Wake Up Sleepy Head!

My children could play together 24/7. They really cannot stand to be apart for that long. They sleep in separate rooms and so when they go to bed they are separated for the evening...usually. Every morning Max gets up first and then goes and wakes his sissy who requires much more sleep than him. Waking up before she is ready only makes her really cranky until her mind wakes up and then only kind of cranky for the remainder of the day. So, to try and head off this behavior at the pass, we told Max that he should not wake his sister and if he did that they would have to go to bed 15 minutes earlier to make up for the lost sleeping time. So, given that scenario Max has decided that he can get up and turn on the television without any help from his sister.

Well, yesterday morning I hear this thump like someone is getting out of bed and then I hear Sissy's voice. I quickly head down the hall and there is Sissy standing beside Max's bed with her hand lightly brushing his cheek saying ever so softly, "Maaaaaaaax, it's time t get up, come play with me." I poke my head around the corner and note the surprise on Sissy's face. I whisper to her, "Honey, please let Max sleep. He has been really tired lately and needs his sleep." She follows me down the hall her feet padding along rather heavily. We reach the end of the hall and she says, "But I really want someone to play with me." My response, "I'll play with you, what do you want to play?" She looks at me with this look that suggests I do not understand her at all. Then she says, "Well, TV." So we sat on the couch and watched a "kid's show." As we were settling in, guess who appears? Yes, it's Max, our resident light sleeper who takes after his Mom.

Their bond is unexplainable. They would really rather have each other than either Mommy or Daddy usually. Although they do totally understand when they need us for something that their sibling cannot provide. A twin bond is a wonderful and powerful thing.

Endless Summer

It was not long ago that I was thinking that summer was here and what ever were we going to do with the kids for the long days of summer? Today, they return to school. Time passes so quickly.

That special bond that they have made the summer pass by like the blink of an eye. Were there moments when the school days could not be here too soon? Yes. But after each argument or fight, they always make up and are the best friends they were before. And it all happens so fast. The special twin bond is a glorious thing to experience.

Happy back to school!

Double Dare

Last night my husband and I went to dinner so we had someone watching the children. When we arrived home around 10:00 both children were still awake and Max was especially loving. As we chatted with the person that stayed with them we were informed that Max stuck his hands into the toilet ( I know, is it only my children?) after he peed and pooed in it. I decided not to ask about it because Max was supposed to tell us he did it, so I waited.

This morning when we asked him to clean up his room he complained of a tummy ache. With that I broke, "Max, I heard that you stuck your hands in the toiled full of pee and poop! If you did not wash your hands well after that you could get sick." I guess I expected him to say he did scrub his hands but instead he had this poor puppy look on his face. I asked "So, did you scrub your hands well afterward?" Still looking at me with the long face and sad eyes, he responds, "No. But Sissy double dared me!"

It was bad enough that he did not wash his hands but a dare? Then it came out of my mouth before I could stop it, I'm sure you know what is coming, "Well, if Sissy dared you to jump off a bridge, would you?" I'm not sure if I was more disgusted with myself or with him for not washing his hands.

All in a day in a life with twins...

The Spongebob Blow Up aka The Big Boating Test

As I am working away this afternoon on my blog, my daughter comes down and asks if she can write a story, here it is:

One day Spongebob went to Mrs. Puff's Boating School. It was their final driving test and Spongebob said, "I sure don't think I can get my license. It's really hard to do that, I mean, way hard." Mrs. Puff is going to have two kids at a time in a boat. I think that's going to be hard because two of us have to drive at the same time in one boat with only one steering wheel, one brake but two horns, of course! 'Cuz Mrs. Puff blows up if she crashes. But I got my license. It was really hard. I mean, really hard! And I am serious.



My vehicle was really fun because mine was only five sea dollars with some fire designs. I drove it everywhere and I mean everywhere! I drove it to the Krusty Krab back home from the Krusty Krab, to Patrick's house even Sandy's house and even Squidward's house even though it is right next to my house.

The End.

Enough is Enough...or Not!

