Weekend in H-town

Kai and Finn enjoyed a visit to Houston this weekend. Their Aunt Leigh was given a wedding shower on Saturday evening and this was the first time Future-Uncle Tyler got to meet them. Aunt Leigh and Tyler flew in from Seattle for the fiesta-themed shower! The shower ended with a casual dinner where husbands, boyfriends, and infants could come over. Kai and Finn made an appearance, meeting some of Aunt Leigh's Houston friends like JoAnna, Katie and Jaime, Carol Nelson, and Janice Elkins. Kai and Finn also enjoyed quality time with their grandparents this weekend while their mother and father enjoyed an evening out with Leigh and Tyler.

Other weekend activities included: a stroll with Ty and Dad in Boulevard Oaks, shopping for a baby tub and car seat swing, visiting with their Great-Grandmother (Gaga), rafting at the Elkins' pool, and lots of outdoor time on the deck with the grandparents.

Tyler, Leigh and Kai poolside

Finn with Mom and Dad

The boys go rafting in the mighty waters of Janice and Doug's pool!

Nacogdoches shower

Marty and Sarah

Saturday Kai, Finn, Sarah and I were given a shower by a number of friends: Marty Prince, Chay Runnels, Linda Mock, Lauren McAdams, and Michelle Rozic! It was a wonderful evening. Marty decorated her front yard with paper lanterns, set up a party tent in her driveway, and decorated her house with vintage toys and flowers for all to enjoy!

Kai and Finn doing what they do best at social gatherings

Kai and Finn slept through most of the shower, missing the hurried retreat into the house when the skies darkened overhead and threatened to shower on the shower. Fortunately, the front only delivered cool air and we all grabbed another beer and headed back out into the yard and driveway to enjoy the evening.

tl: Lauren and Finn, tr: Scott and Reese eat'n meatballs!, bl: Kira, her mother, and Kai, br: The proud parents with their arms full!

Not every day is easy with twins

The boys must be growing and it must hurt, because they are a real handful lately. Both are sleeping pretty well after 11 p.m. and staying down for 3 to 4 hours at a time. It is the time before 11 p.m. that is the real challenge. All day they seem to be only napping lightly and Sarah is unable to complete projects that she'd like to tackle. This is not to say that we aren't loving parenthood. It's just an adjustment to get used to. I had planned to take three weeks to one month off from work after Kai and Finn were born, but work is too demanding to do so. The university's graduation is Saturday, signaling an end to most of the chaos around my job. I should be able take off more time in the coming weeks. If not, I'll keep taking one boy to the gallery with me every other day.

Evenings have been extremely rough as of late. Dinners after 9 or 10 p.m. Car rides at 9:30 p.m. to calm unstoppable screams. I think we have had two bouts of colic in the last two weeks. Intestinal gas pain sucks!

When all else fails to calm the child...

... put on a Moby D wrap and start vacuuming. It works.

Nearly two hours of an upset baby drives a man to try anything!

Mother's Day

Kai and Finn got some more quality time with their Houston grandparents this weekend. Sarah and I got to sleep a little bit longer on Saturday and Sunday mornings and even went to Lowe's and the grocery store while the boys were with their grandparents. What a treat!!

Grandmother on the patio with Finn

Granddad Cutler and Kai cathing some R&R together on the sofa

A date is set

It's official... we're about to lose our property virginity! The inspection was extremely thorough and revealed no major issues with the house. She does need some minor fixes, but nothing a 50-year-old lady would be surprised by: a few surface cracks, a little leak on her underside, and an update or two. We're scheduled to close on June 15th. This will give us two weeks before our lease is up and just enough time to tear out the carpet and install wood floors! Hooray! Kai and Finn have a home in Nac!

Losing our "property virginity"

Sarah and I have fooled around quite a bit with buying a house. We've made it past third base many times in the property game. Now, if we can get past the inspection stage, we'll be home owners. Tomorrow, a home inspector and I are going to go through a house on Raguet St. with a fine-toothed comb.

Inspection pending

Raguet St. is the widest street and the main thoroughfare of the Henry Millard and Pecan Grove neighborhood where a number of the older homes in Nacogdoches were built. The home was owned by an older couple and is approximately 2100 square feet. It was built in the 1960s and has three bedrooms and two baths with a formal living room, formal dining room, large kitchen and large master bedroom. It, unlike a number of older homes in Nac., was not ruined by previous updates and renovations. We're excited to be finding a place that we can update and make our own. We're buying it for the boys as well as ourselves! We'll be sure to kiss and tell... keeping you updated on our progress of losing our virginity.

Raguet house