Tailgating

As I said in the last post, the boys and I have been enjoying some time outside in the afternoon. One day we decided to test out their new tailgating chairs (an awesome birthday present we hadn't been able to use yet). They are ready for the next home game!

Slides

Most people warned me that my life would get infinitely harder when the boys were walking.  Thus far, I'd have to say it's been the opposite.  There were many places I could not take the boys when they weren't walking simply because it was too hard to carry both of them and a double stroller doesn't exactly fit everywhere.  Also, when they started walking, they also decided that not everything needed to go into their mouths, which was a very welcome change.  Coincidentally, this all also happened just as the weather was starting to cool down a bit here in Austin, so the boys and I have enjoyed playing outside most afternoons.  They love getting to explore and I love being outside of the house.

A few weekends ago, Ty and I decided to see if they'd like a playground.  We walked to an elementary school nearby and while the playground as mostly too big for them, we did have fun on the swings, slides, and grabbing playground gravel.  They were having so much fun on the slides that we decided we needed to capture it on video:

Fully Mobile

(This post is about a month and a half late.)  As the title would suggest, the Schlegel boys are fully mobile.  Anderson managed to learn how to walk before Carter; I think this might be the first developmental milestone Anderson reached first, and Carter still seems a bit perturbed by the whole thing.  Since Anderson learned first, Carter spent a significant amount of time pulling Anderson down every time he stood up.  Carter probably started walked a week or two after Anderson.

These days they are not just walking, but even some running when they get really excited or when Mommy is chasing them.  I've managed to catch a little on video, hopefully showing the progression of their first steps to current walking skills.

WWF ain't got nothing on the Schlegel boys

The boys have recently taken up wrestling.  Perhaps they were inspired by the Olympics?  Although I can't tell if this Greco-Roman or a more traditional form.  Either way, it's pretty entertaining.

It's often difficult to tell who's winning, but Carter seemed to be the clear victor in both of these videos.  Anderson usually ends each match by crawling to Mom.  Sort of the same thing as holding a championship belt above your head, except better.

Visit to Ohio

We also took the boys to Ohio this summer to spend time with friends and family.  Unfortunately, we did not remember our camera and therefore have very few pictures of the week and a half.  Luckily my mom was able to come up for a day to see the boys and she is never without her camera.  Here are the few shots she took:

On a morning walk with Mommy and both grandmas, checking out Lake Erie

Bama trying her best to get Carter to like the sand, he was pretty skeptical

Anderson liked the water, but enjoyed it more when there were big waves.  

Mommy and Anderson, RIP sunglasses.  Please note above caption describing Anderson enjoying large waves.  Large waves + holding onto a baby + fashionable but not utilitarian sunglasses = disaster

Our Summer Adventures

Many apologies for the lack of posting this summer.  We have been out of town, or had at least one house guest for the majority of the summer and blogging has taken a back seat to packing, unpacking, laundry, etc.

We traveled with the boys up to Wisconsin for some time with my extended family and the wedding of one of my college roommates.  My parents met us in Chicago and we went to visit family for the first day.  Here are a few pics:

Enjoying the hammock and significantly cooler weather than in Texas

Carter checking out the boat

He called his brother over to confer

What's a day on the lake without a cold beer? (Please note Carter looking longingly at Anderson's bottle)

Carter loves to tap the Rockies

Carter helping Garry drive the boat

Enjoying the German Club (Please ask Ty for a more complete description.  I fear I would hardly do it justice)

Anderson got to help drive on the way home

Family photo before the wedding reception

First Birthday Party

I should preface this post with a statement making it clear that I am well aware of the general sentiments about people who do completely over the top, Great Gatsbyesque first birthday parties for their kids, which are entirely about celebrating the parents and their friends, parties that epitomize the age old tradition of competitive parenting and keeping up with the Baby Joneses, and parties which celebrate excess rather than children.  I share the majority of these sentiments.  But I may have taken one giant leap towards this dark side with the boys' first birthday party.

To begin with, we had a theme.  Of course we did.  We tried to focus on something the boys loved, but quickly discarded the idea of a pureed foods party, despite its obvious appeal to both the very young and very old, thus celebrating the life cycle in its entirety.  As a runner up, we decided on a golf party.  The boys love to chew on the plastic golf balls that came with their little golf set and to hit each other with the plastic clubs.  And I love to see them in polos and argyle.  Win, win.

We tried to stick with the golf theme for food and decor and stopped short of outfitting the boys in full golf regalia (side note: yes, Anderson was wearing a Masters polo for the party.  After all, if they're going to be golfers, and they sure seem to have a better chance at that than football given their stature and lineage, they might as well be excellent golfers).  Friends and family joined us to celebrate our accomplishments in our first year of parenting, err, the boys' first year of life.

Truly, we wanted to celebrate with everyone who supported us, prayed with us, cried with us, laughed with us, brought us food, changed a diaper, made a bottle, held a baby, or just listened to/read the rantings of two first time parents.  We wanted to honor our boys, but also the community of friends and family that supported us through this whole year.

We didn't manage to capture too much of the party in photos, but here's what we got:

Guests were greeted with a sign made by our very talented friend Annie

And a close-up of the sign.  Rickie Fowler (Carter) and Payne Stewart (Anderson)  at the Masters.

Some of the food
(Yes, the golf tees were holding together the sandwiches.  Please refer back to my preface)

Cupcakes, fruit pizza and a banner of all the pictures of the boys at each month; our golf course only had 12 holes 

Ready for the boys to practice

We made a cupcake for each of the boys.  While I originally  was quite proud of myself for using such a dark  green frosting to mimic grass, when I saw lots of little children eating said frosting and dripping it down their hands, I made a mental note to place practicality before aesthetics in the future.  Please hold me accountable.

They have no idea what's happening.  

Not exactly the excited face I imagined

This is a little better

Very tentative first attempts to touch the cupcake

First taste

First taste for this one

Wait, is his cupcake bigger than mine?  

Now we're excited about the cupcake and annoyed with Dad for  interrupting the process by taking photos

Ditto for this guy

I have no words.  He bore a striking resemblance to the Incredible Hulk. You know, the slightly lesser known yet very intimidating 15 lb. version  

This guy loves it

Golf ball pops for favors.  Fore coming and celebrating our kids and the ridiculousness of their parents.