A Fun Day in the Capital City of Texas

The buddies and are enjoying a visit from Me-Mom and took her to the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum. Although it wasn't particularly kid-friendly, the buddies enjoyed running around, taking in the sights. The museum's three floors each had a different theme: land, identity, and opportunity. Our favorite floor was easily "opportunity" since the buddies explored a real airplane, an astronaut, life-size longhorn statues, and even a pick-up truck.



After getting our fill of Texas history, we took a short stroll down Congress Avenue to view our lovely state capital building. We didn't dare enter with our two wild boys, but one day will take the tour, which I hear is great!

Check back soon for more fun events during Me-Mom's visit!

Spring Break at the Beach

Well, not exactly the beach. But, Champion Park is the next best thing, when you live landlocked in the heart of Texas. The park's major attraction is a giant sandpit, filled with faux dinosaur fossils for little archaeologists to discover. This morning we enjoyed some gorgeous Spring weather when we met our friends at the park. Our kids never ventured far enough to discover the dino's, but had a blast digging in the sand and climbing a rock wall.

After a few hours of digging, we enjoyed a picnic lunch and then played in the sand some more. We kicked our shoes off, buried our feet in the cool sand and let the warm sunshine flush our cheeks. I could almost hear the waves of the ocean crashing as I envisioned myself on a faraway beach. Of course, I was quickly snapped back into reality since I had two wild boys to keep up with. Summer is just around the corner and we can't wait!!

Choo Choo!!

The buddies and I, and a group of our friends, took a ride on the Bertram Flyer today. It wasn't exactly a relaxing trip (as my brochure said it would be) but it was certainly fun. It was great to see all the kids' faces light up when they first saw the big train. The four-hour long trip through the Texas Hill Country is packed with railroad history. Had we had time to consult our brochures, we would have learned a lot.


During the trip, we passed around our favorite train books and joined in a sing-along led by my Super-Mom friend, Stef. The kids all enjoyed traveling over the San Gabriel River and pointing out cows, horses and llama's as we passed by quiet ranches.


Just before lunch, our train pulled to a stop at the Bertram depot, built in 1912. This quiet town of 900 people had just 4 restaurants and one was closed. The owner of the pizza place woefully told us that he didn't know the train was running that day, or he would have opened. We let our kids burn off some energy on a local church's lawn and ordered our lunch to go.


Then, we were back on the train for the ride home. The buddies can't wait to tell their daddy all about it tonight.

Feeding the Ducks with Friends

Today was our turn to host our play group's weekly play date. Since the weather was gorgeous, we invited our friends to join us at a playground and duckpond. Three other moms and their 8 kids joined us for a fun time.

This was Ace and Ben's first duck feeding adventure since our move to Austin. We've tried before, but the ducks have always alluded us. Not so today. We met at the playground and the ducks circled us eagerly while the kids played and waited on everyone to arrive. Once everyone was accounted for, we trekked to the dock with what must have been the equivalent of at least 10 loaves of bread. The ducks waddled beside us, quacking all the way. Ten minutes later, our 9 pre-schoolers had emptied our stash and the ducks were satisfied.


Then, it was back to the playground for a snack and some more fun. It was a blast and we'll have to do it again soon.

View the rest of our photos here.

Zilker Kite Festival

This morning, we joined our fellow Austinites at Zilker Park for Kite Fest, held on the first Sunday of March for the last 80 years. Hundreds of kites flew overhead at this family friendly event and brought huge smiles to the buddies' faces. We arrived early and enjoyed flying our own two kites and later, watched the sky fill with them.




The buddies took their turn in a few of the bounce houses and ran around with some of their friends. There were booths available where they could make their own kites, but we saved that for next year.

After a picnic lunch, we headed home, just as the competition events were getting started. Competition events included: a 50-yard dash, the highest angle kite, the steadiest kite, the strongest pulling kite, smallest kite, most unusual kite, and largest kite.




Perhaps the most exciting part of the event for our duo was their first real school bus ride. We parked at a free garage downtown and caught one of the many school bus shuttles running to and from the festival. Ace and Ben both loved being "big kids" on a real yellow school bus.



View the rest of our pictures here.

Fun with our Twin (& Triplet) Friends

The buddies and I met their friends at a park this morning to enjoy some beautiful (albeit a bit chilly) weather and some good old fashioned running around. These kiddos have been friends for almost 2 years now and are really starting to enjoy each other's company. It has been such a joy of mine to watch them all grow and change.

