Send in the clowns

Well, GiGi did it again. Last year Sam and Nate were dinosaurs, and pretty cute ones at that. This year, GiGi outdid herself and made clown costumes for the boys. I wasn't sure what they would look like, and when I opened the box and saw how elaborate they are I could hardly believe it. They got to unveil their costumes this morning at the Halloween parade at their preschool. From what I hear, all the moms went crazy over the costumes and are ready to send their orders for next year to Wyoming. I'm not sure GiGi is ready to take on a sewing clientele, but I sure am glad we're on the list.

Captain Underpants

We have a new daily ritual on Mountain Lane. It used to be that when the boys and I would come home after a long day at school, we would get a cup of milk, eat a snack and play together. Sometimes we would watch cartoons or read a book, but mostly we just relaxed. Well, things have changed. Now when we come home, both boys can't wait to strip down and make a run for the potty. They know that a "successful" trip to the potty gets rewarded with a chocolate chip and a mini marshmallow. It may not sound like much to you, but Sam and Nate think it's the best thing ever. Then, after that business is done, they both like to put on their big boy underpants and proceed with the rest of their day. This has actually been pretty successful, with very few accidents. This whole potty training thing is a slow process, but we think this is  a step in the right direction.

Notice the shoes!

State Fair of Texas, among other things

The past weekend Gina and I took the boys to the State Fair of Texas. We took them to the Illinois State Fair last year, and we knew this was something we wanted to do again. If you had asked me last year which state fair I thought we would take Sam and Nate to, I would've thought you were crazy for asking. Well, a year later it doesn't seem so crazy. I met Gina and the boys there after work, and after a quick change out of my work clothes in the parking lot (classy, I know), we were ready to roll. Things got off to an awesome start when we saw at the front gate none other than Mater himself (or at least the guy who does Mater's voice). Larry the Cable Guy was there filming a show called Only in America. I think we even made it into a couple of shots.

Our next stop was the corn dog stand for a quick bite to eat. Nate and I shared a corn dog, while Sam and Gina had a hamburger. This was our first of several stops to the many food vendors. Here's Nate doing his best "don't mess with me" look.

Sam doesn't look nearly as ominous.

During our stay at the fair, we got to see Big Tex, some exotic wild birds, some clowns, a really cool train display and fire works ... oh, and did I mention we saw Big Tex!?

Another activity we have really been enjoying is the TCU football games. We have now been to 4 home games, and the boys have gone to the last two games with us. I wasn't sure how they would handle the crowds and tight space in the stands, but it turns out that they love the games and attract quite a bit of attention (the good kind, so far). We went to the game against Wyoming (my home state) by ourselves, then last weekend we met Gina's cousin, Jennifer and her husband Sam at the game. We had a great time, and then went to eat Mexican food afterwards. This is us outside the restaurant in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

And this was only the second quarter! Ouch!

I would say that so far, life in Texas is treating us pretty good.

Cool weather campin'

Gina and I decided to do something different this weekend, so we took the boys camping at Ray Roberts Lake. They got to experience camping this summer at the Johnson Ranch, but they stayed the night in a hotel. But this time we wanted to see how they would do sleeping in a tent. The weather has been unbelievably great, so we took advantage of the cools temps by giving this camping thing a test run.

I remember camping several years ago with my uncle and cousins at Ray Roberts Lake, and it seemed like a good place to start. They have running water, bathrooms, playgrounds and a lot of trails to explore. Our choice turned out to be a good one.

We got to the camp site around 4:30, and I had everything set up by 5:00. This gave us a little over two hours to explore and eat dinner before it got too dark. Remember, we weren't exactly sure how this would go over, so we didn't want to overdo it. The boys loved every new thing we discovered, which culminated in an extended rock-throwing session at the edge of the lake. They even met some big boys who would search for rocks for them to throw. It was a lot of fun.

After a delicious meal of hot dogs and baked beans (and s'mores!), we put the boys in their warm PJ's and Gina stayed with them until they were asleep. Gina and I stayed up awhile longer, eating more s'mores and talking by the campfire. We eventually decided to turn in, and everything went well for most of the night. However, at about 4:00 a.m., I could hear the pitter-patter of rain on the tent. Sprinkles turned to a steady hum, which turned into a full-blown thunderstorm. The tent stayed dry for the most part, though there was some wetness around the edges. Both boys found new places to sleep (Sam in my sleeping bag and Nate in between Gina and I), and we hung in there until about 7:00 a.m. I must admit, I didn't sleep all that much, but I must have gotten enough sleep early on because I haven't felt tired all day.

