"If you're going to San Francisco..."

Well, it's finally time to head-back to good 'ol San Fran to be united to our "frozen" babies... Weird, huh?! They're like genetic time-capsules... Basically, we've had 3 embryos (which we, of course, deem to be human life) frozen & stored since June of 2006 from our first round of in vitro. We've prayerfully considered timing and are now headed back for "round 2". Could it be "Darryl & Julie + 6" (but with a happier ending)? Yes, but the "+ 6" part is very unlikely. Our prayer is that at least one embryo survives the thaw... Maybe it'll be 2. Maybe 3. We don't know, but we DO believe that they're LIVES and that we'll get to meet them on either side of eternity. In any event - we're heading out a week from Sunday, get to hang with Eve & Bryan, get to have dinner with Meatball & Diane again, and, of course, get to eat at the original Ghiradelli Chocolate store and a wonderful crepe place.

OK, I feel like there's a need for a disclaimer here for my guy friends who are now desiring to take my "guy card" away after the crepe comment. Here's the deal:

1. We went there last time and it worked. So be quiet. Think about it like pro athletes who have pre-game traditions.

2. It's really good & originally came recommended from a friend who formerly lived in San Fran so pipe down. You can get your crepes stuffed-full of meaty guy stuff too... Don't knock it until you've tried it!

OK, "guy card" preserved... I think.

Updates? Hmmmm... Not a TON of updates to speak of other than the big CA trip. The big news is that Julie is enjoying some of the "post-summer" transition. Cooper & Lucy LOVE their pre-school at our church - 'Sonshine School'. They go Wednesday and Friday mornings (until 1:00ish) and have wonderfully talented teachers. They regularly thank God for Ms. Melinda and Ms. Lee at our nighttime prayer time... What a blessing! They've got a wonderful class of 10 kids and even enjoyed a birthday party for Adam at the Fire Station yesterday. How cool is that?

Well, I'm in Atlanta for a work meeting and a little play (Jules gave me a pass to enjoy the UNC/GT game with friends). The kids and Julie are off to Waco this weekend to get some much-desired Granny and PaPaw time... Jason's Deli last night & the zoo (with wonderful new animals) today! I'm certain that Cooper is directing their way around the displays... 'Longnecks (their word for gifaffes) are next Granny'!

Not to be forgotten (far from it, in fact) Cooper & Lucy CONSTANTLY remind us... "We get to go on an airplane to see G'ma and G'pa". Yup! Sure enough! I just don't know if they can grasp the concept of ... "in November". For all I know they think it's tomorrow. Come to think of it - they DO think it is tomorrow... Right now anything in the past is called "yesterday" and anything in the future is called "tomorrow". G'ma, G'pa... we'll see you tomorrow!

One final story... So daddy had a day with the kids about a week and a half ago. While I was wiping-off hands at the conclusion of lunch it started to rain outside. Much needed rain! Excited, I told Lucy - 'why don't you open the door, baby. Let's sit outside on the porch and watch the rain'? Of course Cooper quickly expressed his desire to head onto the back porch as well. Soon afterward we were standing on the screened-in-porch door looking at a torrential downpour. In one of those rare, 'this epitomizes the beauty of childhood' moments, Cooper turned to me and said 'We go dance in it'? Of course son! Enjoy the pictures... The moment is forever etched in my memory...

Until next time. Much love,

D & J

Pause makes me sad...

After another brief hiatus we're back on the blogging bandwagon... What is/was supposed to be a monthly update has turned into quarterly. Our sincere apologies to all 4 people who check-out this blog =). Really, a lot has gone on since a late May posting! (Geez, I can't imagine if we tried to "tweet"... Not only would nobody follow us on Twitter but they'd get updates only at major lifetime milestones - 'Cooper & Lucy graduated!', 'Lucy got married', 'Cooper got a job... finally (just kidding, son)'). Anyhow, here's to blogging re-commitment - again!


