Symphony Concert in the Park

Last summer we decided to brave keeping the boys up past their bedtimes for the first time ever. We were nervous. In the months after starting to sleep through the night, their routine was very precious to us. Now that we'd had a taste of sleeping normally again, we were reluctant to try anything that might screw that up. But with some prompting from friends, we risked it. We took the boys to their first ever concert in the park held by the Austin Symphony Orchestra just south of downtown.

And they loved it.

That same summer series kicked off again a few weeks ago. Last night the woodwinds played, and we were there to enjoy it.

Joseph immediately ran up to the stage with his buddies Connor, Dorian & Roman.

Hi, Mom!

Luke hung back with Ethan and got a few snuggles from Nina while he took in the scene at his own pace.





Joseph's best dance move, jumping.



My attempt at getting a cute shot of Luke with the Austin skyline. Ha! Grapes took priority.

Me, hanging out with my handsome, hungry men

I love this man. Happy Father's Day, Greg.

Hugfest on the dance floor. Joseph cozied up to the little blond girl in the pink dress, this kid and his father.



Luke did a little dancing, but he was much more interested in running up and down the hill that makes up the concert park. And tossing balls with Daddy.


Joseph thinks there needs to be less ball-throwing...


...and more dancing!

It worked. Briefly.

The floor has lighted tiles. Joseph was enthralled.




Charlie thought it was pretty cool too.



A bunch of the kids felt like the middle of the dance floor was a good place to lie down and take a leisurely break. I stood by the side, resisting my helicopter parenting urges, just hoping that no one would fall on him. Amazingly, I didn't see one kiddo get clobbered or cry the entire night.


Ah, the symphony. Where the mosh pit is so much more considerate.

This was as good a time as any to take a quick pretzel break for Joseph and a sitting break for Mommy. The temperature wasn't bad once the sun set, but look at poor Joseph's flushed cheeks! He was partying hard out there and loving every minute of it.


And then right back into the action!


It was a great Father's Day weekend, action-packed and full of fun. As challenging and exhausting as daddy-hood can be sometimes, days like this really make you appreciate the awesomeness that is parenthood. Hope you had a great one too!

The boys are 2 and 2 weeks.

My Beautiful Family

There's a local photographer whose work I've been coveting for years. I love her photos. They are so fresh and sweet and light. She captures so many secret, quiet moments between loved ones that some of them have honestly made me choke up a little. Or a lot if I'm perfectly honest.

They make me happy. But none of them more so than these!

Look at my handsome boys!!! I am in love all over again!


We had a shoot with her bright and early this morning that I've been preparing for and anticipating for months. We met in a parking garage of all places and spent probably an hour and a half with her. The boys were really confused. New clothes, new person, out of the house bright and early, being plopped down all over the place and having goofy noises and goofy Daddy bouncing around them for no apparent reason. The weather was hot & humid. And yet, what came out of it were these gorgeous photos!

Greg and I saw the sneak peak this afternoon and were blown away. I mean, we were THERE, and we didn't even see these moments. How did she capture these? It wasn't as if she were clicking and shooting like a mad woman, like I do when I'm trying to catch the boys doing something cute. Color us impressed!

And in 2-3 weeks, we'll have so many more to oooh and ahhhhh over. I honestly don't know how I'm going to stand it. I guess I will just have to constantly stare at these four until then. :)


The boys are 1 year & 8 days old.

Springtime in Texas = Babies in Bluebonnets

108 photos - I kid you not - and none with two smiling boys. Adorable, yes. Smiling, no. Oh well...

I'm including a ton for the grandmas. Enjoy.












My boys are 10 months old and soooo much fun!

Snow Day!

It snowed here in Austin on the boys' 6-month birthday, but nothing like this!

Luke painstakingly chose the musical accompaniment so I will thank you to sit back & appreciate it please.

And it was just sunny & in the 80's two days ago! Texas weather is just awesome, isn't it. :)

I tried bundling the boys up & taking them outside so they could enjoy it first hand, but it was too close to nap time and they weren't having any of it. Plus, Joseph has a bad diaper rash now & is in a particularly foul mood. No frolicking in the snow for us! Oh well.

I did sit them by the window so they could at least check it out.



That occupied them for all of 3 seconds and then it was all oooh, look at this cord! and check out this metal lock thingy! and here's a window! let's SMASH it!





No appreciation for nature, these boys... :)

I could eat them.

My guys are 8 months, 2 weeks and 5 days old.

Co-dependency Backlash: Day 8

Yesterday was a bit of a zen-like day. All was calm & happy & even-keeled. Thank goodness. I need a break from the crazies every once in a while.

I actually got out on the patio outside my office for about an hour and a half while I graded lab notebooks. Maybe the sunshine & this spring weather were a factor in my mood. Must remember to get outside more often before the heat kicks in and becomes unbearably oppressive.

