nice lunch date with my two handsome boys (although they don't have the nicest table manners yet - check out Ace, stuffing his hot dog in his mouth).

Turkey Day at Grandma and Grandpa's House

We are back from a very fun trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house (or as Ace would say, "Backah and Papa's house). We arrived on Thanksgiving day and were greeted by a Pilgrim and and Indian. We let the buddies run around for a while before sending them upstairs for a nap while we feasted on Grandma's good Thanksgiving dinner. It was so nice not to have to cook this year.

The weather was quite cold, but we bundled the buddies up in their warm coats, gloves, and hats and spent a lot of time outdoors. Ace loved being in the wide open spaces in their neighborhood and especially Miss Jean's swing park. Ben loved it too, but if we stayed out too long and he got cold, he'd announce, "Grandma's house!" and head home. We decorated turkey cookies, had fun with friends: Suzi and Sally, and played with Grandma's toys. Ben discovered Uncle Jeff's Perfection game, which he calls, "shapes", and sat quietly for long stretches carefully placing each of the pieces. It was really pretty impressive for a 2 1/2 year old.

They both enjoyed very chilly golf cart rides and a special treat - a visit to Grandpa's Frito truck. Grandpa let them each pick a snack and they loved that. Both picked Cheetos - of course!

Best of all, we spent lots of quality time with Grandma and Grandpa. Ace and Ben have truly bonded with these two. Tonight, three full days later, Ace played happily with his Little People, calling them "Backah and Papa". I think he misses them but we'll see them at our house soon.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

The buddies and I had a long discussion about Santa Claus this morning. I explained that Santa is a real person who looks a lot like their Santa dolls from Grandma and that he brings toys to good little boys and girls every Christmas. I told them we could visit Santa and tell him what they want for Christmas. Then, to practice, I asked each boy what he would say to Santa. Silence. So, I helped them a bit:

Me: Would you like to ask Santa to bring trains for Christmas?
Ben: (in his very loud, very whiny voice) YES! I NEED TRAINS!
(we've been working on not whining...and not saying "I need")
Me: Ben, you should say, 'Hi Santa. I would like trains, please.'
Ben: (in his nice voice) Hi Santa. I like trains, please.
Me: Ace would you like trains too?
Ace: Beep-beep!
Me: Okay, you can ask Santa for cars. Say, 'I would like cars, please.'
Ace: I like cars! Beep-beep!

We were ready. I loaded them up in the car and were on our way. We arrived to find the same very nice Santa from last year. There were no lines so we went right up to him.

Me: Hi Santa! Ace and Ben, would you like to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want for Christmas?
Ace: No.
Ben: No.
Santa: Look, I have candy!
(that sounds creepy as I type it, but it wasn't)
Me: If you sit with him, he'll give you a sucker...
Ace: No.
Ben: No.

After a bit of coaxing and a little bit of bribery, both boys agreed to sit on Santa's lap. We took about 6 pictures, all with very serious expressions. Then, I had an idea. I grabbed two candy corns (a new favorite since Halloween) out of my pocket and held them up. They saw them exactly at the same time and this is the picture we got:


They were both still sitting calmly so I asked them to tell Santa what they would like for Christmas.

Ben: silence
Ace: (reverting to his baby-talk) choo-choo!

I think Santa got the point and I suspect the buddies will find a brand new train table on Christmas morning.

Mommy's Little Helpers

Not much to report today. I just wanted to post these pictures of the buddies helping me make dinner. They think they are really grown up now.