We have to wake the children at 3:30 in the morning in order to arrive at the airport in time for a scheduled flight. My husband and I keep saying it will be okay because they will sleep in the car and on the plane. Well, guess what? They did not sleep at all! Okay, maybe they closed their eyes for a few minutes but no more. And not nearly for the amount of time we anticipated.

They chatted and played all day long. We tried for an early bedtime but that was not too successful. At bedtime we told them they needed to sleep or we would separate them. They kept chatting and chatting. They were together all day. As a matter of fact they are together all day everyday! What could they possibly still need to talk about after sixteen straight hours of being together?

Twins...I don't think you can understand it unless you are one.

Cane Shoes?

Back to school shopping....oh, the memories! The new school year for us begins in two weeks and because we, like everyone else you know, have a lot on our collective plates between now and then, we spent a few hours last weekend shopping for school clothes and shoes. I remember being so excited to perform the ritual shopping trip as a youngster but, as an adult, I often find myself thinking, "I'm not sure why we are doing this when the children have plenty to wear that still fits them." They grow so fast and I feel like we are not taking full advantage of the clothes that fit them.

Shoes, on the other hand, now those really do need to be replaced more often because I can never get the straight scoop from the shoe store personnel about what size my daughter and Max are, and to complicate matters, there is really no uniform shoe size, some run too big, some too small, and some are just right! I can guarantee you though that if my child likes that shoe and they do not have another size then they will undoubtedly say, "It fits!" even when you can see their big toe curled into the end like a sausage.

First stop...shoes. As we were driving to the shoe store we discussed what kinds of shoes we were looking for, my request (I guess it was really a mandate), one pair of other than tennis shoes and one pair of tennis shoes for each. My daughter wanted to get some pink shoes,I bet you are surprised! And maybe some DC tennis shoes. My son only wanted DCs.

As we pull into the parking lot my daughter laughs out loud and says, "Mommy, remember when Max only wanted shoes with 'canes' on them? Now it's only DCs."

The story of the "canes" is that when Max was four years old he told his daddy that he needed some new shoes and he only wanted shoes with "red canes." Max's shoes fit just fine and we could not figure out the obsession or the meaning of the "cane" despite the many questions that we asked. Not being a "cane' family and a K-Swiss one instead we started asking many questions the answer to each query being, "I don't know." We were still stumped when it did come time to by new shoes and the fixation on "canes" had not waned, so my husband took Max shopping to find out about these "red canes." Of course, the first store visited had no "canes" in sight, so off to the next store they go. Max's eyes light up as they enter the shoe section and Daddy finally sees what Max was talking about. Have you figured it out? It's the Nike swoosh! I guess they could look like canes?

He was only four and somehow there was some prestige in his mind with those shoes "with canes". Boy, it does start young, doesn't it?

One Fish, Two Fish...

My children begged for a pet, so the Easter Bunny brought them each a fish tank and their worn down parents bought them some fish. I think the novelty has worn off, at least for our son. His twin sister, on the other hand, has quite a concern for her goldfish. She is most responsible feeding them and always tracks us down to let us know that there is a "long poop hanging from one of the goldfish." She has named hers after her favorite show, Hannah Montana. So, the names are Lily, Hannah, and the "cleaner fish" is named Jackson. But those names, too, are subject to change.

Our daughter's fish are getting pretty big. Her twin brother's, Max, fish, on the other hand, seem to be staying exactly the same size. Max's cleaner fish floated on the bottom of his tank for a couple days, maybe longer, before he noticed it was upside down. And now that the fish is dead, he does not seem to be getting any algae in his tank. I'm no fish expert but I'm pretty sure that is not a good sign for the other fish.

It has been a good lesson for us and a good experiment for them. So glad we did not wilt and get a dog!

Skeeters...Eaters

Max woke up this morning with a couple of mosquito bites, actually four, one centered on his right cheek and three wrapped around his upper left arm. He said he was itchy so I smeared some hydrocortisone cream on all the bites and asked him to get dressed.