As for films, I finally saw some good ones! Two documentaries. The first was The Way We Get By, about 3 elderly folks who give real meaning and purpose to their lives by greeting or sending off the troops that travel through their Bangor, Maine airport. For most soldiers this airport is their last stop before heading off to or coming home from Iraq. The greeters don't necessarily support this war, but they do support our troops, which I think many, many people can relate. Tear-jerker.

The second was The Yes Men Fix the World, a doc about a group of activists who draw attention to important issues (and sometimes the absurdity with which they are being dealt) by pulling off elaborate and ballsy pranks. They basically set up fake company websites and wait for someone to contact them. More often than not, they're invited to be speakers and representatives of that company at various conferences and show up with some remarkable presentations, props, and grandiose statements about the company's intentions to right their own wrongs. The most elaborate - or perhaps most far-reaching/attention-grabbing - stunt was when the BBC actually broadcast their live interview with a man who they thought was a representative of Dow Chemical on the 20th anniversary of the horrible Union Carbide plant explosion in Bhopal, India that killed thousands and continues to affect over 120,000. This clip is a long one, but it sums up this particular episode quite well.



Toward the end of the interview, the BBC reporter goes after Andy for raising false hopes for the people of Bhopal. In the documentary, Andy & Mike actually travel to the region and talk to the survivors. It may be edited in their favor, of course, but they spoke with several people who are in the trenches in Bhopal, dealing with the aftermath. If anything, they seemed grateful that someone still cared and was willing to shine a light on this tragedy.

After the film, Andy & Mike were up on stage to answer questions and said that they've never been sued or been the target of any kind of legal action as a result of their pranks. I suspect they're banking on the fact most of these companies wish they and the controversy they stir would just go away. Anyway, excellent film. Highly recommended.

Since I didn't see anything on Wednesday night, I had missed the frenzy that is the start of the SXSW music festival. Not so last night! My films were at the Austin Convention Center and the Alamo Ritz so I was walking around right in the thick of it. I have to say, one of my favorite things about Austin is the people and consequently the people-watching. And what better opportunity than a ginormous music festival. Love it! Love the vibe, love the music you can hear at every turn, love the skinny hipsters, love it all! But I was also painfully aware of how I must look to all these guys. Here they are, half of them drunk or stoned or both, and up plods this pony-tailed, flip-flop wearing, woman sporting an enormous pregnant belly. Tragically un-hip. Oh well. Still fun even if I did get more than a few sideways glances.

32?! Seriously?!

Doo doo doo doo doo, today is my birthday!
Doo doo doo doo doo, happy birthday to me!
And all that Beatles stuff...

Ok, so I have to admit something. At first when I realized that last year was probably my last totally drunken birthday in a good long while, I was a little sad. I know. I know. Good things are in my not-too-distant future, but I assume it's only natural to mourn the passing of your past life when you're about to embark on big change. Mommyhood must be the mother of all big change so I think I should be forgiven for a momentary bout of sadness. But it was only momentary. All in all, I can't wait to start 32!

So back to this year's birthday. It was really pretty fantastic! Greg arranged a dinner last night with a few friends at Hyde Park Bar & Grill, a restaurant I had always heard such raves about and really wanted to try. The meal was delicious. Being preggo, I didn't feel even slightly guilty about devouring my chicken-fried steak - bonus! And I must say once again that I feel so incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such great friends here in Austin. I wish I could give them all a big, wet, sloppy kiss! But they might not want to be my friends if I did that on a regular basis so most of the time, I refrain.

Then today I was spoiled again. First came the bouquet - so pretty!


And then Greg prepared what is probably my most favorite meal in his repertoire - goat cheese salad and sauteed sea scallops. So yummy!


He also got me a full-length body pillow - just what every girl with a burgeoning belly desires.And I'm also getting an as-yet-to-be-chosen laptop computer. Yay! I just need to pick out what I want, and I will finally be mobile, something bound to come in handy if I should happen to be forced into bedrest and once the babies are here.

My husband... What can I say? At least I can give him big, wet, sloppy smooches...

ACL 2008

Austin City Limits Mustic Festival this year was two weeks later than usual and still hot, but bearably hot for a change. We had 3-day passes but only did half-days on Saturday & Sunday, a good strategy considering this was the first year that I wasn't sick for an entire week after the festival.

Early on Friday - this is actually a small crowd now

Allison Krauss & Robert Plant were awesome!

I love the music at ACL fest, of course. But there are a few other things I love just as much, including...

1. Overpriced festival food

$7 "turkey & brie panini" Ummm...

2. Interesting fashion senses

Batman

Old dude wearing a skirt

Her feet must be boiling!

3. And the ingenuity of festival goers

Ample bicycle parking


Happy ACL fest, everyone!