Well, what to report? The first big report is that Julie now fully understands the plight of parents worldwide when they say "summer, ugggh... what are we going to do?" Add one of the hottest summers on record in Texas history (I think we've had in excess of 50, yes 50, days hotter than 100 degrees) and you can start smellin' what I'm cookin' over here! We've had a terrific summer but it's been a challenge to figure-out how to entertain two-and-a-half-year-olds all day, every day. Crazy props to mom for doing that!!!!


Now before anyone contacts Child Protective Services let's settle one thing - our kids have had an amazing summer! They've played in a sprinkler park, gotten wet at the Galleria, gone shopping, played on numerous playscapes, had an infinite number of play-dates, jumped on bouncey-castles, gone to Hopping House, enjoyed countless kisses from mom & dad, spent a month on Lake LBJ with Granny & PaPaw, Margaret, John, & Baby Ovler (sic) (more on that later), and even enjoyed an Ice Cream Festival. All that spells exhaustion for a Mommy....


Hence the beginning of Julie's First Annual - Mother's of Multiples, 'Let's Get Away, Have a Nice Dinner, Get a Massage & Stay at a Nice Resort for a Night' retreat. I think that's 'MMLGAHNDGMSNRN' for short... Or something like that =). In any event after a long summer Jules was able to get-away to a short stay at the Hyatt Lost Pines with 3 other moms (two of whom have twins) so that she could relax, eat without concern for anyone other than herself, get a massage, and generally regain some sanity. Needless to say - Jules is a firm believer in this being and annual tradition!


I suppose that the lakehouse has been the most significant part of the summer. Not only did we "break-up the monotony" of summer but Jules, Cooper & Lucy tested the bond of blood by spending the better part of July with Granny & PaPaw, Margaret & John & Oliver in a 2,500 sq foot lakehouse... And we all still love one-another VERY much! Whew!!! (Oh, in case anyone was wondering... considering that D was the only person that had to punch a clock for the summer I was cordially invited for long weekends provided that my visit brought hot Chick-fil-A and cold milkshakes). All told, despite our creepy-crawly friends (code for 'cucarachas') we had an amazing time of fellowship. We played on the water in Hanks luxurious new boat, Pearl, went fishing, cooked meals together, played board games & cards & had an all-around great time. Needless to say we were sad to pack-up and go & have plans to go-in on a lakehouse with friends... Anybody in?


Other than that the general note is that Cooper & Lucy continue to amaze us with their grasp of words & concepts. They are speaking in full sentences and even have a sense of when they are being funny! Cooper, for example, got to watch some TV because he was sick... Mommy put it on pause for a minute and he promptly replied - "pause makes me sad, mommy". on another occasion he even went so far as to correctly use an adverb - "that red water boat is going slowly, daddy". 'Slowly'!? Really!? Coops & Lucy now know their ABCs, colors & sing songs ALL the time... at the top of their lungs... (especially 'Mary had a little lamb' & 'Jesus Loves Me'). They love to take baths and I (daddy) particularly love to give them mohawks with the shampoo in the bath. They've even discovered our jacuzzi tub (pictures above).


OK, before I get too far down the 'my kids are just so special' road, a quick parenthetical comment... I can completely see why parents think their kids are just brilliant... Kids just learn, change and grow so quickly it's absolutely astounding... (I wish I could do that). I think any parent is tempted to think 'Oh my gosh - this kid is brilliant!' While we're proud of the growth in Cooper & Lucy's intellect we don't have illusions that they are "Einstein-esque"... They could be mind you - we just don't know. Seriously, though, our endeavor is that they would have amazing character moreso... While we've had our share of "obey mommy & daddy" moments the kiddos are continuing to learn to be under mommy & daddy's authority. But a big credit to mommy here... They're learning to be little people of character. That's really cool isn't it?


Until next month - er, quarter's - update... Hugs and kisses to all 4 of our blog readers! =)

Lions and Tigers and... Goats?

Man, life with 2 1/2 year-olds couldn't be more fun (or exhausting)... Just ask Mama. On-top of the day-to-day duties of loving on these two adorable kiddos Jules recently organized a wonderful trip to Grandma and Granda Z including a ton of outings and perfectly choreographed meals... Oh, she did a little contract work for Troux on the side - just to make sure she still had it (HINT: She DOES).

