Changing station project

Ever since Sarah and I saw a changing station by Oeuf at Kuhl-Linscomb in Houston, I've wanted to make one myself. So for far, far less diñero, I hit the table saw and built my own.

High end Oeuf changing station with a high end price tag... $230!!!

Made from poplar and birch covered plywood, the station is ready for paint or stain.

We decided to paint the station to match slate-blue accents in the nursery. The color is Jekyll Club Pulitzer Blue by Valspar. Two coats of semi-gloss did the trick. I think that white would look extremely nice too.

So, if anyone's interested in a Oeuf-inspired changing station, I'm taking orders!

Recent pictures

Here are a few recent pictures we've been meaning to post. Right now Kai is asleep in a Moby on my chest, Finn is resting in a bouncer, and Sarah is making blueberry muffins from a Made-By-Michelle recipe.

Sleeping Finn

Kai's new sleeping pose

Cute and accurate cartoon sent by Sarah's Aunt Katherine

Blueberries Wanted

Moby wrapped with Mommy at the NFM

The weekend is here again! Hooray! Sarah and I have grand goals, as we usually do, to get packing and organizing done, complete unfinished creative projects, and catch up on sleep. We'll see how well we do.

We started our weekend accepting an invitation from our friend Michelle to go blueberry picking. We headed out early for The Blueberry Place. We slathered on some SPF70, tied on the Moby wraps, and put the boys in their car seats for a 9am berry picking adventure! Unfortunately, The Blueberry Place was closed. The word on the street is that a winter freeze has delayed blueberry ripening this year. So, as to not waste our outing prep efforts, we headed over to the Nacogdoches Farmers' Market! The farmers' market was bustling with shoppers but they hadn't purchased all the blueberries yet.

Berries galore

We bought a container of blueberries, some homemade cheese bagels, caraway seed cheddar cheese and two trumpet flower vine seedlings. Kai and Finn were once again considered a bit of a spectacle. "Are they twins," "Wow! Twins," and "You sure have your hands full" were some of the comments heard today. Next week, look for Sarah and Christian's booth at the farmer's market. Views of the twins: $1. Questions regarding the twins: 50¢.

Cheese, flowers, organic veggies, breads, homemade gifts and more at the NFM

Long overdue updates

We hope we have not lost blog readers due to our lack of blog entries lately. These little boys leave us little time to do ANYTHING. Dinner enjoyment for mother and father has fallen to past nine p.m. most nights. I recently got a haircut after being mistaken for a Wookie. Laundry has taken the form of the Rocky Mountains in a closet and near the laundry room. Showering/bathing... what's that? But hey, it's all for a good cause!

Veggies and NFM t-shirt

Last weekend we took Kai and Finn to the Nacogdoches Farmer's Market. We have discovered that twins are something of a spectacle. It's as if we're a circus sideshow. One of us is the "Bearded Lady" and the other is "Twisto" the musical contortionist. Strangers flock to us. We were at Sam's Club on Tuesday and a woman went out of her way to see the boys saying she "just had to see!" I'm charging people that I don't know one dollar per peek next time.

Sleep and a date night might be obtainable this weekend. Grandmother and Grandfather Cutler are coming up for a visit. Hooray!
Seriously tired. Yes, that's a toothbrush!

A few more pictures...

Here are a few more pictures from the weekend, including pics from Leigh's shower and Tyler with the boys!

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

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