Toy Box

This is another one to file under, if everything's a toy why do we even bother buying toys?

The twins seem to have a lot of stuff so I started using a plastic storage box to collect everything in to keep us a little organized. It helps control the chaos, but now the twins like the plastic box itself. They dump everything out and climb right in.

Bust a Move

This post probably epitomizes the whole purpose of this blog: cute things the twins do.

We were playing around in the babies' room, Carl put on some heavy metal and the dancing began. Recently Chloe has added a new move to her repertoire that involves bending over and lifting up each leg. For my yogis it's a three-legged down dog dance move. She's done it a couple of times but this time we caught it on camera.

Connor doesn't have as an extensive range of dance moves, but he can make a bunny boogie.

First Hair Cut

Connor's hair was getting long and with the curls I was worried he was starting to look a little like a girl.

Carl and JoJo (Carl's Mom) didn't think we should get it cut, but I had Maria's support so I thought that was enough to get it done. Connor was a little concerned when we started, but did a great job while in the chair.

The only thing is it seemed a little expensive for a kids' hair cut at $16.99 plus tip. However the place, Snip-its was set up specifically for kids and first-time hair cuts. I can't imagine trying to do it myself. This way the cut turned out great, leaving a few curls but with a trim look. Overall it was worth it.

Blood and Drama

I don't know if it's because he's a boy or if Connor is just danger prone, but we've had a couple of accidents in the past few days.

The last night before I came home from my trip, Connor decided to stand up in the tub, fell and ended up cutting his eye. When I called Carl at 8:00 p.m. to check in for the evening he was headed to the ER with Connor. He wasn't overly concerned because it wasn't bleeding anymore, but it seemed like a big cut and when he called the nurse she said if it was a gaping wound (if the ends weren't touching) it would need stitches. He went to Children's and waited nearly two hours before calling the nurse again. This time he got a different nurse who recommended another place for him to go. When he got there, the doctor said the cut was fine and he wouldn't do anything to it. Connor got to bed two and a half hours after his bedtime, but Carl was reassured everything was OK.

Below is a shot of Connor's cut as it's healing now.

Then we had another injury last night. The kids had dinner and a bath, then we were just wrapping up adult dinner when Connor got stuck under a low chair in the family room and started fussing. As he was backing out from under the chair he scratched his head on the wood trim. Blood was everywhere and all through his blonde curls. We took him into the bathroom, stripped his top off and washed his head off in the tub. Carl was calmer, but I was a bit hysterical. Although it looked like a lot of blood at first, it was just a small scratch and not deep so we decided not to take him to the emergency room.

I'm going to have to learn to react better and not get so worked up if getting injured is going to be a regular thing. 

Keeping up with the Swans

Carl's Mom, Betsy: aka JoJo, came to visit last week to help with the twins while I was out of town. It's nice to get out of town for a break every now and then, but I miss the family. Carl was super sweet and sent me a text picture of the kids each night. Below are two of my favorites.

On JoJo's first night she was helping change Connor's diaper. He is such a wiggle worm on the changing table I strap him down now. She was trying to get through the diaper change as quickly as possible to keep him from rolling off the table, but when he walked away she realized she'd forgotten to snap up his onsie before putting his pants back on.

To be fair, Carl and I have both done this. I think the kids are big enough now I'm not going to buy any more onsies, just tops.

Carl sent this one evening with the caption "Fashionista." Chloe loves wearing glasses, but sometimes it's hard to be cool.

Culinary Week

I'm not a big cook, but the week we're visiting at the spa is Culinary Week. It wouldn't really matter but one of the guest chefs is Tre Wilcox. He's been on Top Chef twice, was a chef at Abacus and is opening his own restaurant soon in Highland Park Village. He was a big hit here at Lake Austin Spa and had a full room of admiring fans. I mean ladies actually gushing to see him cook.

It was of interest to us because Tre is a friend of my brother's. Brian and Tre are still friends, but when Brian (and my Mom) first knew him he was Bennie Wilcox and he played soccer with my brother on the Cobras team.

When we went to the cooking demonstration, Mom brought a few photos from soccer days of Bennie's parents and some really cute ones of him playing soccer and of the team.

It was so interesting to watch his presentation. I think he's a great chef, but he was so personable and had a really infectious laugh. It's so interesting to see someone you only remember as a kid as they are in their adult persona. I'm glad he and Brian are friends.

As a side note, his restaurant is called Marquee Grill and will open in Highland Park Village at the end of March. I'm sure he'll be a great success!

First Day: RELAX!

Yesterday was our first day at Lake Austin Spa.  My Mom drove, but we probably should have left the house a little earlier. We had a 2p appointment, we made it in time, but we had to keep moving at a steady pace. It almost defeats the purpose of being at the spa if you stress yourself out getting there.

The first class we participated in was yoga mediation. The purpose is to teach you to breath correctly in yoga class and hopefully relax. The weather was gorgeous so we started with breathing exercises outside as we walked the grounds. We started by walking, paying attention to and counting our breaths. Next we walked, breathed, and paid attention to our environment. As I walked and breathed I kept a check list of everything I saw, duck in the water, dry cedar branches on the path, huge magnolia, ants carrying leaves, all because I thought when we stopped he'd ask what we observed. Like breathing meditation is a test. Yikes, I might have to work a little harder at relaxing than I thought.

