Johnny Rockets!

Today we drove back down to San Marcos to get the windshield replaced on the Odyssey. What could have been mind numbingly boring for Eli and Jude was actually a pretty fun (though probably still a little boring) afternoon at the Outlet Mall! We walked around and browsed a little bit in a couple of stores for me - it was torture tearing myself away from the Coach purses that were an additional 20% off today only - but mostly stores for Eli and Jude. We got them a couple of pairs of cheap Osh Kosh shoes because we seem to keep losing the right shoe to most of the pairs we have. We also dropped by the Sony outlet to try to see their new 3D televisions but the outlet didn't have one. Instead, Travis got himself a new PS3 game as a birthday present.

In the middle of the browsing, we stopped for lunch at Johnny Rockets! Travis loves the '50s diner and apparently has been disappointed that the one in Austin closed years ago. And who doesn't love a restaurant that gives the kids cute hats? We jammed out to oldies and ate some tasty burgers, shakes, and fries. I couldn't resist taking a few shots of the adorable paper hats either. Too bad Eli and Jude wouldn't keep them on their heads! Eli warmed up to it after a while but Jude was having none of it.

They say it's your birthday...

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish my amazing, thoughtful, funny, and handsome husband a very happy birthday. A quarter of a century ago he entered this world and I am very thankful for that. I simply don't have the words to describe how much I love him and how great a father he is. So I will just say "Happy Birthday" and give you this photo that shows you all why I love him. :)


This is a disheveled me at approximately 11:oo PM, after a long day of work and culinary school, and my own personal Travis-Monster. Isn't he cute? Happy birthday, Travis!

Twinkie Madness!

Hello faithful blog-readers! Sorry to have not posted this week, I was planning to do a couple of posts but I was just too loopy from the pain meds to write anything coherent or worth reading. : )

For all who were curious, my surgery went very well. I am still recovering but the worst is over. Immediately after surgery, I did feel relief from the stabbing pain down my left leg that I've felt all day, every day for a couple of years. It has been very nice. Obviously, I am still in some pain but it's from the incision and also from my nerve recovering. I have some neuropathy (pins, needles, and numbness) in my left foot which is annoying more than painful, but the doctor says this is a normal symptom of the nerve healing. It should get slowly better and then go away in the next few weeks. The difficult parts are my restrictions - no lifting, bending, twisting, and sitting for more than an hour. I'm not the best patient, but I'm trying hard to follow my instructions and heal quickly.

Now for the fun stuff! Memorial day weekend was pretty low key for us. We went to a barbeque with friends on Monday and stayed for a couple of hours but I was having a hard time keeping up with Eli and Jude so we thought it would be best to head home early. We ended up having dinner at Plucker's Wing Bar and took their signature Fried Twinkies home for dessert. I thought for sure Eli and Jude would go to town on their halves (there's no way I would give them a full fried twinkie each, I don't think an ADULT even needs a full one) but they were pretty skeptical of them. I started taking a video of them while eating because I thought it would be hilarious to watch them try to scarf these delicious morsels down but little did I know that the REALLY good video would be the post-twinkie aftermath... See for yourself!

It's been a while...

I know, I know. Everyone's dying for baby pictures/videos/anecdotes but things have been pretty hectic here lately. I didn't really want to post about it because I didn't want this to be a big medical drama blog but I feel the need to explain why there haven't been very many posts lately. And I was TRYING to upload a super cute video of the boys last night but the file wasn't transferring correctly. I'm still trying. : )

After getting the minivan a couple of weekends ago, we took it to Houston twice for awesome family events on the weekends and Travis has been trying to finish up his last bits of school work for the semester during the week. I've been running after the boys and going CRAZY because they continue to be in and on everything in the apartment. They're little balls of energy and it's just really hard for me to keep up these days. In my spare moments when I used to post on the blog, I've been mostly lying down trying to feel better.

Some of you probably know that I've been having back problems for a few years. Well, after many doctors appointments and physical therapy sessions the consensus is that I need surgery. My orthopedist and surgeon both agree that my herniated disks are not getting better on their own and are, in fact, getting much worse. In addition to all of the normal discomfort, I twisted my back wrong over the weekend and have been in INCREDIBLE pain since then. Luckily it will be over soon because tomorrow I am going to have a microdiscectomy at 12:30. Dr. Von Reuden has assured me that it is a very common and fast procedure and 95% of patients feel immediate relief. Most people resume light activities after a day or two of rest but a complete recovery takes about six weeks. Though I am a little anxious about having surgery, I am more excited to be pain-free and be able to walk to the park, sit on the floor, and generally play with Eli and Jude without feeling the desperate need to lie down afterward.

Travis is already enforcing my post-surgery restrictions and I already am frustrated. I know that it is for my own health and safety but it is absolute torture being unable to pick up your babies when they cry. I cannot pick them up out of their cribs or put them down into them. I cannot bend over to kiss the tops of their heads. I know I will be counting the days to that six week mark to be able to do all of the things I can't do now and especially all of the things that I've been looking forward to since I found out that we were pregnant.

I will post tomorrow about how the surgery went (or maybe Travis will, depending on how tired I am and when they send me home) and I promise that we will post more often in general! Now I have to go, I only have 50 more minutes to eat/drink!

Best Husband EVER!

First, let me say a great big Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mommies out there! I fully believe that without great Moms, the world would cease to function. And don't argue, you know it's true too.

Today has been a pretty low-key Mother's Day for us, which is how I like it. I slept in a little bit, Travis made me breakfast (cereal!) and we lounged around while Eli and Jude gave me their gift - a three hour nap - and now we just got back from a Japanese dinner with my mom and the rest of the family. Travis says he's going to make bananas foster for dessert - and I'm SO GLAD I taught him how to make it a few years ago for exactly this reason! - in a little bit but that's not what made this Mother's Day or my husband the best one out there. It was all about what happened yesterday.

Bright and early yesterday morning, we loaded up my Camry with stuff for the day and drove to San Marcos. Why? To get my new Honda Odyssey, of course! We bought a 2006 Odyssey EX that looks almost new inside for a fantastic price. I could go on and on about how awesome it is but I won't bore you with the specs. Most notably it has automatic doors, amazing safety features, a 6 disk CD changer in the dash, and room for 8 passengers... though that last seat is pretty small. We're already wondering how we survived without one for the last 16 months! Best of all, it is a gorgeous cornflower blue that doesn't seem to be very common. Can't wait for our first road trip in it, we'll be riding very comfortably! I'm also taking suggestions for names for our newest family member. : )

Their Favorite New Hangout

The Toy Box.

Houston, We Have a Molar!

Or several, actually! At the end of last week, I was afraid Eli and Jude might be getting sick - AGAIN!!! - because they were covered in snot from the time they woke up until they fell asleep and Jude felt a little warm here and there, but not full-blown fever hot. We just got over a croup-like cough and I was not enthused to have to deal with the stress of two sickies so soon. But then on Monday, Jude opened his mouth really wide and laughed and there was a molar on the bottom left side! I felt around and sure enough, there was one molar all the way out and two more were poking through. I felt in Eli's mouth too for good measure and he has three little molars about to break!

I am SO glad that they're not sick, but the fact that they have REAL TEETH is really bringing it home that they're getting so big. I can't help but miss the little bitty lumps that used to snuggle with me all the time. Now they just want to get a quick hug and then squirm out of my arms to run around in circles and climb into the toy box. But I guess that's what parenting is all about.

Oh yeah, and Happy Cinco de Mayo! :)