Anyhow, Cooper & Lucy were spoiled in mid-May by the 8-day visit of Grandma and Grandpa Z. For the better part of 8 days 4 sets of adoring eyes were fixed on two munchkins who couldn't have been cuter...

We did all the best that Austin has to offer - We picked strawberries (and fed goats & ate homemade ice-cream) at Sweetberry Farms, rode the Choo-choo train at Zilker Park and enjoyed lunch at Shady Grove, ate a LOT of Chick-fil-A, went down the monster slide at 'Hoppy House' (which may have cost Grandma one of her favorite earings), went to the Austin "zoo" (quite the different experience but, hey, the kids didn't know the difference), experienced every manner of toy at the Children's Museum, fed geese, saw the "waterboats", enjoyed lounging around the house, and even managed some date nights for the adults. Heck the week was so dreamy that Papa Z even applied some of his newly acquired cooking skills as we made, among other things, thai chicken pasta... Needless to say I think Cooper & Lucy's love tanks were completely FULL after the week and we all thoroughly enjoyed the time...

Alas - the dream had to end... Jules found herself wondering what happened to all of her helpers, Mom & dad had to fly back home, Cooper & Lucy wondered where there minions were, and D had to face a variety of employment affairs at Chick-fil-A... Hmmm... If only we could find a way to not have to worry about money. or work. and to keep a good 2:1 ratio (or better) of supervising adults:children... I think we've uncovered a great truth of celebrity parenting... Man, no wonder celeb kids turn-out so well! I'm kidding, I'm kidding... It was terrific to take a break though. But I digress...

Let's see... What's else is new in the world of Cooper & Lucy? WOW - in a word, everything. They are continuing to increase their vocabularies exponentially & have even begun to grasp emotions ("Coopie is sad"). In a fashion sense they have discovered the world of Croc shoes (which Lucy wears on the wrong feet) and have really gotten into their sunglasses and "cool hats". They've enjoyed several playdates and seem to be grasping the concept of sharing (albeit slowly... and reluctantly). They have gotten increasingly social outside of our house and have begun to get more and more "risky" - jumping off of steps, etc... As a dad, I'm excited about our kids not being "tentative" but want to watch that one (as stakes and consequences get bigger)...

Duh, mother's day... well, it was great. We gave Jules a FULL DAY OFF and the kids and I partied all day in Waco. It was a terrific day where she did only what she wanted... without time-outs... without catering to others... without preparing meals for others... She also got some fun "nesting" rings from James Avery and Gerber Daisies to brighten her day... I think it worked.

Next month we're off to have Jules' b-day, mine, father's day, and, likely, the beginning of our "kids' vision planning". It's going to be wonderful - more to come... Thanks for checking-in!

March Madness...

Obviously, for North Carolina Tarheel fans this time of year (hopefully) is imbued with hope like no other time in the basketball-centric year... Each year March signifies the time that offices lose productivity, men arrive to work weary from too much hoops-viewing, and, well, spring is sort-of ushered in... Well we're fortunate in this house that the Heels are still playing (and as a consequence that I get to watch some - thank you DVRs!) - but more importantly March has ushered in an end to the cold and flu season!!!!!!!!! (All parents scream uncontrollably like little children waiting on ice cream now).

Much like my beloved '08 - '09 Heels the Zavodny twins have had a near flawless run through both the "regular season" and "tournament" of sickness.... that's right - if, in your demented logic, you call "getting a sickness" a "win" then I think we've been almost undefeated this cold & flu season... We've executed the pick and blow (of noses of course) with near perfection and have played our share of defense (cold medicine) as well as offense (let's just put this kid to bed) with a precise discipline. Now, however, like the budding flowers we're seeing the emergence of such wonderful, fun, happy, joyful children that it warms your heart like nothing else. Play dates can happen! MOPS? Check! A trip to Waco for the zoo and the Mayborn Childrens's Museum? Sure - no snotty-noses here!... We've even gone outside and asked Cooper & Lucy to help us to plant flowers in the back bed - it'll be sooooo fun to water them and watch 'em come-up. In all - Jules has been a trooper as she's faithfully adhered to the unwritten "mommy code of ethics".... namely 'thou shalt not get my kid sick with our snot-nosed little one... bless his little heart'.

