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.

"Treat!" "Thank you!" "Next house!"

We began our Halloween evening at our annual neighbor- hood block party and potluck. After everyone had eaten, the kids strutted around in a parade, played for a bit, and then dispersed to ring doorbells and fill their buckets with candy.

Ace and Ben loved trick or treating this year. They started out saying "trick or treat" but after a few houses, shortened it to, "treat!". It makes sense, since that was what they wanted. And oh how they loved reaching in and grabbing their candy. After ten or so houses, it went something like this:

Ace: "Treat!"
Ben: "Ben treat too!"
(both grabbing candy (nicely))
Me: "Say thank you."
Both: "Thank you!"
Ace: "Next house!"
Ben: "Yea, next house, Ace! Come on!"

They really had it down. Ben was most excited at the house that was giving away lollipops. He said, "Oooh, suckers! I like suckers! Yea, Ben!" And Ace excitedly told his daddy all about the play dough one of our neighbors gave him. We stayed out so late that we missed all the trick or treaters that would have stopped by our house. If anyone needs some candy, head on over!

Pumpkin Painting

Check out our video!

Busy Halloween Week

In the last four days, we've attended three Halloween parties. And we have one more tomorrow. And this mommy is just about Halloweened-out. But tomorrow, we'll paint our pumpkins, join our neighbors for a block party, and then end it all with some trick or treating. The buddies can actually say, "trick or treat" this year (although I don't know if they'll say it at people's doors) and I'm excited!

A quick summary of the last few days:

Friday: Between the two of us, Steve and I, put in 16 man-hours creating Ace and Ben's train costumes, made out of diaper boxes and oatmeal canisters (two things we have in excess). Cute, huh?

Saturday: We attended their friend Mia's 2nd Annual Halloween Party. It was a blast with more than 70 people attending. There were games, play dough stations, lots of great costumes, lots of great food, and some drinks for the grown-ups.

Monday: Ace and Ben and I attended their Halloween Parade and Party at school. The parade was a hoot. The whole preschool dressed up and sang Halloween songs for the parents. Then, each class paraded around the gym in all their glory. Our two year old class didn't completely get it (or at least didn't want to sit and watch while the other classes paraded), but they had fun. Ace and Ben were very proud of their train costumes and strutted around the gym like they owned the place.


Tuesday: 11 moms, 1 nanny, and 26 kids came to our house for our 2nd Annual Halloween Party Playdate. The kids played in our bounce house and Play Hut maze, created Halloween magnet crafts, decorated cookies, strutted around in their costumes, and ate a festive lunch of mummy dogs and apple slices. After all the festivities, our house looked like a tsunami hit it, but everyone pitched in to clean up and we're back to normal now.

Check back tomorrow for pics from the big night!

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

The buddies and I met some friends at Sweetberry Farm this morning, to take part in their Pumpkin Patch and enjoy their many other Fall activities. Many of you may remember our trek to this farm in late Spring for blackberry picking. Our trip today was just as much fun, if not more so. Four other moms from my multiples club joined us and collectively, we watched after 12 kids, aged 3 and under. An interesting side-note is that those 12 kids came from only 5 pregnancies.

Sweetberry Farm's fall activities include: scarecrow stuffing, a cornfield maze, pumpkin painting, hay rides, homemade pumpkin ice cream, and an informal petting zoo of goats, horses, donkeys and chickens. Our kids took part in the petting zoo and a few enjoyed some ice cream. The rest of the time was spent running around and discovering the many pumpkins and gourds.

Ace and Ben's favorite part of the day was playing in the boat filled with pie pumpkins. They also enjoyed an old truck, filled with more pie pumpkins. These two enjoy many different modes of transportation, especially when filled with pumpkins. Ace is really into colors now and enjoyed telling all his little friends that the pumpkins were "organge". Each boy got to pick out two pumpkins and both hugged them all the way home.

Daddy's Fans

The buddies spent some quality time this evening watching their daddy's softball game. Five of the men on the team have twins (although two of them are my girlfriend's husbands, who recently joined the team). Ace and Ben and their friend Sawyer enjoyed running up and down the bleachers, scootching trucks, giving each other wagon rides, and occasionally yelling, "Yea, Daddy!". The final score was 10-6, but Sawyer's mom and I were so busy that neither of us know who won the game.

Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum

We had an errand to run downtown this morning, so we used the trip as an excuse to tour Austin's Umlauf Scuplture Garden and Museum. The museum opened in 1991, after Charles Umlauf and his wife donated their home, studio, and 168 pieces of his sculpture to the City of Austin. For a mere $3.50, the three of us toured the lovely gardens with bronze sculptures throughout.

