Catching Up

Well its been a long time since my last post. This is partly due to the fact that Rowan dunked my digital camera into her kiddie pool.

We have yet to get a new camera. In our house, buying a camera, like any technological purchase consists of reading multiple reviews--both consumer reports, online reviews and friend suggestions, then shifting through numerous sale advertisements to find the best possible price, then looking at various store offers until finally getting sick of all the said effort and buying one at the whichever place we happen to walk into.

I generally opt to begin at the inevitable end and just go out and buy one; but for Andre there is an art to making a purchase, especially when it comes to technology.

Luckily Ivette arrived with her camera and allowed us to download her pictures before they left.

It was good to see them. The kids are growing so fast and I couldn't help but think about how small Austin was when I first met him. Just barely walking, younger than our girls are now perhaps.

It not that children grow so fast that is unnerving, it is that we too are aging. Once you get to the point that you are no longer changing in the upward direction, it is easy to imagine that your age is stagnant. "I'm still wearing the same shirt I did five years ago, so what's the difference?" Children, in their own unintentional way, are a reminder of our mortality and how fast it all goes by.

Andre, forever the tour guide, took the family to both the botanical gardens and Barton Springs. The weather was lovely and everyone seemed to have a great time. I so wish I could have joined them, but work has been teetering on the overwhelming side lately.

I also think its nice for Andre to spend time with his family without me. Not that I don't like to spend time with them, but rather that I think its nice for the family dynamic to have moments without all the new additions.

Later that night we had Beatriz and Jaime over for dinner. Beatriz and Jaime are the perfect dinner guests. They are the type of people who have contagious laughs and great stories. Arriving with delectable deserts doesn't hurt either.

memorial day weekend

We tried to compact as many things as possible into this weekend. Unfortunately we weren't able to do it all.

This is Rowan at our friend Dyung and Curt's annual memorial day party. And our good friends Myles and Bri.

The girls were tuckered out after this, so we called it a day and had Thad and Stacie come over that night to watch movies. Then the next day we went to breakfast with a bunch of people, then to a pool party and then to a BBQ.

I don't remember being so over-scheduled before I met Andre. I recall being the type to have just a few very close friends that I did the same things with all the time. Not so with Andre. His love of life and endless abundance of energy is inspiring and fun.

Our girls, I think, are fairly easy to take places and are used to being out and about.

I am inclined to think this is good for them, and certainly hope that I am right. They are our family and therefore go most places that we are. Their comfort is always a top priority, which has resulted in taking along lots of "baby gear."


If camping is trying to live like you normally do--but outdoors; then traveling with toddlers is kind of like that.

If they are going to sleep somewhere, then they always have their favorite blanket and stuffed animal (and pack in play). If they are going to be eating somewhere then they have their (travel) high chairs and any food or bottles they may need.

And always, if the girls are too tired, or cranky, to go to the next place, then we come home. Places and people must be baby-friendly. Oh and also, restaurant time must always remain short.

The benefits of this way of parenting, I believe, is that the girls get to see more of the world around them. They get to experience new places, people, and things. We are so used to taking them places that it doesn't seem like a huge ordeal to leave the house. I think they enjoy it as much as we enjoy them being there.

Wellness Checkup

The girls had their wellness checkup at the pediatrician today.

Evelyn weighs 20.1 pounds and is 29 1/4 inches tall.

Rowan weighs 22 pounds and is 30 1/2 inches long.



Both girls are growing right on track and doing well developmentally.


They had their MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shot today as well.

Our baby goals:

* We are working on getting rid of the "ba-ba" (bottle) and using "big girl cups" aka sippy cups. (Kicking the bottle is a hard habit to break.)
* We are also working on not biting--which they have greatly improved; and
* Staying seated while in the high chair.
* Both girls are talking more and both parents are getting better at understanding baby-talk.

Three Years

We celebrated our third wedding anniversary this Wednesday. Grandma watched the girls overnight and we had an evening on the town. Just two crazy kids in love on a date--except that we were both tired by 9:30 and called it an evening just after 10.

If there is anything I've learned as a divorce attorney it is that the person you marry can make your life very wonderful or very miserable. I am lucky to have the wonderful kind, and even luckier to realize how good it truly is.

That being said, we spent some time reflecting over the past year and made our "Next Year Marriage Resolution," which is sort of like a "New Year's Resolution" for your marriage. We talked about how we could make the next year better; what we need to do less of, and more of, and even--not at all; how to make the girls happier, focused on our goals, that sort of thing.

We also ate lots of good food and found some new places to take out-of-town guests. Andre, forever the foodie, had to have these donut holes from a new restaurant named Parkside. I have to admit, they are amazingly good for donuts.

