Our 6th Anniversary

What a beautiful Spring day we had today! Steve and I celebrated 6 years of marriage by spending almost the entire day outside with the kids. We began the day by taking the buddies to their favorite park. Then, we headed to The Oasis, a restaurant just 5 miles from our house that boasts the best view on Lake Travis. We sat on the patio and took in the lovely scenery while we all enjoyed our lunch.

After a quick, snuggly nap on the couch with the kids, we hiked Mount Bonnell. The last time we hiked to it's peak, we carried the buddies on our backs. This time, our load was lighter since they enjoyed running up all by themselves. Next time, they may have to carry us.

Ben and I stopped to watch the boats on the Colorado River. There were so many today! When we reached the top, we met up with Steve and Ace and enjoyed the view of the Austin skyline.

We ended the day with some backyard time. Steve grilled steaks and hot dogs while I did some light yard work and the buddies played with their cars on the deck. Then, we enjoyed our supper together on the deck as the sun began to set. It was a perfect anniversary.

Wild Animals and Wild Rock Stars

The buddies and I joined the Austin Mothers of Multiples for our third trip to the Austin Zoo this morning. Each Spring, the group embarks on the zoo for a lovely day of animals, train rides, picnics and twins. It is always a hoot.

This morning was no exception. When we arrived, we wandered the zoo, taking in all the animals. Ace's favorites were the monkeys. Ben liked the "animals", which meant goats in the petting zoo. The Austin Zoo isn't the biggest zoo in the world. The luckiest of visitors catch a glimpse of each of the main attractions: the lions, the tigers, the bears (oh my!) and the leopards, assuming they aren't hiding in their caves. Today, we managed to see two lions, one leopard, and three tigers. We even caught the tigers eating lunch, which was really exciting for our toddler crowd. Then, we headed to the train depot and enjoyed the lovely twenty minute ride through the hill country.

To end the day, we joined our across-the-street neighbors for dinner. While the kids played, the grown-ups played Rock Star on their X-Box. Steve was impressive on the drums and the game voted me "most energetic" when I belted out "Creep" by Radiohead. I think "most energetic" is code for "sings really badly but with enthusiasm".

Big Kid Beds!!

The buddies are so proud of their new beds! And it has been one of our easiest transitions yet. I'll admit I was concerned that they wouldn't stay in bed once we made the switch, especially since this pair of best friends share a bedroom, but tonight is night 4 and they've climbed in and gone straight to sleep each night. Their biggest concern on their first night was that all of their friends and "stuff" would still be in their beds. I assured them that "Mooberry" and "Grant" and "Thunder" and "Lee" and their white blankets and blue blankets and special pillows could still come to bed with them. I don't think they fully trusted me until we tucked them in that first night.

Ace took to his sheets and covers right away, but Ben preferred to sleep on top of everything for the first few nights. And Ace has fallen out three of the four nights. Twice, he never made a sound and we've just found him passed out on the floor. It's a little sad, so if it continues we'll invest in a good bed rail until he adjusts.

<--- And just for fun, a cute picture of Ben riding his trike this morning during our bike ride play date. It was a hoot to see 14 of our little friends on their wheels all at once.

Catching Up

Has it already been 2 weeks since my last post? Goodness, I am behind. We are transitioning to big-kid beds and it appears that the buddies are dropping their nap. That means I've lost my three hours of "free" time each day that I used to use for house work, yard work, meal preparations, laundry, work for my non-profit twin moms group, and yes, blogging. I'm sure we'll all adjust to our new schedule soon. In the meantime, I'll catch up on our recent activities with a few pictures.

Easter Egg Hunt #1: The buddies had a blast at Mia and Alex's house.

Fun with Twin Friends at the Austin Nature and Science Center: *Side note: Have you ever come across a random shoe and wondered to yourself just how exactly a person can lose a shoe and not notice? It happened to us. We had 6 shoes total in our three-person party when we began the outing and only made it home with 5. The buddies each got a new pair the next morning (it was time anyway) and are very proud of their "big shoes".

Easter Egg Hunt #2: Our first attempt at an egg hunt play date was rained out so we brought our baskets to the park the next week and had a blast. Since none of the moms much care for candy, we filled the eggs with stickers and toys. Ben found what was probably the only egg with jelly beans, discarded the rest of his eggs, sat down, and ate. Before long, he had a small crowd of friends surrounding him to share.

Just a cute picture of Ben and one of his favorite girlfriends, Kylie. Isn't she pretty?

Grandpa's surprise 60th birthday party. It was a blast! Grandma hired a band, catered lots of good food and tapped a keg in their neighbor's barn. We got to catch up with family and friends (and a few friends that are practically family) and surprise Ace and Ben's terrific Grandpa with our visit. Happy birthday, Pop!