The museum docent gave Ace and Ben each a "seek and find" sheet with a few photos of the sculptures and we enjoyed identifying and circling them as we toured. The buddies particularly enjoyed the small animal sculptures. They saw a rhino, a rooster, a wild boar, a horse, a hippo, and a dog all in one child-friendly area. Another favorite was the anatomically correct baby boy. They pointed out all of his many body parts - feet, hands, head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and of course his "pee-pee".

My favorite sculpture, "Hope for the Future", depicts a father and mother holding up their infant son. Ace pointed out the "Mommy", "Daddy", and "Baby" in the piece. I wonder if he was confused that there weren't two babies...

Three Years of Pumpkins

Forgive me for being nostalgic, but after taking the boys by the pumpkin patch at their preschool this morning, I started thinking about our other pumpkin pictures. Is this really our third Autumn?? Each year, I've dressed the buddies in their favorite Fall clothes (okay, not this year - today's was a spur of the moment trip) and trekked them out to a pumpkin patch for pictures. Our first Autumn, they couldn't quite sit up, but I love the pictures of them slouched over the pumpkins. I remember thinking how much easier it would be to get a good picture when they could sit on their own. Last year, they could sit, but wouldn't sit still long enough for me to snap a picture. I remember thinking it would be easier when they could understand me when I asked them to sit still and smile. So, this year, I calmly explained to my almost 2 1/2 year olds that they should sit together, look at the camera, and say "cheese!". Ben obliged (at least for a second) but Ace was too busy bowling the pumpkins to bother. I love all three pictures like only a mommy could. Maybe next year it will be easier...

5 months old

17 months old

29 months old

Learning about Autumn

The buddies and I awoke to a glorious, cloud- covered sky this morning and headed out of the house to celebrate the first day that feels like Autumn. Well, it sort-of, feels like Autumn. The temperature here is 79 degrees but there is a distinctive crispness in the air. Really! At one of our favorite parks, we found a lone tree whose leaves decided to turn. The buddies took turns picking leaves off the poor little tree, proclaiming, "organge!".

They spent the next hour and a half tromping all over the park. They counted the dinosaurs a dozen times, practiced what they call "big jumps" off the larger playscape, played on the swings, tackled the balance beam, and ran through the neighboring woods. We had the entire park to ourselves so I guess our neighbors didn't find the ominous skies as inviting as we did.

All Is Well

After a short trip to the hospital with Ben on Thursday, we are all home and healthy. I don't want to take up too much blog space writing about coughs and sniffles and wheezies and RSV so I'll try to keep it short and post something a little more fun as soon as I can.

Ace was a model patient during his stay at Dell Children's and it is safe to say that he was a favorite among the nurses and respiratory therapists. He is such an easy-going kid and took everything in stride. A very nice Child Life Specialist brought him loads of puzzles and trains and once he felt a little better, he had a grand time playing in his bed. The new hospital has so many fun things to offer their patients. Ace was in contact isolation in his room and didn't get to check out most of it but during my early morning coffee run I saw lots of playrooms and many outdoor play areas. I hope we're never sick enough to return but I'm glad to know it is all there.

After this episode and considering their daddy's history of asthma, our pediatrician is fairly certain that both boys will eventually be diagnosed. Since respiratory problems are one of my slightly irrational mommy fears (funny, I prefer my kids breathing), I'll be watching them closely. My hospital bag is still packed with essentials like toys, books, movies, shampoo, protein bars (so I can keep my strength up and not have to leave the room to get food), a change of clothes, and a hair dryer. Hopefully, I won't need it and hopefully I'll find the strength to unpack it soon.

Ben's trip to the ER. It was an unnecessary trip but my mommy-fears got the best of me.

Ace sleeping with his little friends in the hospital. The middle bear, named "Woo-Woo", was given to him by the friendly EMT on the ambulance ride over. Get it? Ambulances go "woo-woo". Ace loved that!

What a Difference a Day Makes

Ace, yesterday.

Ace, today, at discharge.

Many of you know that Ace and I spent a few days at Dell Children's Center for his acute asthma attack, brought on by RSV. I'm running on fumes and will write more later, but wanted everyone to know that Ace and I are home and he is doing great (as shown in the picture above). Grandma arrived this afternoon and is taking good care of all of us. The buddies are thrilled to be reunited and spent the afternoon chasing each other around the house. We'll check back in with our pediatrician tomorrow and report back soon.