Christmas Parade

This morning, Steve and I took the buddies downtown to the Chuy's Children Giving to Children Parade. During this annual event, spectators bring unwrapped toys to the parade to donate to the Operation Blue Santa Program. Midway through, the parade stops and all children are invited to deliver their gifts to the floats.

The buddies saw some of their favorite characters: Elmo, Curious George, Big Bird, Bob-the-Builder, Rainbow Bear, Rudolf, and of course, Santa Claus. They were enthralled by the floats and giant character balloons and loved all the dogs, horses, llama's, and ponies in the parade. Ben danced to the beat of every marching band and Ace shouted for joy when carolers on a float sang "Jingle Bells".

Curious George, brought to you by Starbucks!

Ace, watching the parade from his perch on Daddy's shoulders.

Ben didn't take his eyes off the parade.

One of the toy trucks, filled to the brim!

2006 Turkey Trot

My family has participated in the Dallas Turkey Trot every year since 1994. So, when my folks decided to jet off to St. Croix this year, it became our responsibility uphold the tradition. We were thrilled to discover that Austin also has a Turkey Trot!

The Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot is much like the one we love in Dallas, only on a smaller scale. The Austin trot is 8,000 runners strong, compared to Dallas' 26,000. We really enjoyed the smaller crowd - parking was easier (and free!) and we were able to let the buddies run around a little before the race.

After the race, plenty of snacks and drinks were available, including juice boxes and big cookies for the buddies. They LOVED the cookies! Ace drank his juice box plus half of Ben's - I think he liked using the straw like a big kid. This year, we didn't cart away all the free food we could carry or take pictures of each other as we exited the port-a-potties. Sorry, Grandma - some traditions can wait until next year when you join us.

We were the only participants wearing festive hats, but we're sure this tradition will catch on in a few years. I really think my folks were the first to wear silly hats to the Dallas trot. Now, so many people wear them at the Dallas trot that vendors actually sell turkey hats on race day. Of course, none of the hats can ever compete with Grandpa's bun-warmer turkey hat or Grandma's cornucopia hat. Look out, Austin - next year we'll have some experienced trotters in town!

A Photo Shoot at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center

Well, I've finally done it. After taking 200+ photos in that last two weeks, I finally have a picture for our Christmas cards. The buddies are fast and it is tough catching them in the same spot for even a second. I won't spoil the fun by posting our Christmas card photos, but these are some of my other favorites from today's outing.

We met our friends Allison and Annie at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center this morning to enjoy the nice weather and take pictures. It took all three of us to manage the buddies, their stroller, and the camera. I was so grateful that they could join us! The buddies were glad too, since they had more people to charm.


They loved running down the paths and climbing on the rocks and benches. The world is one big playground for these two.

The Wildflower Center was founded in 1982 by Lady Bird Johnson and the late Helen Hayes. The center protects and preserves North America's native plants and is known as the best place to take bluebonnet photos during Spring. We'll be back to check it out.

And the Winners Are...

Katie and Grandma!!! You two have correctly identified the buddies' bottoms. Congratulations! Below is a photo taken moments later, after they stood and turned around.

Cute bottoms

Quick Poll: Which bottom belongs to Ace and which one is Ben? Leave your answers in the comments section.

Now if only I could get a picture of their cute faces for our Christmas cards...

Dear Santa...

Can you believe the buddies didn't say one word to Santa today?? Here was their chance to ask for all the toys and goodies in the world and neither made a peep. They were a little afraid of their bearded friend and certainly didn't give us a smile, but they were pretty cooperative, all things considered.

A Shout Out to Our Cousins in Helsinki!!

I spent the afternoon breaking a sweat while planting my winter flowers in 80 degree heat. So, when the buddies woke from their nap, we filled their pool in the backyard and went for a swim. Yes, it is mid-November, I'm already preparing for the holidays, and we're swimming. You gotta love Texas weather!

Later, when I logged onto my cousin's blog, I learned that her family is enjoying quite a different November experience this year. I'm not sure I would enjoy their freezing weather and blizzards, but it would be nice to find a happy medium between the two.

Hello, cousins! We miss you guys!

November in Texas

November in Helsinki

Opposites

I've been trying for days to take one good picture of each boy in a Santa hat and their favorite overalls. Ace complied during our first photo shoot and gave me a great big smile. Capturing that same excitement in Ben has proved difficult. It's not that he's not a happy little guy - he totally is. He just gets really involved in whatever he's doing and can't be persuaded to stop and smile for the camera. Whether he's driving his cars or sorting shapes or stacking blocks, he gets completely engrossed in the task.

Today, I tried yet again to get that one picture. First, I wiped the crusty booger beard off his face (his nose won't stop running and he smears it all over himself). Then, I put him in his overalls and hat. Ace still hadn't been dressed for the day and was running around in his diaper. This is what I got:


Meanwhile, Ace, who was watching the whole thing with much interest, was trying to get my attention to take his picture. He's quite the ham for the camera.