They played on the playground and swings, climbed on the little rock wall, ran back and forth over a bridge, and sat nicely together for a snack. And best of all, many of them enjoyed their first experience at kite-flying. One of the dads, who is joining his twins in their activities for a few weeks while his wife is home with their newborn, brought the kite and helped all of our kids fly it. He will clearly win the father of the year award this year for joining us on all of our play dates.

After two and a half hours of outdoor fun, we headed home. It was our kind of morning!

Toddler Story Time

Our long-time readers and friends probably know that I have a bit of a library story time phobia. Our first attempt was hugely unsuccessful and I haven't quite gotten over it. I generally like to keep my metaphorical SuperMom cape on when we're in public and when I attend quiet-time activities with my two wild boys, it is usually stripped right off. :)

We decided to try again today and were much more successful this time. We made it through 15 minutes of the 20-minute session! Before attending, I told the buddies that afterwards, we'd meet our friends at a park. Both boys lined up nicely while we waited for the doors to open (although a librarian did ask them not to bang their heads on the bookshelf behind them - oops!). Upon entering the story time room, we opted to sit right up front and center, even though I knew I might have to do the "Mommy walk of shame" if we became disruptive and had to duck out early. Ace loved the warm up songs and got a kick out of doing the hand-motions and claps with the librarian. Ben seemed to enjoy the story, about a mouse and a strawberry, but was shushed several times by the little girl sitting next to him when he shouted out things like, "Oooh! A big strawberry!" during the reading. Both boys sat nicely during the opening songs, a puppet show, and the story. But, the instant the librarian said, "the end", Ben jumped up and said (loudly), "Now we can go to a park!" Ace followed suit. So, rather than explain to them that story time was not over (there were some wrap - up songs), I did a not-so-shameful walk to the door with my two energetic, but generally well-behaved boys. It was a success!

Afterwards, we met up with our triplet friends and took all five kids to McDonalds and let them go wild on the playground. Their mom and I discussed story times and decided to launch a search for a more interactive story time. Although I can appreciate why libraries have certain rules, I would rather encourage my kids to stand up and dance during songs and to chime in during story time. We're going to try again, but try another venue, in the hopes of finding a better fit. If any of our readers have suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

A Message for our Favorite 6:45AM Reader

And Ben's favorite Godfather...
And our favorite singer / songwriter...
And my favorite brother...
And our favorite Caribbean Uncle...

Enjoy your coffee and your 15 minutes of peace.

We can't wait to see you next month!!

General Update

Hello-Hello! I've received a few emails recently, from family and friends, who want to know what we've been up to over the last two weeks, since I've been rather silent on this blog. We've been in the midst of back-to-back viruses, affecting everyone in the family, except Steve (who has been working 19+ hour days for over a month now). And since I prefer not to waste cyber-space talking about the fevers and coughs and sniffles that are standard with two cootie-monsters in the house, I haven't had much to say. But, we're back! Expect to see us back in the game of fun outings and playdates next week.

You may have noticed our new blog format. It is still a work in progress, so expect changes from time to time. The photos at the top and in this post were taken by the very talented Matt Lemke last Fall. If you live in the Austin-area and need a good photographer, contact him!

Since we haven't left the house much in weeks, here are some general updates on the buddies:

Ace: First, could he be any more handsome?? Those blue eyes and that big smile are going to drive the ladies crazy one day. He is turning out to be such a nice kid. His pre-school teachers regularly brag about how helpful he is at school. He is the first to line up many days and regularly helps during clean-up time. Ace is definitely a pleaser and loves to take care of people. He knows all of the capitol letters and many of the lower case ones as well, can spell his name, and count to 20 (and sometimes 30, but still misses a few numbers). He has recently become really interested in sports and when we drive past a sports field filled with little competitors or an elementary school P.E. class, he asks to get out and play with the big kids. We're in the market for a soccer or t-ball league this summer! And Ace has mad dancing skills. He loves music and really gets involved in his dancing. I'll have to record some video soon. He's also really into pretend play and likes to dress up, take care of his stuffed animals, make "soup" for me, and (my favorite!) put on his cowboy boots and strut around saying, "I'm Tyrone" (his favorite Backyardigan character).

