Austin Adventure!

Last night S and I were watching a movie, Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell. As he was riding on a bus the boys ran in shouting "Choo-choo!"; they thought he was riding on a train.
Today we were all feeling bored and stir crazy and the boys were telling me all morning that they wanted to ride on the choo choo. S looked up the miniature train that runs in Zilker park to see how much it costs and when it runs. I said: "we should just take them on a bus ride, the stop's right down the street and it'll be a dollar for all of us."
Anyone who has seen that movie would probably think I was nuts for being inspired to ride a bus after watching it, but whatever.
S was dubious but we packed the boys some snacks in their treasured Bob the Builder lunch boxes and went to the bus stop. The first bus we got on had a broken A/C and felt like we were on the bus to hell so we caught the next one, much to the boys' chagrin, as they were having a (sweaty) blast.
We rode the bus downtown, all of us sitting together bouncing around and grinning at each other. So much cooler than being in the car on yet another mundane family errand.
We stopped by S's brother, Larry's restaurant
but unfortunately he was having a bad day so we kept going on our adventure, stopping to get fries at Jo's then hopped back on the bus to go home. The boys were getting sleepy and I got curious comments and glances when I gave them some tantrum-preventing nummies. (but no mean stares or snide comments)
We got in the door and the boys raced into bed to wait for me to nurse them down for a very late nap. They fell asleep immediately, exhausted but thrilled that they got to ride the 'choo choo' all day. We were only gone about three hours and spent three dollars but had a blast and had some great 'family time.' It was fun to feel like a tourist. Austin is a great town.

Frustration

Our pediatric dentist's office gave away our surgery appointments. They thought we were calling to confirm, we thought we had to call only if we needed to cancel. So some other little buggers are in our spots! We now have to wait until October 2nd. Grrrrr!!!!
On the plus side, we had a checkup today and the boys are totally healthy! Not that I had any doubts but it's always nerve-wracking. I had thought my Moomers had a hernia but she said it doesn't look like he does and if so it's really minor and mostly closed up. Meaning no more surgeries! Yay!

Dental Disaster

Well, it's finally time for the boys to have their dental surgery. We were on a waiting list since March and they called a couple of weeks ago to tell us that our appointment was in October. I felt hesitant because our last visit with that dentist was a complete nightmare and her nurse was rude to me.
"...if you have a problem with that maybe you should go somewhere else."

When I spoke to the receptionist who was verifying our appointment I told her that I was hesitant to go with that particular doctor because our experience had been so negative. She said nothing to make me feel better at all. I tried to explain to her how scary it is for us to be in this situation and she still didn't seem to get it. She said if we didn't make up our minds RIGHT THEN she would give our appointments to someone else who 'had been waiting two months.' Right. Well, we've been waiting SIX MONTHS!

Dealing with all this was giving me a nervous breakdown so I passed the baton to S who bravely took it and ran. He found another dentist in our area and took the boys while I was in Dallas for a few days on business.

He said the same thing the first dentist said in terms of treatment but he said that LeeLee could have the option of white caps instead of silver because his teeth were stronger. This dentist operates at the same place as the first dentist but he got us an appointment for Friday. Which means that we were on his waiting list for less than two weeks. GRRRR!!!.

I can't even begin to explain how nerve-wracking and frustrating this experience has been. My poor little guys. They've hardly ever been sick and now they need to go under anesthesia and have a three-hour dental surgery. And when they are done they'll look like Flavor Flav. My boys. I am so terrified of this whole process.

I've prepared by buying some arnica pellets (for them) and Rescue Remedy stress spray (for us) I also bought them a new toy to give to them after their surgery.

I'm just so worried. It will be so scary for them, we aren't allowed back with them and when they come out of it they will have no idea what just happened. I'm not sure if I should try to explain to them what is going to happen and what I should say.

We're doing it back to back so M goes in first then LeeLee. They can't eat or drink after midnight which is going to be crazy, I nurse them all night long usually.
I just want to get it over with.

Cindy loves Lance

It has come to our attention that the boys think they are the love children of Lance Armstrong and Cindy Crawford. S first noticed that LeeLee thinks I am a supermodel with my own workout tape when I was in Massachusetts for my Hauschka training.

I know I face ridicule by admitting this, but I actually own the above video (on VHS no less) Cindy's 'Next Challenge.' I owned her first tape in high school and loved it. I somehow lost it when we moved here and strangely missed it even though I never actually watched it. I found this one at a thrift store and snapped it up. It's pretty good, too although not as good as the first. Cindy is wearing really awesome gear circa 1992, high-waisted briefs and a jogging bra with super thick slouch socks and giant white hightops. Her thighs are huge and muscular and look like they could crush a horse.