Outside of that things are moving right along... I (D) am still trying to figure out how to be the best chicken salesman I can be. Jules is enjoying her new car ("Ed" - a ford Edge, compliments of Chick-fil-A) and Cooper and Lucy continue to amaze us with their sponge-like retention. Two quick stories on them... Cooper, when told he could eat either an "apple" or "nothing" deliberated and then gleefully replied "apple muffin"! Classic. Lucy evidently doesn't like Jaguars (the zoo animal not the car)... at the zoo, as the jaguar paced in his cage she flatly told Jules - "Lucy no like Jaguar, mommy". Hmmmm - guess she's not a cat person - who knew?

Until next time -

P.S. don't forget - even though Cooper & Lucy are out of the "tournament" the Heels still play Saturday at 7:45 CST.

How did it get to be 2009 already?

Before I knew it it became 2009.... How did that happen? I thought I just graduated college... & got married... Nope, those were 1996 & 1998 respectively. All I know is that the only thing that's constant is change. So here we are at the beginning of another year & I've realized that: 1. I'm getting older (& not necessarily better) & 2. My kids are too

Believe it or not, 1/16/09 marked Cooper & Lucy's 2nd (yes, SECOND) birthday... Due to the crazy holidays we just got quasi-surprised that their birthday followed a scant two weeks later. Sooooo, because they don't really KNOW what day their birthday is (or what a birthday really is just yet) we decided to not rush with invitations/planning and instead plan a Valentine's birthday brunch! Before that happened, however, we had one other big event... JULIE RETIRED!

Maybe "switched careers" or "switched tracks" fits better but we finally arrived at a point where we could no longer sustain the "Granny and PaPaw-as-nanny" situation... (incidentally, as much as they love Cooper & Lucy we're certain that Granny & PaPaw are relieved to regain their life in Waco). So, after working-out a 6-8 week notice & transitioning her work Julie enjoyed a farewell lunch and embarked on her new "full-time" role in February...

We talked about her expectations of me (D) and mine of her in advance and concluded that she may have days where she needs me home early (due to emotionaly-draining days) and there might be days that I need to stay at Chick-fil-A late (to attend to pressing matters that might arise)... With that mutual understanding in mind we embarked confidently on our new journey as a family... Monday, 2/2/2009... The first day... The phone rang at 2:00... 'do you remember when we said there might be those days? today's one such day!'

Well, it turns-out that two ear infections, traveling across 3 cities over the past 8 weeks and having a range of 6 caretakers all impacted our new journey... Suffice it to say that God gave us that day so that all later days might be deemed easier in comparison. In hindsight we laugh at that day, but I confess that we both thought - "what on earth did we just decide to do?!" Since that time Julie and the kids have settled into a very nice routine and we're fortunate that the Chick-fil-A continues to grow. I'm able to relieve Julie 1 morning a week for "free time" and I get to love on Cooper & Lucy without any distractions... We really feel sooooooo fortunate to be in this situation...

So back to the birthday party we go - Saturday, 2/14 was as good a day as any to celebrate the kids' birthdays... We invited some of our supper club friends over & encouraged the kids to wear their PJs for a Valentines brunch replete with Chick-fil-A minis, coffee, monkey bread, a fritatta, and OJ. We had a blast decorating cookies & making door hangers for each of the kids. Cooper & Lucy loved the party as did their guests (Hunter Nokes cried when she had to go)... If the kids are up for this we may just make it an annual birthday tradition so that it's a little further away from Christmas... The only down-side... Lucy ate so many sugar cookies that she had an upset tummy that night... Bummer - but it may have been worth it if you ask me...

