Just as I promised. Embarrasing photos. Josh as a chili dawg. Such attention to detail--dog collar, dog ears, dog spots, a chili pepper around the neck and . . .A dog tail. Pretty funny. He's pretty fierce with that little tail wagging. Ti was pretty sick but I'm sure he will love being a doggy as soon as the sniffles are gone.

Chili DAWGS
Ok, I can't wait until this afternoon. Josh is going to be a chili dawg--not kidding. For those of you who know Josh, you're laughing too. Yes, he loves costumes but only when they involve some sort of super hero like Indiana Jones or Luke Skywalker, not a chili dawg.
Basically, his work has a huge chili cook off today. They've been planning (actually having meetings during work hours) for weeks. The main point is to find the best chili but Josh's team is going to try to sway the judges with their team effort as well. They have costumes, a logo, and they are all bringing their dogs. Tivon and I will be attending (even though Ti is sick--I can't miss this photo opportunity!) and I will post only the most embarassing pics here.

Quite the different work experience than in NYC. :) Josh even plays on a softball league for the company and they are thinking of starting a soccer league which he is totally excited about. Oh yea, he likes the work he is doing too. He's doing a site analysis to design a greenhouse for Texas State University. It's good to see that fire lit under him again.

HAPPY EASTER!!

We had a whirlwind weekend with the Kigers down from McKinney (just outside of Dallas). Oh how the kids have changed and grown! Except Tivon who still can't seem to understand "pretty smile". They rolled into town on Friday and we immediately hit the park with fountains to play in. What a blast! Soaking wet, we went to one of our favorite restaurants Freddie's. It has an outdoor play area and great, cheap food. What more could we ask for?

That night, all the Kigers piled into Tivon's room and Tivon slept in his pack n play in our room. Tivon made it his duty to let me know when it was 3 am, then 4 am, 6 am and finally 7 am. How lucky to have such a good alarm clock! Needless to say, I was dragging a bit on Saturday but that didn't stop us. We took a hike up to Mt. Bonnell--one of my favorite spots in Austin. You can see the river, the city and the hill country. We didnt' have our camera (dang it!) but here's a picture from the archives when mom visited a few years ago.

While on the hike, Julia said, "I've never been on a hike but this is the best hike ever!" It was a pretty great hike.

Then we came back to our house and had a picnic which Julia responded, "this is the best picnic ever!" After the boys had their naps, we went to a neighbor's Easter party--always good to meet more neighbors. This is seriously the friendliest neighborhood we've ever lived in.

That night we went to probably our most favorite place (and it's ranked on Brian's list too!) of best places to eat. It's Polvos--if you've visited us in Austin, I'm sure we've taken you there. It's lost some of its charm as it has become very popular but the eats are still scrumptious.

I forgot to mention that at this point, we've already been to Amy's ice cream TWICE. And yes, there would be two more times. It might be a favorite.

On Easter, we went to the Methodist church that our friends Lara and Bert attend. It was a beautiful service ending with the Hallelujah Chorus. Then everybody came over to our house for lunch and easter egg hunting. Debbie, I mean, the Easter Bunny was very good to Tivon this year. We've been practicing hunting for eggs so he knew exactly what to do--wait for the big kids to get all the eggs and then pull the "I'm just a baby" card and steal their eggs.

Olivia and Ti going through the goods. Tivon "smiling".

More smiles. And cute kids.

Austinite Hippie

Need I say more?

Ironically, we got this kerchief from McDonald's--it's supposed to be a scary pirate's doo-rag. Not so much, really.

Night, Night

Tivon has continued to be a good sleeper (except when he isn't in his own bed, but more about that later). Usually, I say, "time to go night, night." He picks up a toy or a "friend" to go with him to sleep and goes over to his crib. It's really beautiful. I don't pretend that this is in anyway attributed to my parenting skills. I have a feeling it will be a rude awakening if/when number two greets us. Tivon also likes to know when Shalosh is going night, night. So sometimes they lay down together for a moment to sleep together. Talk about precious. Ok, maybe it doesn't look all that sweet but it really is.

Parks, Parks, Everywhere

Thank goodness for green space and parks. We live in a two bedroom house (which seems like a mansion to me!) just one block from our neighborhood elementary school that has a playscape. It also has basketball courts, soccer fields and a baseball diamond. Alot of afternoons when we are all hitting the witching hour (something about the hours between 4 and 6 pm that try tivon and I), we head out to the park.

We've enjoyed reuniting with our friends here--many with kids Tivon's age--so they can help this old/new Austinite navigate to all the cool hot spots.

We met up with our friend Bob (Katie was away for work) and his daughter Ruby at the playground close to their house.

The one thing that I hate about the playscapes is the open areas that are really high. I may be projecting my slight fear of heights with a dash of imaginative toppling to the ground but it kinda freaks me out sometimes. So, of course, Tivon has made it his business to scare mommy. I will never be able to catch a photo of these moments because I'm usually yelling something or leaping over other mommies to protect my little one but in this picture, Ti doesn't want to sit to go down the slide when you can walk/run/topple down the slide.

This picture just makes me laugh. He's a little old man at the age of 21 months! Maybe he's harkening back to his days as a troll.