Gift-wise, we forgo the suggested 3rd year anniversary gift of "crystal or glass," and instead opted for a new dish washer. Clean dishes really are romantic; or at least dirty dishes are very much not romantic.

All in all it was a great anniversary.


This is a little video from our wedding May 20, 2006, in Kyle, TX.

Inside and Out

As I was cleaning my kitchen this morning, the girls were tearing apart theirs. Cousin Sydney gave the girls her little kitchen and we've had it in the garage for a while. It rained off and on all day yesterday and the girls were very bored inside so I brought it in and set it up for them. They really love it and have spent lots of time playing with it.

I remember having a little kitchen when I was a kid and how much fun it was to play with. Its odd how many domestic toys the girls have. They have a lawn mower, a kitchen, a car, even a little house. I suppose it makes sense, kids just want to pretend to do all the things they see every day; but I couldn't help thinking how much cooler it would be to have a pretend spaceship instead.





Our favorite Sunday afternoon activity is to spend the day at the park, and today was beautiful. We took the girls to the dog park area of town lake where people let their dogs swim. There must have been at least forty dogs running, swimming, and playing. Both of the girls squealed they were so excited and several times they would walk off following one. They both say, "Da," when they see a dog, and "Ka" for cats. They are such animal lovers.


Rowan is walking so well now that she would rather walk than be held. Evey is walking really well too, but still crawls when she wants to get somewhere fast.

We walked around the city a bit too. Looked at new stores and restaurants, ate dinner, went for a coffee and just enjoyed the day as a family. We actually went to two coffee shops--Sandra Bullocks' new coffee shop and Jo's. I have to say that Jo's won. I really like Sandra Bullock and I so want her ventures to succeed, but I'm not thrilled about her restaurant or her new coffee shop.

Summertime

We've been enjoying the summer with the girls. Swimming in their kiddie pool, going to the park, and playing all the time. Evelyn has started walking and both the girls are really taking off now.











I took the morning off the other day with Andre and we all went to the park. It wasn't overly hot yet, and it was nice to get out with the girls. Time is just going by too quickly not to stop and smell the roses when I can.









We went to central market for dinner tonight. The weather was perfect for being outside and the girls had a great time playing with all the other kids on the playground.

Our Little Owls

I took this video today of the owls in our backyard. You can see into their hollow from our second story balcony. The two little babies are adorable.

Our Little Owls from Leigh on Vimeo.

Owlets

We have, what we believe is a little screech owl living in one of our oak trees in the backyard. While eating dinner outside tonight we discovered that they have a baby, an owlet.

Andre took a picture from afar, but it is difficult to see it in a photograph and we thought a flash may disturb them too much if we tried to get closer. This is a picture of a screech owl--not ours, but he looks very similar.

The little baby owl would stand on the edge of the hollow and peek out. He is so incredibly cute.

Update: There are two babies!

Hanging out at the pool

The girls enjoyed their first trip to the pool this summer in their new little inflatable kiddie pool.

Just lounging

My mom bought each of the girls a little rocking chair. They will climb up in them and rock on their own. They look like two little old ladies.

I like to imagine them years and years from now on a porch together, sitting in rocking chairs and chatting. It makes me happy to think that the girls have each other. Having a sister is wonderful.

First Year Pictures

The girls were so cute in the circus party dresses my mom made for them. Photographing one year olds is an art all it's own--or maybe its an exercise.

What! Lost your mittens? You naughty kittens.

Evelyn and Rowan were very naughty this past Sunday. I left them in their room to play for 2 seconds while I rinsed off a stinky diaper downstairs. I walked upstairs to see them both covered in Boudreaux Butt Paste (diaper rash cream).

Judging by the amount of cream applied and the fact that Evelyn had her entire hand submerged in the jar, I'd have to say that she was the main culprit; although her partner in crime, Rowan, was right beside her and covered to a lesser extent.

We laughed, grabbed the camera and took this quick shot before dialing poison control. They were fine and their skin has been extra soft for days. The carpet on the other hand, is another story.

This is the girls' first incident of malice aforethought. Well, technically speaking no one died...unless you count the jar of butt paste...but it is the first time they did something they knew they shouldn't do, but did it anyway. In the very least they acted with mens rea. You may say the girls lacked the intent, but I know better. Those girls have been wanting to get into that jar forever. Seriously, it is something we always have to put up. They will crawl from across the room to try to get it.

And so as I washed off the greasy substance, I couldn't help but feel proud of them too. Don't get me wrong. Bad behavior is not to be encouraged, but from a developmental aspect they are advancing. They are learning how to push their boundaries. That what baby wants may be different from what mommy wants. And that baby can do something that mommy has consistently said baby cannot do. That's a big step. And just the first of many, many more to come.