The day after the big birthday party Julie and I boarded a plane for Chick-fil-A seminar in Long Beach, CA. We had a great time and were the beneficiaries of another Chick-fil-A Symbol of Success car (a Ford Edge which Jules will drive)... Jules got to see Lisa Bay and got a little "vacation" from her new job - all expenses paid! You might argue that's not a bad gig... I know, I know... it is still the hardest (however most rewarding) job that ever was...

OMG! I almost forgot to mention... Perhaps this is even more evidence that I'm getting older! The day after we returned from Seminar I had the most special opportunity... I had my first date - WITH LUCY! Lucy and I got dressed-up and went to a "father-daughter" dance at the Lakeway Church with Vinnie and Mia. We had a BALL... Lucy loved twirling in circles on the dance-floor and sliding under my legs (on her bottom) like the big girls. We got home past curfew (845 pm) and she simply didn't want the date to end... It was such a ball and she just looked beautiful. She's not going to get married until she's 40!

Until next time...

Christmas 2008 - the whirlwind tour!

The holidays started with a flight to Charlotte - Lucy traveled in comfort of course... We "checked" her as baggage & flew with Cooper. She seemed to do fine (as you can see she was pretty content in the crate). OK, OK, OF COURSE we did nothing of the sort... She simply climbed-in to Charlie's crate the night before we left & we thought it was a riot!



OK, on to the trip - on balance it was AWESOME trekking to NC for Christmas. The kids did wonderfully on the trip out there with the assistance of two DVD players, tons of snacks and tons of activities. They traveled in our laps as they were not 2 years old yet... (more on that later).


The kids adjusted really quickly to Grandma & Grandpa's house. They slept like champs, ate like champs and, generally, enjoyed the constant attention (funny how that works). Grandma and Grandpa were wonderful hosts as they had done a TON of special grocery shopping in advance (steel cut oats anyone?) and had prepared several things for the grown-ups to eat as well... It made for a wonderful transition & even included newly purchased & assembled cribs - no wonder Coops woke-up each day saying "Gan-ma?"... "Gan-pa?"!


Our days consisted of short (and cold) walks to the neighborhood playscape, saying "hi" to the snowman & deer outside, and periodic errands/kid events... We even got to take the kids to see a Berenstein Bear Orchestra (below) where they sang about "Olive the other reindeer" (CUTE). The animated bears captivated the kids for a while then our attention turned to the stairs ... up and down we went!



The bulk of our time was just hangin'... We read tons of books (below) and simply enjoyed quality time together. One night Jules and I had a delightful dinner (sans little ones) at Lauren & Tripps and way over-stayed our welcome... (We're certain they were saying "we probably ought to go ahead & go to be so these nice people can go home" but no matter - we're family...) Ahhh, being cousin Eddie!



Of course our time in Charlotte climaxed on Christmas Day as they Charlotte Zavodny grand-kids descended in their Spidey gear... It was awesome to see 5 little ones interact on such a fun day! We had a blast, ate too much, & prepared to head home the next day...

WHAT A NIGHTMARE OUR RETURN HOME WAS! For every one good travel experience I think you're destined to get 2 tough ones... Suffice it to say we got ours... Despite our carefully crafted breakfast/diaper/dressing/car travel/secuity-screening plans (all of which were executed to perfection I might add) we arrived at our gate to discover that we were the recipients of an overbooking on the flight & would be rescheduled... Yup, remember that mention of "under 2 years old means they can travel in your lap"? Well, that meant two things for us: 1. We couldn't "check-in" online the night before & 2. We got bumped as a consequence even though we arrived more than one hour ahead of time & were destined for a long trip later that day... Allow me to fast-forward through the blur (which included heading back to Grandma/Grandpa's eating a quick lunch from Chick-fil-A, "forcing" a quick nap on Cooper & Lucy and then doing it all over again...)

