Another First - Child Care

Steve and I are taking a 5-week Love and Logic course called "Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun". Our first class was this evening so the buddies had their first experience with childcare. We arrived 15 minutes early, prepared for teary, panicked goodbyes when we dropped them with their new caregivers. But, 30 seconds later, Steve and I were in the classroom next door with our emergency beeper and the buddies were happily scooting cars around in their room. Two hours after that, we picked up two happy but very tired boys (it was over an hour past their bedtime) and headed home. One of the childcare providers said they stuck together the whole time and were happy as clams.

Mommy's Day Out

I didn't get to relax, but the work I did this morning will save me loads of time over the next few weeks. This morning, the buddies stayed at home with their dad while I joined 6 fellow twin moms in a commercial kitchen downtown for cooking club. Everyone prepared 2 entrees for each family and walked away with 14 ready-made meals! Although I'm not one that loves to cook, I really had a fantastic time chatting with the other moms while we chopped, baked, and sipped mimosas. Over the next few weeks, we'll be dining on pork chops stuffed with cherries, ginger and pine nuts; spice rubbed baby back ribs; turkey florentine meatloaf; chicken cutlets stuffed with olives, feta and red peppers; chicken and mango curry; beef with broccoli; fajitas; and many more tasty dishes! And the work will be minimal - jealous anyone?

And best of all, I came home to a quiet house that had been freshly vacuumed by Steve - and I didn't even ask! He also mowed the lawn during the buddies' nap so I have to say I feel a little outdone. I never get THAT much work done during naptime.

More Texoma Pictures

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Our 15 Month Stats

We were 6 weeks late for our 15 month well check today. It was a good visit and everyone is healthy and happy. Here are our stats:

Ace
height: 34" (this is really tall - he's not even on the growth chart!)
weight: 27 pounds (80th percentile, but slender for his height)
head circumference: 48.7 cm

Ben
height: 31 1/2 inches (55th percentile - also tall!)
weight: 23 pounds (30th percentile, also slender for his height)
head circumference: 48 inches

We just had two shots today, but boy they were mad about them. Both boys took off their band aids in the car and chewed on them. I was driving on the highway shouting, "No eat! Yucky! No eat!". It was really tempting to reach back and yank them away but that wouldn't have been safe at 60 mph so they both ate a little band aid. Next time they're wearing long pants. Boys are gross.

More Pictures from the Weekend

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The First Annual Festival of the Testicle

The first annual Festival of the Testicle at Lake Texoma was quite the event. My dad and his neighbor cooked up loads of calf fries, lamb fries, and sissy fries (chicken nuggets) and pleased crowds of people. Yes, the buddies ate calf fries and lamb fries, as did Steve, who also went back for seconds. I ate a tiny bite after I was told I couldn't buy a t-shirt next year otherwise, but mostly loaded up on the delicious pot-luck sides and desserts that the neighbors brought.

There were lots of cow-themed games for the kids - pin the tail on the bull, bull ring toss, a cow pinata, and a bull bean bag toss. The buddies played all the games right alongside the big kids and thought it was just great.

You can be sure we'll be back next year for the second annual - for the good company rather than another helping of fries.

More Festival pics

The Buddies at School

Ace and Ben spent the afternoon at Grandma's school yesterday. They arrived just in time for Grandma to show them off to all her teacher friends. Then, it was time for snack and the buddies sat around the table just like all the big kids. They thought they were so grown up. The school day ended with songs. Grandma's class danced to the chicken dance, the abc song, and a few others. It was great fun.

We are at Grandma and Grandpa's house today. Great Granny and Great Gramps are here so the buddies are getting lots of love and attention. They are swimming, chasing dogs, running around, playing with Suzi and Sally, and eating Grandma's good cooking. Ace and Ben wish this vacation would last forever.

Our Dallas Trip

The buddies and I are visiting friends in Dallas. Steve had to stay home in Austin, but don't feel sorry for him. He's going on a booze cruise with his office this afternoon.

We are staying with good friends, Mike, Mitzi, and baby Caroline. Caroline is not sure about having her old boyfriends back in her house. Yesterday, she looked at them several times and said, "bye bye". Sorry Caroline, we're here for one more night.

This morning, I took the buddies to see Leigh Ann, who lived across the street from my family growing up. Me-Ma, as the buddies know her, took us to "my' park and we let them roam. The park has been upgraded since I was a kid and there is a great toddler area with tunnels. The buddies loved crawling through them.















Then, we were off to meet Judy, my old VP from VarTec, for lunch. It was great to catch up with her. Ben and Ace chowed down on hotdogs and french fries and batted their eyelashes at Miss Judy. We are raising a couple of flirts.

Livin' the Good Life

The buddies think they are pretty lucky boys after this morning. We've found our new favorite place to play in Austin. Radijazz is a huge indoor playground with tons of fun things for toddlers. There is a riverscape with pretend canoes, turtles, swans, alligators, waterfalls, and islands for the kids to climb. The best part was the huge volcano, filled with red foam "lava" cubes. We met several of their twin friends there and everyone had a fantastic time.




<-- Check out Ben, climbing an island. He was one busy guy this morning. They loved opening and closing the windows to the castle... until Ace's fingers got pinched. --->

Pre-Festical Activities

Next week, we're attending the first annual Festival of the Testicle (or Festical for short). My dad and a couple of his crazy neighbors hatched this idea in order to get a group together on Labor Day to eat calf fries, a true Texas delicacy. We thought it would be wise to familiarize the buddies with cows before this event so we took them to see this famous Austin landmark.
The Arboretum Cows are just one of many items on our list of things to see in Austin. The cows are in a beautiful area of Austin with lots of trees, fountains, and great shopping. While we were there, we also discovered a great duck pond so we'll be back this fall to feed them.