Rowan

Our little Ro-ro is really on the move now. A few days ago she took two steps to Dad completely on her own. Today, she is taking several in a row. She can't control how fast she walks yet, so she starts out with one, then the next one is a bit faster, and faster until she loses her balance and falls. Its akin to learning how to roller skate. Andre always said she was our Roller Derby Girl.

She's so proud of herself too and is just beaming every time she does it. Its amazing how fast they're learning. If I learned as many new things in the amount of time that they are--well I'd have all the world's problems solved in no time.

I don't think that Evey is that far behind. She's walking, but won't quite let go to do it on her own. She'll walk for days as long as she can hold onto my hand, or something to push. She doesn't really need it, but she doesn't know that yet. She's had a cold this week too though, which doesn't help anything.

Why you should never meet your idols...

Monday afternoon Andre says, "after work, at 5:15pm go over to Julie's house--I have a surprise for you." That's all I knew, "a surprise."
"The girls?"
"Oh, I'll take care of them," he said.
"Am I dressed okay."
"yeah, that's fine."

So all day I was thinking, what in the world kind of surprise? Little did I know, he had bought Lyzz's extra ticket to see DAVID SEDARIS!

I had to type in bold like that because that is how much I adore David Sedaris. I love him so much (and Amy Sedaris too) that Andre often comments how I wish I was a part of their family. And here I was going to see him with Julie, Erin, and Lyzz. Awesome!

His show was amazing. He was just so incredibly funny. David doesn't like having photographs made--so we have this I-phone sneak shot with him signing books. Yes, that is a giant cross made out of crayons behind him. The Parmount Theater was too small to hold the amount of people wanting to go to the show, so they had his show in a Baptist Church.

After the show we waited in line to have a book signed. Now I've met some famous people in the past, but I've never really been "star struck." Anyhow, I get up to the front of the line, hand him my book and I'm smiling ear to ear. David says, "You have really nice teeth." Which at the time I thought was a compliment, but in retrospect, maybe he was a little bit scared--as in 'what big teeth you have grandmother' sort of way.

So he said, "you have really nice teeth" and what do I say?
I say, "I've been to the dentist."
"Um...what?"
"I've been to the dentist," I repeat.

THAT'S IT!

That's all I say to him. Like who hasn't been to the dentist? What an idiotic thing to say to someone and I have no idea where it even came from. Why would I say that? He gave me an odd look and started talking to my friends who thankfully had interesting stories about firefighting. I tried to think of something to say to somehow redeem myself, but it was over. I am such a nerd.

So that's that. If I can't keep a sense of composure with David Sedaris then I'll never be able to meet Ira Glass who I like even more.

It's not that having money is so good, it's that not having it is so bad.

Well, this isn't really an update on the wallet--wish it was though.

Its surprising how many people have said they had similar wallets/purses stolen over the years. This is my first stolen wallet, but I have had checks stolen out of my mailbox before, and a car radio stolen out of my car.

I've been doing some searches on craigslist, not that I think the thief will sell my cheap wallet, but perhaps some good Samaritan will find the discarded wallet and post in the lost in found. It appears, however, that most "found" items are dogs and cats, while "lost" items are watches, rings, and wallets. I begin to imagine a Utopian society where dogs and cats all have homes to be lost from and people return missing treasures, no matter how valuable. Instead, the local "lost and found" would be more fitting if it were titled, "stolen and abandoned."

I am sure as the economy worsens that this sort of thing will happen more and more. Just because people don't have the money, doesn't mean they don't have the wants. I've had so many clients or their spouses lose jobs lately. Jobs that seemed secure, at big companies, that were well-paying.

San Jacinto Night

Friday night was the 2nd Annual San Jacinto Night hosted by the Austin Fire Museum and Emergency Service Pipes and Drums Band (Andre's Bagpipe Band). Guy Forsyth played, as well as the bagpipe band. Representative Lloyd Doggett and mayoral candidate Lee Leffingwell were keynote speakers.

I was particularly impressed with Lee Leffingwell. I've been so disappointed to see Will Wynn our present mayor leaving office. He has done so much for Austin, especially when it comes to advancing environmental awareness and he was just an all around good guy--hey that Virginia man deserved to be hit. I haven't even wanted to think about new people. But I liked Lee. He didn't say anything grandiose or overdone, he was modest and sincere and could have easily been someone's parent speaking at a wedding reception. He said that his father was a firefighter--he was actually an Austin Firefighter. When I got home I looked up where he stands on things, and I have to say, "I'ma lookin' and I'ma liking."

Anyhow the event was awesome. It was so fun to be at this huge party with so many people we love. Plus, we had an all you can drink open bar, complete with Dripping Springs Vodka flowing from an ice sculpture and Dagar's catering.