After a dismal 3-hour flight with frustrated, uncomfy kids ON OUR LAPS we landed... & DECIDED TO PUSH ON TO WACO DIRECTLY so that we could spend some time with Lauren Howard before she headed out the next morning... More Veggie-tales, bad eating, a broken DVD player, and poor singing on our part, and some "well-deserved crying" (from all of us I think) filled our trip up I-35 to Waco... We arrived a tired, hungry bunch and "did Christmas" with the Waco bunch.

After the travel hang-over wore off and we got a good couple of night's rest we headed back to Austin to tackle a short work week... Ahhhh, being rested for the week! =)
We each worked a few days and then prepared to head back up to Waco for some time with Margaret, John, Oliver, Granny & PaPaw.

If ever I was Clark W. Griswald it was on this trip... 4 adults, 3 children, 1 dog, 1 cat, 12 bags (including Christmas presents) & all kids' stuff loaded into ONE Ford Expedition with a packed-out, borrowed, luggage roof-rack on-top. All we needed was Aunt Edna on the roof! Well - we did make it safely to Waco and had a wonderful time including a trip to the zoo, to Ashley's shop, and more hanging time... Oh, of course we went to Uncle Dan's BBQ and had a great evening while Estelle kindly played the piano outside.

Our time in Waco finally came to an end and we took-off back to Austin without the Burks OR OUR CHILDREN... Margaret & John were to be in Waco for the next several weeks (during Dr. Burk's Christmas break & Margaret's maternity) & that meant that our nannies (uh, that's Granny & PaPaw as "pinch-hitters" until J quit) were required to be both hosts & nannies... A tough task! The next several weeks consisted of our going to work Monday - Thursday and darting up to Waco for a long weekend...


You know what - even re-capping the holidays makes me tired... but we wouldn't trade it for anything! Reminds me of a Toby Keith song - " Start livin' - that's the next thing on my list ". Despite the chaos, the time over the holidays with our kids (and extended family) beats any list we could have at work!

Oh, one last cool thing... Our kids made us some money (or enabled us to spend a little less) over the holidays... their "kiss" picture narrowly won a contest on our photographer's website http://www.photographinbloom.com/) and entitled us to a free framed print! Even cooler...

"Bye-bye grilled cheese..."

Well so much has happened since my last post it's hard to recount... Simply stated - I'd fallen off of the "blogging wagon". I'm back on. The ship is righted. Full steam ahead...

As all can see from the pics things these days are easy - no crying, no temper tantrum, no fits... Just kisses and kindness. That's it... just child-rearing utopia. YEAH RIGHT! Well, like any kids we've had our moments with Coops & Lulu as we progress from "caretaking" to issues of "independence vs. obedience"... Periodically, food IS thrown on the floor, bodies go limp in Ghandi-esque acts of passive resistance, crying becomes uncontrollable and outfits are even a point of contention at times. That being said - we still savor every second with these guys because they're just so darn fun. In fact, on balance these guys are so much fun that you just forget about about anything other than the kisses... Hence the pictures... at the end of the day it'll be all we remember!!!

So, on to the latest - vocabulary! It seems like we went from a vocabulary of a few words to sentences... My favorite right now is "more quesadilla please". Some of you might be saying "wow, a 4-syllable word at age two". Impressive, huh? Others (like their verbose daddy) might be saying "how 'bout some stinkin' adjectives"? Where's "cheesy" or "delicious" or "scrumptuous" in that sentence? A parent's work is never done we suppose... =)

In all seriousness it's absolutely a joy to watch both kids discover words... "Tiger, octapus, kitty cat, monkey, grilled cheese, highchair, airplane, big truck, telephone" and more... It's been so fun! Practically (as any parent can attest) an increased vocabulary has really helped limit Cooper & Lucy's frustrations (because we now understand a lot of what they've been trying to express). Of course new vocabularies provide a lot of cute comic relief as well. The funniest incident recently involved Cooper who wistfully waved to his food one night a dinner then said "bye-bye grilled cheese" as he popped his last bite in his mouth...

We don't think there's a cuter age than 2!

More to come real soon as we're just wrapping-up the 2008 Christmas tour (including NC and Waco) and we prepare for 2nd birthdays on 1/16/09. Until then - much love!!!!