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.

Daddy Dash 5K

Our gym organized a small (tiny) 5K in honor of Father's Day this weekend. Strollers were encouraged. Doubles got a 2-minute advantage and singles got one.

As Greg was the only one pushing a double, he had to set out on his own two minutes before 9 with no one else to spur him on. In the heat, against the wind and pushing 65 lbs of boy. I was glad to be playing photographer instead of running in this one.

But Greg did great! There was one woman - all bone and muscle - who passed him. Other than that, the path was clear.



A speedy blur about the cross the finish line



We had practiced yelling, "Come on, Daddy! Come on!" in preparation. We'll have to coach them with more chants for the next race. It can't hurt, right.

My guys

Great way to start the weekend!

The boys are 2 (+2 weeks).

Gonna Get Himself a Scholarship!

All his frustrating practice finally paid off.




This boy. He gets an idea in his head, and then he's like a dog with a bone. He was determined to dribble that ball, just like Mommy & Daddy. And he worked hard until he got it. Honestly, Greg and I are kinda in shock at his overall coordination - how quickly he went from walking to running, his balance, how high and controlled he jumps, and now dribbling.




Obviously we need to get this boy a basketball.



Luke is 22.5 months old.

Climber

First of all, GOOD MORNING!!

There's Luke's pucker again :)

The boys start daycare next week so I can finally get back to work on my (stupid) dissertation so I'm trying to soak them up as much as I can, while I can. I don't even want to think about it. Let's talk about something else...

So, on to our day! While Luke did plenty of this...

So. stinking. cute.

...Joseph was working hard at this.

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can...

Oh God. No!

Uh oh.

We've had this storage bin wedged in this corner of the couches since the boys learned to crawl. It's been serving as a barrier to block off a bunch of wires from little, grubby hands. But seeing as how it now serves as an access point, we're going to need to rethink our strategy.

Joseph, so proud of himself for getting to Mommy's computer and video camera

Yeah, we definitely need a new plan.

The boys are 12 months old.

A House Divided

World Cup. England vs. USA. English daddy. American mommy. What IS a boy to do?

We were really torn with this one. At first we were thinking that we'd just flip a coin to decide which of the boys would support the U.S. and which would support England. But ultimately our inability to find a 2T American soccer kit ANYWHERE and our plethora of English soccer gear in the boys' closet meant that even if their spirits were with their birth country, their outward appearance would be screaming, "En-ger-lund! En-ger-lund! En-ger-lund!"

Luke looking absolutely adorable in the 2T England kit we could find

Honestly, they don't care either way. Of course. But isn't it interesting that all the U.S.A. kids' gear was sold out? Yay! Embrace soccer, America. Embrace it. And love it.

English or American, we will all support Daddy

BALL!!!

Joseph can't decide if he'd rather hang out with ladies...

...or use his wily charms to score a sip of beer.

Joseph, embracing his inner frat boy.

Mmmm, soccer balls are delicious ::lick, lick::
(Yes, those cute, little girls had money on the game in case you were wondering.)

Aaaaand TIE! Everyone's happy! Sorta.


Our future soccer stars are 1 year, 1 week & 1 day old. (Writing their age like this is getting a bit annoying. I think from now on, I'll just round to the nearest month, mmkay.)

Watford Boys

Greg's local soccer team back home in London is Watford. He has been a rabid fan since long before I ever met him. And after his recent trip back, he brought the boys home some presents.


They read "When I Grow Up I Want To Be a Watford Fan".


And, boys, I'm afraid to say you have no choice in the matter.


You were born into it.


And indoctrination has already begun.



The boys are 9 months, 3 weeks and 5 days old.

Chopped Liver

This is the third day in a row that I've made it to the gym (yay!). And I'm trying not to take it personally, but when I drop off the boys at the nursery I can't help but feel that they are entirely too happy to see the backside of me.

No matter how beastly and cranky pants they are at home, every time I hand them over to the nice ladies in the infant room, they are nothing but charm and huge smiles. Where were those smiles for Mommy??? Then when I pick them up and ask how they were, all I get is that they were maybe a bit fussy for, like, 5 minutes but little angels other than that. Tuesday when I got Luke, the lady handed him over and he was still staring at her and giggling like a little boy in love. Really, guys?? Really?

I can't tell if they just love the nursery that much or if those ear-to-ear grins are their way of saying, "Thank God! A new face to stare at - FINALLY!" Either way, I guess I shouldn't complain because these 2 hours a day that I get with the gym membership are life savers some days. And if they're happy, I'm happy.