Plus, they had a silent auction with some great items. Sullivans sponsored a dinner with the new fire chief that included a chef prepared menu for 6 in their private room, complete with wine parings--it went for $700 (which if you've ever been to Sullivans, is a steal). We won a professional photography session, new running shoes, and some other smaller items.

Oh and Andre auctioned 12 bottles of his homebrew beer that went for $80! People were fighting over that homebrew and the way it was displayed it looked like there were only 3 bottles.

The event also honored firefighters who did heroic acts this past year and several people received the Medel of Merit and Medel of Valor.

The twins, by the way, spent the night at Grandma's.

I hate thieves

Someone stole my wallet out of my car today, drained my business checking account, as well as my personal checking, charged up my credit card and completely ruined my evening. I so hate thieves.

We canceled the cards and alerted the bank. I'm expecting the bank to restore the money. Its just so upsetting. In addition to monetary problems, my State Bar Card was in there, along with the social security cards belonging to my daughters and me. I know, I know, you're not suppose to carry social security cards--I just didn't take them out after getting their passports. damn it.

I also had some very expensive, sentimental earrings in the change pocket.

Viki's Wedding

Things are finally starting to slow down and I can catch up a bit.

So the girls had their first trip out of the country just prior to their first birthday. We took a trip to Toronto for my good friend, Viki's wedding. Viki and I met in England when we were in University at Keele and have been friends ever since. I love this picture of her, she looks like a movie star. And here's her new husband, Dale.

Anyhow, I was initially worried about flying with the girls. They've been on a plane before, but now they are just so squirmy. There is a reason why you don't have to pay for a toddler's plane ticket--so few people are dumb enough to fly with them. Fortunately for us, the flights were not crowded at all and the girls had a whole row of seats to climb on. They were really great and didn't cry at all. I don't know what we would have done if they had had to sit in our laps the entire time.

Once in Canada we stayed with Viki's mom, Elizabeth and her brother Vilmos. (That's Elizabeth with Viki and the twins). The girls really loved them and they had the whole house ready for the babies--complete with pack-n-plays and baby gates. We joked that Elizabeth was going to keep them, and you know I think the girls would have happily stayed. Especially Evey. Every time she saw Elizabeth she put her arms out to go to her. Elizabeth made lots of Hungarian food, which the girls loved almost as much as Andre did. He even came home with recipes and a pasta maker.

We had so much fun. Viki's brothers Vilmos, Endre, and Endre's wife--Maria hung out with us a lot. They are some of the nicest, most intelligent, fun people to be around. I can't say enough good things about them. I wish we lived closer. Well, to clarify, I wish we lived closer, but still in warm weather. Canadian spring is still pretty darn cold.

The wedding was so awesome. I don't even know where to begin. I am tempted to begin by saying how amazing the food was, or that we had courses...yes, actual courses of gourmet food--like an episode of Top Chef. The dancing, the location, the decorations, everything was just amazing. But to be honest, (and I know this sounds trite, but its true) the best part was that my good friend who I so love married this incredible person who I know loves her. That was the best part of the wedding.

I also got to see Shelley; aka Shell-i-triple-i. Shelley, Viki, Brad, and I backpacked around Europe together. There is something about traveling through foreign lands together that creates this special bond. That's been about eight years ago now, which is hard to believe. I love those people so much and our travels are some of the most memorable times of my life. So it meant a lot to see Shelley and to meet her boyfriend Chris there too.

We had such a wonderful time, I can't wait until our next visit together.

The Girls Turn One

Friday, Rowan and Evelyn turned one. I've been trying to find the words to express what this year has to meant to me, but instead I find myself repeating the same old, "my how time has flown by" and "I can't believe its already been a year." Its the same old trite remarks I remember my parents saying when I was a child while I was thinking, "what are talking about? This year has taken for-e-ver!"

I have to say that it has been one of the most remarkable years of my life and I have enjoyed every bit of it. Even the difficult, messy, stinky, and sleepless parts were good because the girls were a part of it.

So in typical fashion for our house, we celebrated their first year with a huge blowout party. The party was a circus theme, complete with a cotton candy machine, popcorn and jump castle. Andre even had the local fire engine make a guest appearance. I made a two story carousel cake for them. The top layer was white cake and the bottom was chocolate. T

There were so many kids running around, it was absolutely beautiful. And our good friend Will flew into town from New Orleans to celebrate the girls' birthday and his too. Dolly, Starr, Jamie, Michael and Lily drove up from San Antonio and my dad drove down from Fort Worth. All in all it was a good turn out.




Mimi (their grandmother) made their little dresses. They had circus prints on them and big satin bows. The girls were so cute.

The Girls' First Year