We all got dressed and had muffins (or as the boys say, muffin man) and scrambled eggs, then we packed up to come home. I had to lay everything out in the garage to dry, and Gina and the boys headed straight for the bath.

Gina and I brainstormed some different camping adventures we want to have, and I am pretty sure the boys will be up for the challenge. Here are a couple of shots from the trip.

Me and 92,000 of my closest friends

I had the opportunity to go to Baton Rouge this weekend to see the LSU v. West Virgina football game. I have been to a lot of college football games. Utah State, Colorado State, UVa, Texas A&M, TCU, and a handful of others, but this was by far the most unbelievable college football experience I have ever seen. I say experience because the game actually turned out to be only kind of exciting. But the whole experience was amazing. 92,000 fans, major league tailgating, marching bands, traditions, etc. It was amazing, and I will see the TCU games in a whole different light. Of course, the TCU games have actually been a lot more exciting on the field, but when it comes to the overall experience, LSU has my vote.

I would especially like to thank Uncle Norwin for taking Don and me to the game. He graciously offered to let us use his tickets, so he made this whole adventure possible. And if it weren't for Uncle Larry's expert navigation, we never would have made it to the game in time or home at a decent hour. It sure is nice when you know the right people.

Words to live by

Life in the Alexander home has gotten very interesting and entertaining since the boys have been talking more. We are always amused, and sometimes shocked, to hear what they have picked up from TV, school and Gina and me. I am definitely becoming more mindful of what I say around the boys. Yesterday, as the boys and I were driving home, we passed a blood donation bus in a parking lot. Sam, who is usually the first to point out interesting vehicles from the car, said, "Daddy look! A school bus!" Wanting to be accurate, I said, "Yeah, look at that Sam! Actually, that is  a bus where you can donate blood." Nate immediately shouted, "No, daddy, no!" His tone was very stern, which I'm sure he learned from me. I had to know why he suddenly got so serious. "What's going on, Nate? Why are you telling me no?"  Nate pointed at me (we were at a stop light, so I could see him), and said, "Daddy, no! Don't eat blood!" I guess he thought I was telling his brother not to eat blood (don-ate blood), and these wise words really resonated with him. You know, I couldn't argue with that. I just said, "That's right, Nate. We don't eat blood." I guess Nate won't grow up wanting to be a vampire.

Daredevils

I have been meaning to post this for awhile, but I just now thought about it. A couple of weeks ago we went to my uncle's house in Garland, and the boys loved swimming in their pool. It took a little time (and coaxing from me) but they eventually started jumping off the diving board. Once they each tried it, that is all they wanted to do. Hal got some footage of them taking the plunge.

Fort Worth has Talent

Sam and Nate have always loved music, and Sam has been singing a lot for the last couple of months. In typical twin fashion, Nate did not want to be left out of the action. Seemingly out of nowhere, he started singing complete songs. I should mention that Nate was the first one to sing at all. He used to sing the "rocky, rocky" song when he was about a year old, but then he kind of lost interest in singing. That is, until he saw the movie Annie. Now he sings "Tomorrow," over and over again. We captured some footage of both boys singing so you can see for yourself.

Pomp and Circumstance

Well, this was actually the exact opposite of graduation. A couple of weeks ago we all went to TCU for the Chancellor's Address to the incoming class of Freshmen (for any of you UVA folks, think "First Years"). During this event, the frosh parade from one part of campus to the basketball arena (Daniel-Meyer Coliseum), followed by the faculty dressed in their regalia. As the newbie in her department, Gina got to not only attend but was appointed to carry the banner for the Harris College of Nursing and Health Science. Sam, Nate and I watched from the stands for some of the speeches, then we took a stroll around campus to see some of the buildings. Here are some photos from the event.

School Daze

The boys successfully completed their first two days of school on Tuesday and Thursday of this week. We had been anticipating this day for a long time, and we were both eager to get their school clothes, lunches and nap mats ready for the big day. After a big breakfast, I took them to school and introduced them to their teacher, Miss Val. She is a college student who has been teaching at Pebbles all summer. Neither of the boys wanted to go into the classroom at first, but Sam eventually succumbed to the temptation to play with a Noah's Ark toy. Nate, on the other hand, was not going to take the bait. He began to cry when he realized what was going on, and he was clutching me with a death grip. Miss Val began holding him, and I made a quick exit.

Needless to say, I kept my cell phone handy the entire time I was in Denton, and I was just sure I would get a call. Well, the phone never rang and when I went to pick them up they were both sound asleep on their nap mats. I had to wake them up to take them home, and they both popped up and started talking about what they did at school. At first I was relieved that they liked school, but that emotion quickly turned to joy as I consumed their broken speech trying to describe all they had done. I was able to extract "music," "playground," and "big boys." I could also see their lunch all over their shirts, so they obviously enjoyed all the yummies their mommy packed for them.