An old place with new eyes

Last we lived in Austin, we were graduate students: catching meals on the go, taking in live music at every stop, and connecting with people with similar interests (architecture or theatre). Josh and I knew that we were a bit nostalgic about Austin but we kept thinking that it is truly a peaceful place. And peace is what I needed most. Our adventures to Clemson and NYC were fruitful, and beautiful stops along the way but I felt very unsettled, not only in the sense that I knew we wouldn't stay there a long time but also unsettled in my soul. I just felt off. Maybe much of this was due to becoming a new mom in that time. I will never know. But Austin feels right, for right now. :) The great thing is that Austin is very kid friendly. Much of what we used to do, we can still do with a little thought and planning. We've already seen 4 free concerts (including a friend who plays guitar and sings) and visited our favorite eateries.

One of our concerns about moving to Austin had been bringing Shalosh back together with our family. She has been on a 10 month vacation on 82 acres of trees, farmland, horses, and wild animals. In that time, she killed three ducks (continuing her infatuation with birds) and a skunk (we're told that she wreaked for weeks!). So I have been very vigilant with Tivon and Shalosh. Here are a couple of pictures of Shalosh intimidating Tivon. I think Shalosh might just love having an extra set of hands around to pet her.

Let the posting begin

I know. You look every few minutes, with baited breath, hoping, wishing, praying that Bridget has updated the blog, but alas, she must be super busy or taking a much needed nap or eating chocolate. You understand. You are patient. And now you will be rewarded. The wait is over.

Tivon's friends in NYC

Maryn is a good buddy from NYC. Her grandparents live near Louisville so we're hoping to see them again during Christmas. Tivon sure does miss her cool baby piano and seems to have "caught" her addiction to Elmo. Thanks alot.

We had one last playdate with Hanan before we left. These two were a couple of cuties together.

And finally from the NYC archives. We got to enjoy the most beautiful sledding in Riverside Park. Tivon is quite the daredevil and wanted to go head first with Hanan and her daddy behind.

Life in the Big City . . .

I realized (or actually some of you have reminded me) that I've never posted pictures of the infamous apartment in nyc. I have to say, I don't know if it is the pictures or if it just looks bigger when you aren't living in it, but these pictures make it look fabulous. What was I ever complaining about? I mean, I had 370 sqare feet? There are families that live with their extended families in huts smaller than that. I need to get over myself.

Living room looking at the front door--the kitchen is just past the painting.

The living room looking toward Tivon's room. The fancy track lighting, we installed. Don't miss the beautiful windows that look out onto the back yard where the dogs barked at us.

And now for my favorite feature--countertop space--About a 6X6 area. (We did put our bookshelf in the kitchen for some added workspace which you can see in the lower left corner.)
Ahhh, home sweet home.

Make new friends and keep the old . . .
What is it about adulthood that makes it so difficult to make new friends? Are we set in our stubborn ways? Do we think, "I've made it this far, why do I need more friends now?" Or is it that we are afraid? Afraid of being vulnerable? Afraid of connecting with someone else? Afraid of being ourselves? Afraid of being rejected?

I find that going on playdates is much like a first date--awkward at best, a one playground stand at worst. Fortunately, since we've moved alot lately, I've gotten much better at community making--necessary for staying sane while staying at home with a toddler.

I pour over the internet for blogs mentioning austin play groups or I traverse the murky waters of meetup.com or become a lurker on yahoo group chat rooms. All in the hopes of finding that special connection.

I've been on three planned blind playdates and one spontaneous and unexpected meeting at the Whole Foods in the last week and a half. I get ready for the play date with the new friends in mind. I don't want to appear too trendy--nobody like a mom who has time to shop but at the same time, I don't want to appear depressed--nobody wants to be a designated cheerleader for the new mom. My standard playdate outfit has become jeans (not freshly washed), my green jacket (I look happy in green) and my funky earrings (always a conversation starter).

Then comes the diaper bag choice--do you go with the black-I-just-moved-from-nyc-so-everything-I-own-is-black bag or the monogrammed "Baby Lee" bag that is cute yet practical. I usually choose the green bag because it matches my shoes.

Oh and don't get me started on dressing Tivon. This takes hours of thought and preoccupation.

And please don't ask me to bring a snack. THat is just too much pressure.

So far I've gotten one mom's digits. I'm thinking I'm doing pretty well for a week and a half. But now the big question is--when do I call the new mom friend? Or do I call at all? Maybe I should just email. I don't want to appear desperate. I want her to feel okay saying, "no" if the feelings weren't mutual. Surely, she wants to be my friend . . . but what if she doesn't? What if she didn't think Tivon was a good playmate for her son. What if she figures out that I have adult acne and I watch American Idol and I am desperate, desperate for friendship. Maybe I'll wait another day to contact her.

Please tell me that this gets better once the kids are in school.

This is the first time I've looked at our blog since we left NYC. We look so different now. Sometimes I feel like that was another life--I guess it kinda was. NYC was truly a good place to be--we made wonderful friends and loved being a part of that indescribable energy.

I have a tendency to be a bit nostalgic of the places we have lived but there are some things I won't ever wax wonderful. First, the cost of living--I'm pretty sure you shouldn't spend 55% of your income on a one bedroom, run down rental apartment. 2. Dog poop, baby poop, homeless poop, you name it. For some odd reason, the winter brought on a surge of poop on the sidewalk. Generally the city is immaculate for the number of people but I loathed the poop. 3. The myth of convenience. Yes, you can get anything you want at any time of day, but no one mentioned how much it would cost or which three trains you would have to ride to get it.

On the flip side, I am already nostalgic about the snow sledding in the park--what a beautiful day!, the convenience of walking a block for a playdate--Rebecca and Hanan were our angels on earth, and hearing 14 different languages at the playground--how that can change a perspective.

While I sit sipping some Texas sweet tea and the gentle breeze brushes my skin with my dog by my side and Tivon fast asleep, I like looking through my rose colored glasses.