Anyway, so I was out of town and LeeLee saw the video on the shelf and made S put it on. He then freaked out, crying hysterically and ran to the door and tried to get S to put him in the car to go look for me. I don't know that they understand that the tv is not a place you can just step into, sometimes they actually try to climb up the entertainment center like they are going to suddenly be hanging out with Lavar Burton, reading a book.

The other night Moomies reached up a grabbed a photograph of Lance Armstrong that we have on the fridge and kissed it. I said 'that's Lance Armstrong' and he said 'Dada' and I said 'oh, no, that's not Dada, that's Lance Armstrong' and he nodded and said 'Papa.'

So, there you have it. They are really, really goodlooking and can ride a mean tricycle, come to think of it.
Oh, and Lance is also a twin parent. Hmmmm....

Get thee to the menstruation hut!

I need to start taking primrose oil or something because I am about a day away from my period and I am in a foul, foul mood. I feel like I'm in a giant black pit. I hope this ends soon because I don't feel like myself at all and I don't like it.

I love having twins...

Today's been rough...

I got into an argument with S at the breakfast table this morning. I felt drained after he left to go look for parts for a project he's doing on the house. The boys were feeling the tension and I felt horrible. I was tempted to mope around and throw in a Baby Einstein or something to keep them occupied but instead I put on my most comfortable outfit, the one that says 'I'm a Harried Hippie Housewife'-- loose black linen capris with a flowy oatmeal linen tank top.
After loading the boys and their newest belated birthday presents (matching twin baby dolls that they alternately kiss and beat over the head, just like they do with their real twin) into the car we sped off towards our favorite natural bakery, appropriately named Mr. Natural and bought two bagfuls of assorted fruit-sweetened pastries. They still seemed pretty perky so nap be damned we went to somewhere we've never gone before....Toys 'R Us. I was toying (haha) with the idea of buying them something with their birthday money but they have SO MANY toys right now. Instead I bought them each a pair of Thomas the Train socks ("choo choo" they said seriously as I put them on their feet) so they could play on the massive, empty indoor playscape without breaking any rules.
I was going to just plunk them down and let them play independently on the lower level but then changed my mind and crawled in with them, lifting them up so they could go all the way up to the top to a giant play car with a steering wheel and a huge blue tubular slide that we went down all in a row, squealing all the way.
We made one more trip around the entire playscape then they happily let me put them into the shopping cart and load them back into the car.
Back at the ranch we had a drink of juice and brushed toofies and now they are napping. Late, but whatever.

Video time!

Here is a cute video of my mom and M from when we were in Dallas...she's going to kill me for posting this on my blog!

What's Been Going On With Me

I've been pretty busy trying to hammer out my career stuff lately. For the first two years of the boys' life there was really NO WAY I could have worked. Of course, I did work super-part time and would have helped out in any way I could to keep us afloat financially but luckily S's income was enough for those years. Now his job is over with Whole Foods and something just naturally shifted. Now I feel like I have a handle on parenting, my bond with the boys is solid and S has a lot of fun having time alone with them. Now I find myself taking interest in my career situation my identity beyond being just Mama. It's an exhilarating feeling. I love love love being a mom but I also like being Jen. And now I can finally be both.
I am an independent contractor in the natural beauty industry primarily and not making ends meet yet but there are three major companies I am looking to add to my list of employers. One is a very popular footwear line sold in natural foods stores and outdoor supply stores, one is a major holistic skincare looking to expand into the spa industry and one is a longtime favorite skincare line that is also launching a professional line. This would be on top of my duties as a skincare educator, which is something I love doing and am trying to build everything else around.
I am moving slowly but steadily, I need to make more money now but I want to align myself with the companies that will make the most sense for my family.
S is also restarting his t-shirt business which I am excited about.
So basically, things are really coming together for us. We own our house now, we're working towards flexible work situations and financial security, the boys are doing great and are so much fun, we have all the major components for a really happy life.

My Little Monkeys

The boys have been really into climbing trees lately. I have no idea why. It's very cute but a little nerve-racking at times.

We have two ladders and they climb up and down and try to climb into the tree. This picture was taken after S put them in tree. They get a little scared when their ladder is taken away, though.

LeeLee is doing the sign for 'all done' there. (he's the one on the left)
My little guys are growing so fast.