has it been that long?

i have to apologize for the gross neglect of this blog. and for leaving these gross pictures of me as the first thing you see when you come to the site. i must admit that this update is prompted more by getting my ugly mug off the first post than by motivation to share things about our lives. tisk, tisk! but there is so much to share.

in the past month we've had birthdays, family-style projectile vomiting, family visits, major landscape improvements, lots of rain postponing major landscape improvements, major haircuts, refreshingly cold weather, minor surgery, our couches steam cleaned and scotch-guarded (!!!), aerial dancing, a new mustang for jordan, many attempts at making homemade yogurt, and non-stop antics and hilarity from the boys know as abie and ozzy.

whew!

some milestones to note:

1) the boys are now sleeping with blankets. like the big kind that keep you warm at night. we all took the SIDS warnings pretty seriously, i guess. the boys have never slept with a blanket or sleep sack for that matter. not even last winter. and when they got old enough to express an opinion about it, they strongly affirmed their desire to NOT sleep with a big blanket. but given the impending colder weather in austin, i went ahead and ordered them two spirited crib quilts from etsy. it was love at first sight, times two. and now they ask to be tucked in at bedtime and it's just the cutest thing ever. except when they wake up uncovered in the middle of the night and scream to be covered again. (thank god that only happens about once a week) they still sleep in full-on cribs, and while we're thinking off converting them into daybeds soon, the boys have so much fun using them as their personal trampolines, and there's no greater joy than watching ozzy use his crib as a jungle gym, we just don't have the heart to do it yet. heck, if it's not broke...

here's bobo (ozzy) and tigie (abie) enjoying the solace with the boys' new quilts

2) the boys are now professional scissor cutters. we boldly let them use a pair of scissors while we were cutting their hair a few months back and there was no turning back. it's a total obsession and a day is not complete without them cutting paper into smithereens. abel is especially adept and is starting to cut out shapes, etc. the pride they feel in their work as toddler scissor experts is palpable.

abel down, ozzy to go, and both addicted to scissors

3) i forgot to mention that the boys moved into the next class at school. this happened, uh, back in august! we were all a bit surprised since we thought they'd be in ms. corazon's class until they were 3. since they potty-trained early, the teachers felt they were ready. they are now in ms. leti's class and she is one of the warmest, enthusiastic, wonderful teachers i've ever met. the boys adore her! and abel has an extra special relationship with her. he won't leave class until he gives her a bear hug and the affection they share just melts my heart. several of their friends from the last class transitioned with them, so they are in a wonderful community of children. and they are with another set of older identical twin brothers - two sets of identical twins in one class! here's their last report card from ms. corazon's class and a snapshot on their last day:

4) abel has shown a major aptitude and delight in taking pictures. when lee-lee was here, we let the boys play with our old point and shoot digital camera, and abel used it like a master. his pictures were amazing! ozzy, not so much. and he could take it or leave it. but abel just waltzed around documenting everything he could. here are some of his best shots:

lee-lee with an upside down ozzy

5) growth spurt! i have no idea how much they've technically grown, but their pants are all floods now and the boys continue to eat like starved horses. we're talking three bagels with cream cheese in one sitting. four clementines for an after-dinner snack. an adult portion of mac and cheese with a basket of chips and a bowl of queso. no kidding. it floors us how much these kids can eat. and their requests become more and more hilarious. coffee and prune juice make abel "feel better." they both regularly ask for coffee with breakfast so i indulge them with a splash mixed in with ample milk. you'd think i was giving them the nectar of gods.

ozzy having some bagel with his cream cheese

abel cultivating his coffee habits at the ripe old age of 2.5

there's so much more to say, but i'll leave it at that for now. hope you all are having a wonderful fall!