I am pretty sure the school experience will become a regular theme on the blog, so I will wrap this up. We feel blessed to have found a good school, and I am excited to see all that the boys will learn. By the way, the picture above was taken just before the boys left for their first day at school.

Rocky Mountain High

On Saturday, July 24, we woke up early and left for a two-week visit to Casper. After a fairly easy trip, we got to Casper on Sunday afternoon and the boys have been going non-stop ever since.

Our first adventure took place in the Big Horn Mountains, on a ranch about 15 miles west of Kaycee, WY. My dad and I have been going to this place to camp since I was about 9, and it has always been a dream to take my boys camping there as well. Dad and I went out on Monday and set up camp. After a delicious dinner of steak, hominy and baked beans (all cooked over an open fire), we sat around the campfire talking until well after the sun had set. We spend Tuesday and Wednesday hiking and relaxing until the rest of the gang showed up on Wednesday afternoon. I wasn't sure how the boys would respond to the great outdoors, but they took to it like fish to water. Sam loved throwing rocks in the river, and Nate just loved running around. They also discovered that they could climb in the back of PaPa's pickup and play around in there. Gina, GiGi and the boys spent the night in a motel in Kaycee, then came out the next morning for more outdoor fun. This time they got to play in the river, which was a lot of fun and very refreshing on a hot day. We packed up camp and headed back to Casper about 3:00, and after we unloaded all the camping gear we went to Johnny J's Diner for hamburgers and milkshakes.

On Friday, we just kind of hung around the house resting from the camping trip. I also had to grade final projects and submit final grades for my online class. Fun. On Saturday, we attended a retirement reception for Tom Empey, our family friend and former theater director at Casper College. There were several alumni from the program that I got to visit with, and it was nice to hear so many people talk about the impact he made in their lives. That night we went to Mr. Empey's final production, Sunday in the Park with George. I had never seen this musical before, and I was totally blown away. The cast was excellent, and the message told through the story is quite powerful. If you have not seen this show before, you should definitely try to see it someday.

On Sunday, we went to church at Boyd Avenue Baptist Church, enjoyed a delicious lunch at Guadalajara, and spent the rest of the day resting. We went to a Casper Ghosts (yes, that is really the name of the team) baseball game, where former MLB All-Star Todd Helton was rehabbing from an injury. The boys loved their first-ever (but definitely not last) sporting event, especially the yummy snacks from the concession stand.

This week has been a lot of fun, as well, with trips to the park down the street, the Casper Aquatic Center, GiGi and PaPa's cabin on the mountain (twice!), the Audubon Center and the outdoor City Band concert. They have also gotten to play with some new friends and have thrown more rocks in different rivers and creeks than I could have ever imagined. Needless to say, they have gone to bed at each nap and nighttime exhausted, but they have always seemed to wake up ready for more.

Tonight Gina and I are going to my 20th high school reunion, then again tomorrow for some more activities. I am looking forward to seeing old friends and getting to introduce them to my beautiful wife and boys. We head back to Texas on Sunday morning so we can jump into the craziness of work and preschool on Tuesday. It should be quite a shock, but I think we are ready for it. Overall, this has been a great visit to Wyoming, and we have started what will surely become several special traditions. We are already looking forward to our next visit.

More Pictures Here ...

Miss Murray goes to Washington

Well, actually Miss Murrary (our neice Ella) lives in Washington, so she didn't have to travel far to attend a special panel at the U.S. Senate on rare and neglected pediatric diseases, such as EB. The purpose of this panel was to urge lawmakers to help fund research relating to these diseases, and Alex Silver spoke on behalf of EB children and their families. His testimony is embedded below, or you can watch the full committee hearing (Mr. Silver's portion goes from about the 103-108 minute mark). The video below contains a couple of shots of Ella with my sister Katie.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to have Mr. Silver speak before the Senate about this devastating disease. Only when there is more awareness about its effects and what life is like for EB families will there be more funding put toward researching more effective treatments and ultimately, a cure. Please pass this on to other people you know, and if you would like to know more about EB and getting involved, you can visit debRA. You can read my sister's first hand account on her blog: teamjoella.blogspot.com.

Where's Sam?

Tonight when I went in to check on the boys, I immediately noticed Sam wasn't in his bed. I suddenly froze because he has been known to sleep on the floor. I looked around to make sure I wasn't about to step on him, but he wasn't on the floor either. When I looked in Nate's bed, this is what I saw ...