I go about my morning routine and walk toward his room to check on his progress only to see him studying his cheek in the mirror and speaking with his twin Sissy. He is asking her if the bite is visible to her. She replies that she is glad she does not have any of those but it's no wonder because she always leaves her pajamas on at night. He turns to me and whines, "I look so ugly!" Of course, I am horrified that my six-year old son just said he was ugly but, I put that aside and ask him why he would say that. He sticks his finger right on top of the mosquito bite, pushing hard like he is trying to push it through his cheek. I hold myself together as I explain that those things happen and I cannot really see it any way. We complete our routines and move into the car.

As I am driving the children to Camp, Max asks me if mosquitoes get themselves inside your clothing to bite. I tell him I guess it's possible but usually not. His response, "Well, then, I guess I should not sleep naked any more!" I was afraid to ask why and I'm still not sure exactly what he meant. I did not think to check any other place for bites and I did not see him itching anywhere else. I'll probably never know and sometimes it's better that way.

Just Like An Old Married Couple...Or Not!

This morning my twins, six years old, woke up and were cuddly with each other just like every morning. Then just as quick as you could bat your eyes the mood changed. They have both decided that the card game War is their most loved game and therefore their "War cards" are each of their most prized possessions.

I was minding my own business in the kitchen preparing their breakfasts when I hear this argument begin and continue and continue and continue. (I try to let them work it out so it does not appear I am taking sides.) I complete the breakfast and walk down the hall where they are both still standing in their pajamas. I grab their toothbrushes and toothpaste, put them in a baggie and notify them that it is time to leave, if they don't have their clothes on I can grab those too and they can get dressed on the way to Camp. They both can get dressed amazingly fast when they have to!

By this time my daughter is running around screaming and stomping her feet while Max proclaims he did not do anything. I explained to my daughter that it is all right to be upset, angry or just plain mad and when she wants to talk about it to let me know. She blurts out something about "war cards" and Max tosses a deck of cards from his pocket onto the floor in front of her. I think to myself, ah ha!

Now my daughter screams hysterically, "Not those cards!" and Max sheepishly picks up the cards and slides them back into his pocket. We all proceed to the car and after we all climb in, Max hands his sister a different deck of cards. She mutters something about a rubber band as I see the rubber band fly through the car. I brace myself for the short ride to Camp and Max leans over and rubs his sister's arm. When we all jump out of the car in front of Camp, it appears nothing ever happened. And me, well...I don't think I will ever understand the very special twin bond.

Boston Blues

I spoke to the children each night while I was away and each night they each expressed how much they wanted me to come home. So, each night I would tell them how many more nights they had to sleep until they would pick me up at the airport with Daddy.


The second night I was away my daughter got on the phone and started bawling. I couldn't understand a word she said although I was trying hard and Max, her twin brother, was heard in the background saying, "She just misses you, Mommy." I played out in my mind what to do because I was too far away to hold her. This is what I came up with, I started by asking her if Mommy was to bring her home a souvenir or special gift from Boston what would she want. To which she replied, "I don't know" in her rather whiny voice. I explained that in my adventures that day I saw a pink visor that says "Boston" on it, would that be something that she would like? She started to come around rather quickly and asked a couple of questions about whether it would look something like her Minnie Mouse visor that says "Cutie Pie" on it but instead it would say "Boston." I said, "Exactly!" And she expressed that was something that would interest her.





Then, faster than I could think of the next thing to say, she blurts out in as clear a voice as I have heard her use, in other words you would not have known she had been bawling her eyes out just minutes before, "And I'd like a stuffed elephant with a pink shirt that says 'Boston' on it!" Her quick and sure expression made me think I was listening to the child in A Christmas Story who wanted the Red Rider BB Gun. I thought to myself, "Huh?" but what I said is "I will make best efforts to find one but no promises."



Then, Max, obviously being within earshot of the conversation gets his turn to speak to me. He is not upset at all, he takes the phone in has small six-year-old hand and says, "And I'd like a red hat with a "B" on it...oh and a jacket too. A red one with a "B" on it." After he tells me exactly what he wants from Boston he assures me that he misses me, tells me that he loves me, and hangs up.



So much for missing mommy. I guess life is better when you have a twin to rely on.