Could these two BE any more different???

A Visit With Our Dallas Friends

We enjoyed our weekend with friends, Marc, Amy, and Lane, from Dallas. The buddies were busy entertaining their new younger friend. Lane is such a good baby and just sat observing our crazy little guys all weekend. Here are some of my favorite pictures:

We'll show this picture to their girlfriends one day...

The buddies, looking to get in on Lane's snacks.

Ready to eat barbecue at Rudy's.

We LOVE going for walks. Yippee!

Our 18 Month Stats

We saw our pediatrician this morning for our 18 month well check. Both boys are recovering from a cold but otherwise are doing great! We were able to get our first round of the coveted flu vaccine and will be back next month for the second dose. Our stats are as follows:

Ace:
Height: 34", 95th percentile
Weight: 27 lbs, 10 oz, 60th percentile

Ben:
Height: 32", 50th percentile
Weight: 24 lbs, 10 oz, 30th percentile

We had a long discussion about asthma, since both boys have had breathing difficulties related to viral infections in the last month. Steve and I feel a lot better after discussing our concerns with their doctor. He does not think they have asthma, but rather that they are prone to wheezing when they have infections. We have a home nebulizer and a huge supply of xopenex, should we have problems in the future.

And the best news is we don't have to return to the pediatrician's office for a well-check for 6 months!

A Playgroup Halloween Party

The buddies have been quite the party animals lately. In the past 4 days, they've attended a Fall Picnic and two Halloween Parties. Today, they had 12 of their friends over to our house for a Playgroup Halloween Party. Their little friends enjoyed the scary haunted house in Ace and Ben's room. Then, the kids made handprint spiders and footprint ghosts. Miraculously, our house isn't covered in black and white paint. :) We served lots of spooky treats - hotdog ghosts (we borrowed the idea from Mia's party), pumpkin muffins, and chocolate cookie worms.

We all enjoyed the good company and Ace and Ben were two tired puppies by the end of the party. Check out all the great costumes here!

Mia's Disney Halloween Party

Yesterday afternoon, the buddies went to a Halloween Party at their friend Mia's house. It was an incredible party. Mia's parents, Jean and Dan, served an amazing buffet of spooky foods - hot dog ghosts, lady fingers (with red fingernails!), punch with floating ice "bones", creepy crudite, plus lots of homemade Halloween desserts.

The buddies played with Mia's toys and ran all over her big backyard. Ace learned to walk up and down stairs while holding onto the railing. I'm not sure I'm ready for him to practice this skill at home - his Dad was watching him when he tried this out at the party. They even stayed up past their bedtime, since we were all having such a good time and they were behaving so well. They are good little boys.

And... our family took home the trophy for best costumes. The buddies dressed as dalmations, Steve was Horace, the robber, and I went as Cruella DeVille.

AMOM Fall Picnic

This morning, we met our Austin Moms of Multiples friends for a fall picnic in the park. The weather was fantastic and the buddies loved the playground. There were many sets of twins and triplets attending.

Ace and Ben were excited to introduce their playgroup friends to their Dad. They slid down the slides, ran around, ate barbecue, played in the mini - pumpkin patch, enjoyed the swings, threw rocks (and went into time out for it), made fall door- hangers, and had a wonderful time.

And Grandma will be happy to see that they wore big-kid shoes instead of their usual Robeez. Ben cried for 30 minutes before we left the house because he didn't like the stiff feel of his new outdoor shoes but he quickly forgot when he spotted the playground.

Autumn in Austin - Finally!

Temperatures have finally lowered to the 60's so we put on our warm clothes and headed to a nearby pumpkin patch this morning. Enjoy the pictures!

A Day in the Life

The buddies are recovering from yet-another illness so today was the first time in a few days that they left our house. We all hate being cooped up, so even a trip to the grocery store seemed exciting - for all three of us!





They are beginning to remember each section of the store and have favorite things to look forward to. For instance, when we enter the produce section, they enjoy belting out, "nana! nana! nana!" so that every shopper within 50 feet knows that they know that those yellow things are bananas. They are so proud. And, they know that they'll get a cookie or a cracker in dry goods - I wouldn't dream of putting the graham cracker box in our cart without opening it first. After that, we head to the freezer aisle where there is a big picture of a cow - Ace loves to point at it and shout, "dog-dog! dog-dog!". (We're working on that one.) All of that is very exciting, but their favorite part of the outing is when we check out and one of their many admirers brings them each a balloon. And, after they get their balloons, they know it is time to leave soon so they wave "bye-bye" to anyone that will look their way. They are predictable, funny, little guys.