This was a first for Gina and I. We knew they get into each other's beds when they were waking up, but this is the first time I have seen them asleep in the same bed. It was pretty darn cute, and I hope they actually sleep all night like that. Nate is a notorious for squirming and kicking, so Sam may end up back into his peaceful bed where he won't get kicked.

Independence Day, Texas style

I meant to give this update much earlier (actually closer to the day it occurred), but I got sidetracked with other projects and am just now getting to it. We had a fun 4th of July weekend, and rather than going into too much detail, I will let the pictures tell the story.

Some of the pictures at the end of the slideshow are not from the 4th of July, but I just left them in there anyway.

Seeing Double

This afternoon we all went to a picnic sponsored by the Forth Worth Parents of Multiples club. I don't know if that is the exact name or not, but you get the gist. Gina has been involved in similar clubs in Charlottesville and Springfield, and it looks like the Fort Worth club will be the most active, largest and most organized of them all. This event was held at one of the member's homes, and they have a huge backyard capable of hosting so many people. This was not my first twin event, but it is still funny seeing all these little sets of matching children running around. Most of them have matching or coordinating (we opted for coordinating this time) outfits, and most of the younger sets of twins and triplets stick pretty close to each other. Sam and Nate were no exception. Even with so many other kids to play with, they pretty much played with each other the entire time. I guess there is some comfort in familiarity.

I have included some pictures of the different activities they had for the kids to do.

The best part of the whole event was the reaction we got in the car when we asked Sam and Nate if they had fun at the picnic. I'll let you judge for yourself.

Playin' in the rain

Our first full week in Texas was filled with many thunder storms. Sam, Nate and I went onto the front stoop to watch the biggest of these storms, and they couldn't resist the temptation to play in the rain. Gina joined us, and we had a lot of fun splashing in the rain coming through the gutter. We didn't let the boys venture too far out, but they still had a pretty excellent time. Here is some video I captured of the event ...

Unpacked and online

About a week ago we all arrived safely in Fort Worth. The driving was a little harder this time than it has been in the past because a) I was driving a 26-foot moving truck (which wasn't all that bad) and b) we had a caravan of 3 cars. In most cases, this wasn't a big deal but it did make me nervous in the bigger cities. The last 50-mile stretch across the DFW metroplex was the most intense for me, but we made it through with no problems and arrived at our new home about 5 p.m. Gina had called Don and Karen as we were approaching Dallas, and they pulled up within minutes of our arrival. The last week has been very busy as we unpacked our boxes and found a place for all of our stuff. And let me tell you, we have a lot of stuff. That being said, we have found a place for almost everything and our house is now starting to look like a home. With all the activity and changes, I have not really been motivated to blog much, but that will change in the near future.

The boys have adjusted to the move pretty well. In fact, Sam has adjusted a bit too well. He has become so comfortable in his new surroundings that he started climbing out of the crib. Gina and I were both surprised that it took either of the boys this long to start climbing out, and on Friday night the era of "captive babies" came to an end. Thankfully, we were prepared for this event and had already purchased bed rails, which are now installed on their cribs in place of the front gate. So far, they have been going to sleep with minimal resistance, but we'll see if this holds up.

We are grateful to finally be here and are especially thankful that my parents (Ron and Gale) were able to make the trip with us and help with various stages of the move. They are swinging back through town tonight and there will be no work for them to do. This should be a nice break from the last couple of weeks. Thank you to all of you have been praying for our safe move and travels.

Back and Packing

We arrived home on Sunday from our trip, and we have been packing our house ever since. The drive back was pretty uneventful, but the boys did continue their fixation with the movie Cars. I think we watched it at least 5 times on the drive home, not to mention the 7-8 times we watched it in Florida. On the upside, we have yet to watch it since we got back home. Other than that, we stayed safe and made good time on the interstate. When we walked into our house, things really got interesting. For one, we are used to coming home to a clean house because we always make sure things are in order before we leave. When we left for this trip, we were in a hurry and had boxes stacked everywhere. I wouldn't say the house was a complete disaster, but it was quite cluttered with boxes and items waiting to be packed. We had a hard time finding a place to put our bags and other things from the trip. I had turned off the AC while we were gone because the temperature had not been all that hot before we left. It was still relatively cool when we came back but the house was very stuffy and humid. I also detected a slight musty smell. That's when I discovered the major surprise ...