Another Busy Morning

We've had a busy morning. First, the buddies met their friends at the park. They had a great time climbing on the jungle gym and swinging. Ace ran in front of Ben's swing and before I could get to him he got smashed. He should have a nice shiner tomorrow but he's okay.

After the park, we went to the mall and had lunch in the foodcourt with my friend Carol and her twins, Drew and Amelia. Ace and Ben love mongolian chicken with chow mein noodles. Afterwards, all four kids got to play at the mall play area. Drew escaped and was banging his head on the bookstore window before Carol or I noticed. He's a fast one!

When everyone was done playing we went to Stride Rite where Carol and I were shocked at the prices. $46 for a pair of toddler shoes!! Not to mention that we each would have to buy two pair. I had the saleslady measure everyone's feet and we'll try to find a better deal somewhere else. Ben was a size 6 extrawide and Ace was a 6 1/2 extrawide.

Duck Wrestling

I think the pictures speak for themselves. I just wish everyone else could hear the fits of hysterical giggles.

Daddy's Barber Shop

It was that time again. The buddies had their third haircut today. Since they hate it, we made sure they had a great day swimming at our neighborhood pool first. Then, after dinner, we plopped them in booster seats and Steve went after them with the clippers. Poor buddies!




They recovered pretty quickly and were back to their normal selves. They even invented a new game, all on their own. Stay tuned...

My Mother's Daughter

Anyone that has ever met my mom knows that she is a bargain shopper. She finds treasures at garage sales, auctions, thrift stores, and even the side of the road sometimes. I remember when I was in the sixth grade, she found an antique desk chair that was falling apart and badly in need of refinishing in front of someone's house with the garbage. She brought it home and my dad refinished it into a beautiful chair. The next year, I started 7th grade and met my good friend, Tracey. The first time Tracey came over to our house and saw the chair she said, "We used to have a chair just like this, but it wasn't nearly this nice. We threw it out in the trash." My parents still have Tracey's chair in their house, and it's still beautiful. Since we've had the buddies, Grandma has brought them loads of toys for a fraction of what they'd cost retail and we love it.

My point to this story is that I've basically inherited this trait (or sickness) from my mom. A friend mentioned that she was having a garage sale with a lot of her 4 year-old twins' things and I was at her house the second it began. Look at all the cool stuff I bought!! The buddies love their castle slide ($3 - retails for $79.99) and their teeter totter ($2- retails for $39.99). I also brought home some board books and a big pile of clothes - lots of pjs and some nice fall / winter outfits. Grandma will be so proud!

Another Trip to the Park

Ace has had several diaper mal- functions this week so we haven't been out much. His tummy must be bothering him, but I'll spare everyone the gory details. Luckily, he seems fine in every other way and is still a happy, chattering toddler.

We did get out of the house for a quick trip to the park. We're all three looking forward to cooler weather so more of their neighborhood friends will be out. Our park has a large covered play area, so at least we can play in the shade when it's 100 degrees outside.

Check out our new double jogging stroller! The buddies like sitting next to each other.

3 Eagles Fans at Rudy's

Steve took us all out for Rudy's Bar-B-Q today after winning a gift card at work. Ace liked the sausage and Ben ate up the white bread and pickles. Afterwards, we went to the mall so the buddies could show their dad our new favorite playground.

Steve is excited about the first pre-season Eagles game tonight. For the bargain price of $45.80 per month, we are NFL Sunday ticket subscribers. What that buys me is a husband at home and not off at a sports bar every Sunday since the local channels don't broadcast Eagles games. It is worth every penny.

Thanks for the t-shirts, cousins!

The buddies got a package in the mail yesterday from the Knuff's in Helsinki, Finland. They love the t-shirts. Now we wish they'd send some of their 60 degree weather our way.

A New Place to Play

The buddies took me shopping today during the first day of Tax Free Weekend. We found some new clothes for their dad that he desperately needs. He hasn't bought himself any new clothes since 2002! We stuck to his "under $10 per item rule" and still managed to get him some nice things. It's a good thing he's an engineer and doesn't have to dress up for work.

We also found a new place to play, away from the Texas heat. We loved the enclosed toddler playground at the mall and may become frequent visitors at least until it cools down a little.


Ben climbed in the airplane all by himself!!

A Visit from Aunt Carlee and Cousin Michael

We have had another great visit from Aunt Carlee and Cousin Michael. They arrived just after lunch yesterday and we had a great day just hanging out and playing. The buddies love their cousin, Michael and watch every move he makes when he's here.

After the boys went to bed, Carlee gave me a Mary Kay facial (wonderful!) and we played Uno (I won both games!) and Monopoly (Steve was the big winner with Michael hanging on for an amazing second place). This morning, Carlee gave me a Mary Kay makeover so I'll be the most glamorous mom at the park this afternoon. We love having family in town, especially now that we all live further away.

Another Play Group Day

We love our playgroup. The other moms are great, the kids are great, and we love wrecking someone else's house for a change. We had twelve kids today (5 sets of twins and two singleton siblings). The buddies are in for a long nap (I hope) and I think I might take one as well after all the excitement.