Sip and See weekend

Oh my goodness! Thank you Kodak for developing/inventing the digital sensor and digital cameras; otherwise weekends like this past one would require a ton of film!

Relaxing in Houston

On Thursday, Kai and Finn took their first road trip! We all went to Houston to hang out with the Cutler grandparents, meet the boys' Aunt Leigh and Great-Grandmother Cutler( "GaGa"), and to attend a "Sip and See." Kai and Finn got to meet Bartlett Street neighbors of my parents, family friends, and friends of mine from my high school days.

Paula, John, Sarah, Gaga, Kai, Finn, Christian, and Great-Great-Uncle Sonny

Sally Lehr with Finn

Emily Dietrcih Wells with Finn

Gaga with the boys

Cutler grandparents with Kai

Other weekend events:

Bath time with grandmother

Quality time with Great-Uncle Bill "Bud" Murdy

Feeding time with Aunt Leigh and Daddy-O

Kai gives Aunt Leigh a few tips on napping

Finn and his duck from Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill

BREAKING NEWS!

The boys were accepted to Stephen F. Austin State University's Early Childhood Lab!

A little grey cloud has been lifted from above our heads with this excellent news. Sarah submitted the boys' "resumes" at the end of March, just days before the cut-off date for applications. Originally, the boys were predicted to be born in April. This meant that they would miss the application cut-off date of March 31st, and we would have to find daycare somewhere else in town for an entire year before applying to the SFA ECL. Generally speaking, Nacogdoches daycare leaves much to be desired, the exception being the ECL. In 2008, the Early Childhood Labs earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals.

Hooray for Kai and Finn! I'm sure this will look great on their college applications!

Kai Hewett, 3 1/2 weeks

After dinner

Kai is our "Rowdy Little Rhino." He hates baths and diaper changes more than Finn, and he takes a bit longer to go to sleep. However, he loves to cuddle. Kai too is taking 4 oz. at meals and often ends his dining experience with the hiccups. We had to walk them off in the backyard this evening under the pine trees and stars. Kai's "Rowdy Little Rhino" nickname comes from a onesie. Aunt Elisabeth gave the boys onesies that have "Cute Little Croc," "Tiny Little Tiger," "Charming Little Chimp," and "Rowdy Little Rhino" on their fronts. Kai has claimed "Rowdy Little Rhino" as his.

Clamorous Rhinocerous

Finn Garrett, 3 1/2 weeks

Today we will hear a bit about Finn. Tomorrow, Kai will be featured.
Finn is the less rowdy of the twins. He went to work with his daddy this week and didn't mind hanging out in Daddy's office for an afternoon. He got to look out over historic downtown Nacogdoches and have his diaper changed on a conference table! Daddy's gallery guards and office assistant got to coo and whisper at him while he was sleeping on the coffee table. He is taking between 3 1/2 and 4 oz. at meal times, likes his pacifier at nap time, and is a pretty relaxed little dude.

Finn holding his own.

Bath time with Daddy.

Easter weekend pictures

Kai and Finn got to meet their Louisiana grandparents this past weekend. Sarah's folks drove up from Baton Rouge (a 5+ hour trip) to stay the weekend with us. We had brunch at Shelley's Cafe & Bakery on Saturday in celebration of Fred and Prue's 56th wedding anniversary. This was Kai and Finn's first official outing to a public place. (We won't count their visit to Mexico Lindo, a Mexican food joint in a Mobil gas station truck stop south of town, last Wednesday when their parents were desperate for some decent Mexican food at 4 o'clock in the afternoon!)
PawPaw and Nana Tuton hang'n out with Kai and Finn

Easter weekend also came with a surprise package from the Cutler grandparents. Grandmother Cutler made the boys chamois bunny rabbits like their dad had when he was little. Christian's original bunny was given to him by his Aunt Mary and created from a Winnie-The-Pooh "Kanga" pattern by McCall's.

Granddad Cutler and Christian nap with bunny on the living room floor

Sleeping with bunnies

Niche market

We are discovering the uniqueness of twins daily. It's fun, for the most part. Fielding the calls from Wrigley's has been interesting. Unfortunately we have to tell them that we're pretty sure the boys are not identical.

I love the cards we have recently received from friends and family. Greeting cards for twins must be a rare find. There is some very creative editing to the cards we've received!

Niche market

Updates and quilts

The boys are into their third week in the world and doing fine. They had a second doctor's visit on Wednesday and are progressing well. I didn't know that newborns lose weight in the first week(s) of life. Both boys lost nearly 7 ounces in the past two weeks and then gained it back. As of Wednesday, Kai, born 7 ounces smaller than Finn, surpassed his own birth weight by an ounce and a half. Hooray for Kai! Additionally, Finn lost his umbilical cord stump on Wednesday. Kai lost his last Sunday or Monday. We put them on ebay. Just kidding! I think I like the word "nub" or "bit" better than stump. Pirates have stumps. Trees can meet an unfortunate end and become a stump. An umbilical cord should become a nub.

The boys received a surprise visit from Chris Talbot, SFA professor of photography, while Sarah was in Lufkin, TX at Target. Yes, we have to drive to another city to go to a Target. Chris brought two of the most beautiful blankets to the boys. His wife Rebecca quilted them for Kai and Finn. They have a photography theme to them... they are positive and negative: blue on white and white on blue. They are the perfect size for the boys' cribs.

Thank you Chris and Rebecca.

Art shows and look-a-likes

Scenes from Texas National 2009

Texas National is our annual juried art competition and exhibition at the SFA art galleries. This is the 15th anniversary of the show, and my juror was Mel Chin. Thankfully, my folks were in town to help with the boys. This gave me the opportunity to attend the opening reception, dinners, breakfast, lecture, and film screening that I spent months planning, and it gave Sarah the opportunity to join me!

Since my parents were only here for the twins' birthday nearly two weeks ago, they loved spending quality time with the boys. Sarah's folks are coming this Easter weekend for 3-4 days. They haven't yet seen Kai and Finn nor have they seen Nacogdoches. It will be fun to have them here. Sarah's dad likes to be useful and active, so I may have some help with the yard as long as the weather cooperates!

Here's a picture my mother brought to us this past weekend. Finn looks a lot his old man doesn't he?
Spittin' image

Sleepless in Nacogdoches

Monkey see, monkey doo doo

There is no way of sugar coating this blog entry. This entry is about poop. The boys have been holding back on their #2s for a few days now. From all of our reading, this is normal. Babies can poo every diaper change, every day, or every few days. We got worried after the third pooless day and called Dr. Huggin's office. The nurse recommended the old baby-thermometer-in-the-pooper trick. It worked for Kai this evening and the books were right... "prepare for the mother load." We're still waiting for Finn's contribution to this new-parent experience.