Most days I'll maybe exercise for 30 minutes. The other hour and a half are spent in the whirlpool or taking a nice, leisurely, steamy shower, a rare luxury at our house these days. Then in those last minutes, I come to the couch area in the locker room (I love this gym) and pull out a book or catch up on my internetting like now.

I love, love, love being at home with my boys, but decompression is good too.


The boys are 5 months, one week and 1 day.

Our New Ride

Courtesy of Mimi, Grandpa Mac & Uncle Trav, the boys have a new super swanky, smooth ride.


This was the one "mommy accessory" that I was dying to have as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I never told my mom this. One day she sent me an email with a link to the BOB Duallie, saying she'd like to get us one. And that's when I fell over dead.

LOVE IT!

The boys do too. It's an instant meltdown cure - priceless.


She also bought the boys these adorable hats. I am an absolute sucker for hats with ears.








The boys are 4 months & 6 days old.

Hello, 85. We've Missed You!

Sub-triple-digit temperatures
+ Break in the rain
+ 2 Grouchy babies
Hour and a half walk through the hood

The peace was so worth it, but now I'm tired & sure to be sore tomorrow. I feel miles & miles away from my marathon training days...

One day I'll be back there though.


The boys are 3 months & 1 week old.

So... I Think We Just Bought a New Car...

A 2009 Subaru Outback!

Right now we both drive little sedans, and when I say little, I'm talking about my baby 1995 Geo Prizm.

::sigh::

I love that car. I really do. It has been so good to me and has withstood my particular brand of vehicular neglect like a true champ. It's 14 years old with a cracked windshield, hail damage and slightly peeling paint. And I still love that car. It probably has a good 100K miles in it if I wanted to give it a shot.

But the simple fact of the matter is that even if I managed to fit two car seats in the back seat and not kill my back schlepping two babies in and out of there multiple times a day, there's no way I'd be able to fit all the accompanying crap that two babies require. Just a double stroller alone would involve an open trunk, lots of rope, and much praying. Ghetto-tastic! So we came to the realization that it's time to upgrade.

Right away Greg wanted the Outback. Fine, but I thought we should also check out other options as well. So through much painful pleading and debate, I finally convinced him to also give the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CRV a shot. Greg is adamantly, vehemently, pig-headedly anti-SUV so you better believe that was a struggle! But I broke him down to at least consider the other two options.

Our plan was to test drive them all this week-end and then sit on it for a few weeks while we made decisions and haggled prices. Well, we test drove both a manual and an automatic Subaru. Then we hit Toyota for the RAV4. Next we had a horrible experience with the salesperson at the Round Rock Honda dealership. If you're ever there, and a gruff woman named Sophia starts talking to you, RUN AWAY. She was a nightmare! Greg and I are still pissed about it. I want to write a complaint letter to the sales manager, but I just don't know if anyone would care... Whatever.

Anyway, I personally had a slight preference for the RAV4, but not enough to make up for a $3,000+ difference in price. Greg's been on the phone all day with both Toyota and Subaru. Poor Toyota just can't compete with Subaru's cash back and 2.9% financing right now so we're done. Our "three week wait" turned into a 3-day wait. Easy as that!

We sign all the paperwork on Thursday morning, and I get to drive away with my brand new mommy mobile! I've never owned a new car in my life! I have to admit I'm excited, guys!

Tough Guy

I think my boss must have the wrong impression about me. He just sent me this:

Hi Larisa
Too bad that you are pregnant. Otherwise you could try your hand at this.

He apparently believes that I'm much more hard-core than I am. That little race looks B.R.U.T.A.L.

Stuart Comes to Austin

Greg's old friend Stuart had to fly over the states for a "very important conference", which incidentally usually translates into a drunken, debaucherous time on some dumb company's dime. So on his way to Seattle, he made a week-end pit stop in Austin to catch up with Greg and me.

First order of business... many, many margaritas at the Hula Hut. Of course!

Greg says Mmmm, girly drinks...

Stu says Mmmm, bar-b-q ribs...

From the Hula Hut patio on Lake Austin

Next order of business... A fierce game of putt putt golf.



Seeing as how much of Stuart's "work" time consists of hobnobbing with VIP's and playing golf, he naturally beat the pants off of Greg and me.

But I had this dinosaur to worry about. What's your excuse, Greg?

Next? Why snow cones, of course.

And dinner on the deck, courtesy of my darling Greg - best cook eva!

And what is a visit to Austin without some serious bar hopping. We ventured over to West 6th to meet up with friends.



I would have had a MUCH better time if I hadn't been forced to be designated driver, but it is a sacrifice I am happy to make to see these smiles. :)