When I went into the basement (which is VERY unfinished) everything looked fine. But I noticed that some trash cans were toppled over and there was an abnormal amount of debris in the drain in the floor. Well, after some investigating it was clear the basement had flooded while were gone. I have no idea how much water was in there, but I am thinking between 2-3 inches, at least. Everything that was on the floor was obviously ruined or completely soaked. Thankfully, it had flooded (just a slight trickle) right before we left and we had moved most of the stuff upstairs. We had to discard a few items, but most of the stuff was saved. Anyway, it was at this time that I realized how done I am with basements. Don't get me wrong, if the basement is sealed up and taken care of, like my parent's and sister's house, it is a great thing. I loved my basement in my house in Casper. But this basement has been a real headache for us. Besides the fact that it looks like a 18th Century dungeon and has almost no lighting, it is dirty and cold, leaks water and smells like an old storm cellar. I can't wait until we have moved everything out of there and can close the door for good.

We also came home to an AC unit that wasn't working. So, in the midst of dealing with the basement crisis, the upstairs felt like a sauna. I was able to call the AC guy who works for our landlord, and he fixed it right away. Apparently it was an easy fix because we had a cool house again by Monday night. Even so, it was one more thing to think about and keep us from doing the packing we needed to do.

Despite the setbacks, the packing and planning for the move is going well. My parents show up today to help with the final details, then we all depart for Fort Worth on Saturday morning. Thankfully, we feel rested from our vacation in Florida, and we have actually been sleeping better since we got home. You know how it is with toddlers and their sleep patterns when they travel. I have actually found some time to write this before the rest of the family is awake, which couldn't have happened on our trip. So, the next time I update this blog it will be from Texas. In the meantime, I have some more boxes to pack.

Lost and Found

I had a really interesting experience on Wednesday of our vacation. Gina and I left the boys with Granny and Granddad so we could swim in the ocean for a little while. We took our stuff down to the beach and left it under the tent we had set up. I had noticed during my last couple of times to swim in the ocean that my wedding ring felt kind of loose on my finger. I decided to take it off and placed it in my hat. After we were done swimming, I dried off and put my hat back on without even thinking about my ring. In fact, I didn't even notice that I wasn't wearing it until we had been in the beach house about 30 minutes. I rushed back to the beach without telling anyone why I was going and searched furiously in the sand for about 30 minutes. It became clear to me that this was going to be really hard to find. I came back to the house and broke the news to Gina about what I'd done. She was understanding, but she wanted to go back down to look for it. We recruited a few others to come with us, but after quite awhile we became convinced that the ring was gone. Later that day, I looked out the window and saw Don by our tent. I had this sudden thought, if I don't go back and look while the tent is still up (which gives me at least a general idea where the ring might be) I will definitely not find it again. So, I went down there one more time and began sifting through the sand. After several minutes, I saw in the sand the faint outline of a circle. I dropped down and dug around it, and as the sand fell from my hands, a small silver ring -- my wedding ring -- appeared. I was so excited that I ran back to the beach house without even telling Don, Kendall or Zach, who were on the beach with me, that I found the ring. I also forgot to put my shoes back on and I stubbed my bare toe on the boardwalk pretty badly. I ran into the house, tracking blood the whole way, ascended the stairs and just stood in front of everyone. Gina could tell immediately what had happened. It was a really cool experience.

If you are familiar at all with the two stories Jesus tells about people who found something  they thought was lost (the widow and her lost coin and the father of the prodigal son), you know that both people ran with joy. I don't think this detail was randomly added to these stories. After finding my ring, my first response was to run back home and tell people what happened because I was convinced the ring was gone forever. I think Jesus included this detail on purpose to illustrate the emotions God feels when we choose Him over ourselves, the world or thousands of other things competing for our attention. Pure joy and elation, the natural reaction to which is running toward the lost object in order to end the lostness as soon as possible.

Florida Time

Gina, the boys and I have been in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida for the past few days with her parents, her brother and his family. So far, everyone is having a great time and we have really been soaking up the sunshine and cool (and sometimes hot) ocean breezes. The condo we rented for the week is pretty much right on the beach, so we can go swimming or for a stroll anytime we want. There is also a pool next to the condo, and we have really enjoyed going over there. The twins were quite slow to warm up to the beach; in fact, Sam still pretty much screams to go home every time we're out there. Nate finally let us take him in the ocean this morning, and he loved it. He actually screamed when we told him it was time to go home and eat lunch. They both love the pool (they call it "blue water") and have been quite the independent pair with their floatie Speedo swimming suits. Wearing a Speedo definitely has a different connotation now than when I was a kid. The best part of the vacation is that everyone is relaxed, which Gina and I will need when we get back to Illinois and pack up to move to Texas. We're looking forward to the rest of the week and the fun adventures we will have at the beach. We just hope those adventures don't include dodging oil slicks. So far, it's been all clear.