The buddies, checking out Grandpa's new boat. I think they liked it.

Whew! That brings us back up to date. :)

Our Strawberry Picking Adventure

Today was a magnificent day! We've had lots of fun outings with Me-Mom this week, but today's was probably my favorite. We loaded the car early this morning and headed out to show Me-Mom one of our favorite spots: Sweetberry Farm. It is safe to say, we are regulars there now. We picked their bountiful blackberries last summer, enjoyed the pumpkin patch last fall, and today grabbed our share of their strawberry crop. Five of our little friends met us there with their moms. The kids had a blast running around in the wide open spaces and hunting the ripest, reddest strawberries to pick.

Once we'd all filled our baskets, we strolled over to the goats and chickens. As always, our buddies loved feeding the goats. All seven kids huddled around Me-Mom to watch the farm hands bring in their water and extra feed. After that, we washed up and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch. Amazingly, all seven kids sat nicely around the picnic table.

Since everyone had such a good morning, we treated the kids to some homemade ice cream at the refreshment stand. While the mommies and Me-Mom waited in line to pay, the kids ran around in a field with the farm's red wagons. They gave each other rides or just pulled them empty.

Luckily, there were exactly seven wagons, so when the ice cream arrived, each kid had a nice place to sit. We couldn't have planned it more perfectly.

The only thing we missed were our cousins, who we'd planned to pick with at another farm (which turned out to be closed). Ace and Ben were hyped to see them and talked about their "big kid" cousins (and their trucks) at the breakfast table this morning. Maybe we'll catch them for the upcoming blackberry picking season.

See the rest of our pictures here.

A Great Day at Sea World

Today the buddies, Me-Mom and I enjoyed a trip to Sea World San Antonio. It was a fabulous time! We took in three shows, ran around in Shamu's Happy Harbor (a play area for little tikes), fed the sea lions (the fastest $4 I've ever spent!), and enjoyed all the sites. Both boys said their favorite part of the day was the "Viva" show. I'll admit I only saw about half of the show, as I couldn't take my eyes off of the buddies' smiling faces. They were awed by the acrobats of both land and sea. They also really enjoyed watching the "choo choo trains" (roller coasters) and the "boats" (Journey to Atlantis ride). And Me-Mom let them each pick a stuffed animal at the gift shop. Both chose Shamu - of course!

Since I didn't have much of an opportunity to take pictures, I've borrowed the photos and text below from www.seaworld.com, so that everyone can see what we saw today. Enjoy!

Beluga Stadium comes alive with the revolutionary "Viva!" show. This colorful production features professional high divers, aerialists and synchronized swimmers performing with the acrobats of the sea, Pacific white-sided dolphins and beautiful beluga whales, all against a dramatic backdrop of water screens, waterfalls and fountains. Don't miss this highly-rated show!

"Believe," a visually stunning Shamu show takes you on a sensational, breathtaking journey of curiosity and wonder. This captivating, dramatic show presented daily, features music, video and animal behaviors in a theater setting. During the high-energy water sessions, guests seated in the first 14 rows must be prepared to become splash victims! An interactive website, www.Shamu.com, highlights the breathtaking displays of grace and beauty during "Believe." Come see why Shamu is famous!

Rock-and-rollers on water skis fly across SeaWorld San Antonio’s scenic Water Ski Lake in “Rockin’ Ski Party.” This fast-paced ski show includes daredevil skiers performing to the sounds of rock-and-roll music. “Rockin’ Ski Party” features many ski elements including pair, swivel and solo skiing.

A big thank you to Uncle Dan! Today's Sea World Adventure was sponsored by his generous Christmas gift to our family. Thanks Uncle Dan!!

Country Boys!

We accepted another invitation to my cousin's farm and headed out this morning. The buddies have come to refer to it as "the farm" and have grown pretty fond of the place. That's probably because both times we've been there they've made a cool craft and had plenty of outdoor time. Today, they made bird's nests out of chow mein noodles, chocolate and butterscotch chips, and jelly beans. They loved it!




Next, they enjoyed a special treat: fishing! Grandpa, are you jealous?? Ace particularly loved fishing and held onto his pole long after the other boys had grown tired of the sport. Check out the picture of him happily fishing with mud on his legs, a bruise on his cheek, and a shiner under his left eye. As he regularly informs us, he's a "tough kid".




After a few hours of fun, we loaded up two exhausted kids and headed home. Both slept on the ride home. Ace awoke as we pulled into the garage and said, "I go back to the farm?" Thanks for the fun day, cousins!

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.