Breathing meditation was not a test. Although when we had to count double the the seconds we breathed out  from the amount we breathed in I kept pushing like it was a competition. Eventually I just breathed.

Mom and I had a fabulous dinner last night. When we sat down the waitress brought us a bottle of wine with a note. Karen and Martin sent us a bottle of wine as a gift. It was such a sweet surprise and so perfect for our first night I actually teared up. I know you may accuse me of being an alcoholic for tearing up over a bottle of wine, but is was just so unexpected and incredibly thoughtful I couldn't help myself.

Special Trip

Ten years ago my mother and I celebrated milestone birthdays. For my 30th, Mom took me to Lake Austin Spa. It was an amazing place and we had a great time. Not only did we get personalized yoga classes, specially prepared healthy meals and learn to relax, while we were there Lady Bird Johnson and LBJ's press secretary, Liz Carpenter, were there too. Then Lake Austin Spa was smaller than it is now and we ended up in an evening book club with six other women including Lady Bird and Liz. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

I don't know that anything can top that trip, but a few years ago I promised Mom I would take her back to Lake Austin Spa for our next milestone birthdays. It took a little bit to get schedules worked out, but we're driving there today.

We plan to take yoga classes and hike, since it looks like we'll get lucky with the weather. It's also culinary week, so in the evenings they have guest chefs speaking. It should be fun and hopefully we'll both come away feeling a little bit healthier and relaxed.

Give Me My Spoon

The twins have been feeding themselves for several months now. Maria has been great helping them at meal times and had them try utensils early on. I was still in the habit of feeding them when it was a messy item, but Connor will have it no longer. He wants to feed himself.

Yogurt is one of the messier items but he went berserk when I tried to feed him. Although it was a little slow going and extremely messy he finished off all the yogurt.

In the long run it's great that he's feeding himself and using utensils. He's pretty funny about it. He'll try really hard to get something on his fork and when he does he waves it around and gets really exited before he takes a bite. Sometimes if he can't quiet get it he'll pick it up with his hands, stick it on the fork and then put the fork in his mouth. Whatever it takes.

Last Day

Today will be my last day at my job.

I’m having trouble balancing work and home life. I’m exhausted, stressed, and don’t think I can continue at this pace so I resigned.

This was an extremely difficult decision, one that I’m still emotional about and didn’t take lightly. Carl has been very supportive, but we’re both nervous about the lifestyle changes we’ll need to make for this to work. Maybe it’s just a fear of the unknown.

Leaving my job is really a disappointment for me. I worked hard to get here and leaving feels like a failure, even though I know it’s the right thing for my family and me. I do plan to continue working but I’ll need to find a job that is more flexible. I’ll need to map out a plan but the goal is fewer hours so I can spend more time with the kids and still have a little time for myself. I almost feel guilty typing that last statement but the key to balance will be finding time for myself as well.

Right now I plan to take a couple of months off to get my life in order. I’ll go to yoga; I need to get fit and healthy in a way that helps me manage stress. I’ll spend more time with the twins, time where they each can have some individual attention. I’ll get some grief counseling, I haven’t had the time or energy to face my father’s death and I think I need some help doing it.

Ultimately this is the right decision for me, but it was so hard to make that decision.

Puppy Love

The twins have always loved Leo and we've been teaching them to be gentle with him. They have gotten better and learned to "pet nicely," especially Chloe, but what is really amazing is Leo's patience with the kids.

It's really fun to see them interacting together. The other day the kids started squealing and running around to get Leo to chase after them. I think everyone was a little stir crazy after being cooped up from all the bad weather, including Leo, so he gave in and chased them all over the house. It was a great way to burn off some energy and that afternoon everyone took a good nap, including Leo.

Snow Day

We've had really crazy weather here lately. Last week we got ice on Tuesday and Carl ended up working from home the rest of the week. On Friday we had another layer of snow over the ice so all of the Swans were home that day.

Everyone was getting stir crazy so after lunch on Friday we bundled up and took the kids out in the snow. I have jackets and hats for the twins, but it's Dallas so I don't have snow boots or gloves. I layered the kids clothes and ended up using socks for gloves just to they could get outside for a little bit. This was their first time in the snow and they were fascinated.

Daddy's Glove

We've had quite a few ice/snow days here and since the roads are so bad Carl has been working from home. After a couple of days I think he's really stir crazy.

However, the kids love having him around all day and got a kick out of playing with his big winter gloves.

I Wanna Bite

For awhile now the twins have been eating solid foods for each meal and thanks to Maria they try to use utensils as well. Although Chloe frequently uses a fork as a comb and her food becomes a crazy hair gel, they generally get most spoonfuls and forkfuls into their mouths.

They are much more interested in food especially when Carl and I eat at a different time than when they're having a meal in their high-chairs. When this happens Connor always wants to try whatever we're eating. I have to be prepared with a couple cubes of cheese if we're eating something that's not appropriate or too spicy, but usually he can try anything we're having.

The challenge is they want to try what we're having anytime we eat. Carl was crunching on an apple and they both wanted bites.

Connor got a couple of good bites and really liked the apple. Chloe got a great bite but she got too much apple skin and after walking around chewing for several minutes she was bored with the apple and spit it out.

Overall I'm really glad they're interested and will try new things.