Hiking Mount Bonnell

With scenic views of the Colorado River and downtown Austin, Mount Bonnell has been a popular hiking and picnicking destination since the mid-1800's. It has been on my list of things to see in Austin for months. Today seemed like the perfect day to make the hike so we loaded the buddies and their backpacks in the car and drove twenty minutes to our destination. We enjoyed the fresh air and and scenic views, even with 23 and 27 pounds strapped to our backs.

The Legends of Mount Bonnell:

- In the 1830's, the peak was nicknamed "Antonette's Leap" after a young woman jumped to her death to escape capture by Indians who had earlier murdered her fiance.

- Golden Nell and her husband Beau also leaped to avoid torture.

- And my favorite: A couple that climbs the steps of Mount Bonnell together once will fall in love, twice will become engaged, and three times will get married. We'll have to warn the buddies to be weary of girls that invite them on hiking dates.

A stop-over in San Antonio

Steve had never been to San Antonio, so we decided to stop for a few hours during our drive home from Port Aransas today. We will definitely have to return for a longer visit, especially once the buddies are older.

Our first stop during today's visit was the Alamo. It has been years since I've taken a Texas history class, but I still get chills thinking about Colonel Travis drawing a line on the ground, asking any man willing to stay and fight to step over. Legend has it that all but one did. Over 150 years later, the Alamo is still a worldwide symbol of a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds - a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

After touring the Alamo and its grounds, we decided we were in need of refresh- ments and headed to the Riverwalk. In case anyone is wondering, the Riverwalk is NOT stroller friendly. We encountered numerous sets of stairs along the way and not one single ramp. We were delighted to finally find a few elevators, but then stepped out only to find more stairs. In any case, we found a restaurant with a lovely table in the shade, right on the river, and I enjoyed a top shelf margarita while Steve sipped a beer. The buddies shared a cheese enchilada plate and didn't leave a single bite for us.

Port Aransas Trip

My new favorite thing about living in Austin is the array of inexpensive mini- vacation destinations within driving distance of our fine city. After just 4 hours in the car, we can be sitting on the beach. After 1 hour, we can enjoy San Antonio and all it has to offer - Sea World, Fiesta Texas, the Alamo, and the Riverwalk. Schlitterbahn, the world's number one water park, is just an hour's drive away. And for the grown-ups, Bocktoberfest in Shiner, TX is a blast. Or, if the mood strikes (and babysitters are available), we can enjoy a romantic weekend at a bed and breakfast in Fredericksburg.

We returned today from a much- needed long weekend in Port Aransas, TX. Port Aransas is a quiet fishing town on Mustang Island, just off the Texas coast. With sandy beaches and clear blue water, it is a favorite beach destination for families in central Texas.

We had a fabulous time! Each morning, after breakfast, the buddies and I loaded up the stroller and went for long walks on the beach. After lunch and naps, we'd load up all our gear and head back for hours of fun. The water was still warm after the hot summer and both boys loved it. Ace cracked up while swimming with the crashing waves and even our sometimes-skittish Ben let out some joyful shouts. They chased after seagulls, dug in the sand, flirted with every lady that looked their way, and swam, swam, swam.

Check out our pics here!

Our Port Aransas Home-Away-From-Home

Steve called it "a dump that had been painted bright colors". Brian and Kathy's cottage smelled funny and had mysteriously sticky floors. I thought it was a funny little place to stay and can't wait to go back! A Laughing Horse Lodge was built in the 50's and renovated (ie - the inside walls were painted bright, crazy colors) in the 90's.

Our cottage, Crazy Horse, had two bedrooms, a full kitchen, a bathroom, central a/c, cable tv, wi-fi, and loads of charm. We grilled steaks on our porch and enjoyed a fantastic evening playing cards with Brian and Kathy while the buddies slept in their own room. And most importantly, we were just a 5-minute walk to the beach! The only downside was we didn't have a bathtub so the buddies had to experience their first showers. Ace didn't mind, but Ben wasn't a fan and wanted to be held. He's a slippery little fellow when he's all soaped-up!

Daddy's Birthday

I'm sure I won't win the mom of the year award for feeding Ben chocolate cake the day after his visit to the Emergency Room. But, some things are sacred in our house, and birthdays are one of those things. Plus, the doctors did tell me to keep Ben happy for the next several days since crying can bring on more respiratory distress. I can't think of a better way to keep someone happy than a big helping of chocolate cake!

We've had a good day, despite being cooped up in the house while we wait for Ben's croup to pass. Steve opened his birthday presents this morning, while the buddies ate breakfast. We spent the rest of the day moving from room to room in our house and from the front yard to the back yard to play. The buddies barely seemed to notice that we never left the house since they saw a lot of variety.

Tonight, we'll have cake after dinner, but since the buddies will be in bed, I let them lick the icing from the beaters (a first for them!) and eat the scraps that I cut away to level the cake. Ummm, they thought it was good!