Ben: Ditto on the handsome comment! He has the longest, curliest lashes and knows how to use them. Ben is a sweet kid with a bit of an ornery streak. I can always tell when he is about to get sick because he terrorizes his pre-school teachers and I get an earful when I arrive at pick-up time. Luckily, he's a pretty healthy kid and that hasn't happened often. Since the day he was born, I've said, "When Benny is happy, the whole world is happy. But when Benny is sad, oh man, the whole world is sad" and it is still true today. Ben knows all of his capital letters (and has since his second birthday!) and most of the lower case letters. He loves to shout out the letters he sees when we're driving, and yesterday, he surprised me by pointing at a sign and saying, "Ooh, look Ace! Lots of words!". I didn't realize he had made the connection that letters strung together make up words. He can spell his name and counts to 30 (although half the time thirty is called twenty-ten). And he is really using adjectives lately. He loves to tell me if his food is crunchy or chewy, if his friends are happy or sad, what color everything is (including his own and his brother's poop), and if things are big or small, rough or smooth, dirty or clean, etc. The kid is a sponge.

And since this is a bit of a random entry, I'll include the details of one of our favorite daily rituals, mainly because I want to record it so I can look back and reminisce one day. Our favorite night-time ritual lately is the "Ace and Ben Story", which is a story of two boys that we know well and what they did on that particular day. Our former speech therapist suggested it around the time that they graduated, as a way to get kids thinking about their day and remembering the highlights. It is a huge hit here! I often start hearing requests for the "Ace and Ben Story" starting at bath-time, a full hour before they hit the sack. I don't know if it helped with their speech but it has become a favorite ritual for all of us. Lately, the buddies have been chiming in during the story so much that they practically tell it to me. If I can continue this through the teenage years, it could be pretty useful.

Partying Buddies

The buddies went to Ready, Set, Play! yesterday for a birthday party. The theme was Princess / Bob the Builder. That might sound odd, but for 3 year old boy / girl twins, it was perfect. February will be the month of birthdays for these two, as they've been invited to 3 parties. I suppose for the next 10 years or so, birthday parties will be a part of our usual weekend routine.





Neither of our two had any fear of the giant inflatable slides and bounce houses. After bouncing and sliding for two hours, wolfing down pizza, juice boxes, and cake, I took two tired boys home for a nap. Then, it was off to a dinner party play date at another friend's house. It was a busy, terrific weekend.

Happy Mardi Gras!

We had quite a treat this morning when we attended our play group's First Annual Mardi Gras Play Date. The hosting family moved here from New Orleans last summer and couldn't wait to share their traditions with us. I did not know this until the end of the party, but my new friend traveled back to New Orleans over the weekend to participate in the Krewe of Cleopatra's parade. She returned with King Cakes, beads, and piles of parade throw toys to share with us. And she even cooked up a big pot of red beans and rice for lunch. It was a blast!

Ace and Ben had fun throwing beads off the "balcony" in the backyard and dressing up in the coolest little jester hats. I told our host that it was the best Mardi Gras party I had ever attended. She told me I have led a very sheltered life. She could be right...

Dandelion Fields Forever

During an ordinary Saturday afternoon park trip today, we stumbled upon a huge dandelion field. They were everywhere! And after our visit, they'll return next year in even greater abundance. I showed the buddies how to pick them and blow on them and they were quick studies. In no time, they were running from flower to flower and sending their feather-light seeds sailing. It was a perfect way to spend a lovely winter afternoon.

It's Groundhog Day!

"As I look around me, a bright sky I see, and a shadow beside me. Six more weeks of winter it will be!" -- Punxsutawney Phil, 2/2/2008

Today, the buddies enjoyed a day long celebration of Groundhog Day. What better way to learn about shadows, hibernation, furry little buck- toothed animals, and a goofy weather predicting tradition, dating back over 120 years.

Ace and Ben began their day coloring their own groundhog pictures, while I explained in the simplest of terms the animal, the shadow, and the 6-weeks for winter that would follow if he saw it this morning. Later, we went outside to see if we could find our own shadows. As luck would have it (with the good luck being for my little lesson plan, not the eminent weather forecast) we found them! The buddies loved watching their shadows move when they moved, dance when they danced, shake when they shook, and so on. We drew chalk shadows in the driveway and watched our shadows dance some more. Later, we made groundhog cupcakes and delivered them to our favorite little neighbors.

And now that the buddies are fast asleep, no doubt dreaming of woodchucks and their shadows, Steve and I are going to have a "date night" and watch one of our favorite movies, Groundhog Day, of course!

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.