Holding the Twins on my Hips

A few months ago, a girl I followed on Instagram asked for pictures of moms holding all of their kids, particularly if they had twins.  So I dug through my photos (since I can't possibly hold my 12 year old twins, plus my 9 year old and 4 year old) and found this one of me trying to hold the twins, one last time, back in 2014.  They were six, and so, so much bigger than they were when they were born. Gosh I feel lucky to have them!

Around Here: Week 48 2020

 {November 22-28th}

Reminiscing... about life in the past as I sort through all the pictures on my phone.  This last one (of Josh and the twins in 2011) took my breath away.  Josh was so young!!!

Letting... the kids go play in the snow one morning when we woke up to it. They had so much fun and I enjoyed sitting out there, reading on the porch, as they played.  I sure hope we get more snow this winter!

Needing... the days off that are coming for Thanksgiving this week.  School has been hard as of late, and I am ready for a break! (The kids, too!)

Decorating... for Christmas with some music (Amy Grant, of course) on my HeyDay speaker and lots of little hands sorting through our vast collection of ornaments. It's probably one of my favorite traditions, pulling the ornaments out and talking about each one's history.  The kids love playing with them (mostly only Carly now) and I allow it even though it makes the tree look uneven and we usually lose two or three each year from breaking... because I know that someday I will have a perfect tree and it will make me sad.  

Baking... pumpkin pies, fudge and prepping the seven layer salad on Wednesday with Jack.  I was really proud of us- we made the pies from scratch!!

Celebrating... Thanksgiving, just the six of us, and feeling so blessed.  Josh cooked the turkey and mashed potatoes & gravy.  We ate together, sharing sparkling cider in fancy glasses, and telling each other what we are most thankful for.  The twins were both thankful for me teaching them last quarter.  That meant a lot to me, because it was hard work the three of us did, and I'm glad they knew it was for their own good.  Carly was grateful my  mom and dad moved to Wenatchee.  I was grateful for our house and Josh was grateful for just about everything- his job, the kids, me... And Wyatt was grateful for us, me and Josh.  

Making... turkey cookies with the supplies Aunt Julie brought over for the kids.  They had so much fun, and the turkeys were really cute.  Thanks for being so thoughtful, Julie!

Starting... a new quarter with the twins, including math and having terrible flashbacks of seventh grade with Mr. Rye in the portables, struggling to remember PEMDAS ("Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally") and learning how to find the area of a triangle.  Sigh. 

Readjusting... our daily routine to have less screens and feeling better about it. The kids do screens from 12 or 12:30 to 3:00pm.  Then they go play outside or do chores or play games. Before this change, it was hours and hours of screens. Each day I think it got a little longer.  

#quarantinelife 

...but at some point I had to get back to monitoring it and encouraging them to do other things. 

Reading... Caste and spouting off statistics and random information at poor Josh.  It is just so good!

Loving... my life without Facebook.  It's amazing how much more time I have on my hands. I am also shocked at how much easier it is to keep up on chores when I am not sitting down every hour to check in on my social media accounts. (I canceled Instagram & Facebook a week ago) I am surprised to say that I don't miss it, and in fact I am so much happier without it. 

Meeting... with Wyatt's sleep study doctor to find out the results of his most recent sleep study.  It turns out that he no longer has obstructive or central sleep apnea.  I am so grateful that all is well! 

Raising... big boys who sometimes hurt the house that we live in.  Having three boys in three years, particularly a set of strong willed, growing twins, means that some of each day is spent breaking up fights.  One night this week, I simply didn't get there in time, and one brother pushed another into the wall, creating a huge hole above the catbox. It'll be a pain in the ass to fix, and Josh & I were not happy with them, but after feeling pretty upset, I've come to peace about it.  They don't know their strength and try as I may to teach them self control, sometimes things like this may happen.  The hardest part is to not see their failure in managing their emotions as a failure on my part as a parent. 

Cheering... Grandpa on as he gets closer to his last round of chemo.  He's been so brave about his treatment every week, and this week he even took the bear we sent him at the start.  He and grandma named him Luke (short for leukemia) and Carly loved seeing him comfort grandpa as he was brave for his needle.

Welcoming... Dashy our holiday elf, back from the North Pole after Thanksgiving.  Carly is thrilled with him and his shenanigans, and he has shown up every morning thus far! #winning

***

The Twins' Twelfth Birthday

 ... And just like that the twins are twelve.

{2008}

{2020}

 We've been parenting for a dozen years. 

{first trip to the pumpkin patch}

***

I am not one of those moms who easily envisions the future. So today when I was getting ready for the day as Jack played Fortnite in my reading chair in my room, I thought, "I never imagined I'd like my kids so much as they got older." Like, he's pretty cool.  

I mean, sure they drive me nuts.  Especially the twins.  (oh the fighting and the competing and the arguing! gah!) But they are really good people.  They are kind and thoughtful.  They are funny and compassionate.  They are sweet and silly.  They are just... well, kind of awesome.  And I love that.  They are helpful and empathetic and never want to see another person in pain or upset. 

Basically, they're the kind of humans I want to be around. And that's pretty great. 

For their birthday they chose some things and put them in the Amazon cart. That's how Coronavirus Birthdays are happening around here. Hah.  "Whaddya want kid?" So I wrapped the gifts that rolled in, some are still coming later this week, and then Josh surprised them (and me!) when he said they could download Fortnite (something we haven't allowed up to now) since they are twelve now.

Their faces! (The first pic in this post is of their expressions when they heard the news!)

He told them that whether they get to keep this privilege is up to their behavior, but I have a feeling it won't be a problem. With quarantine, we've been doing a fair amount of screens, and they haven't really had a problem whenever I say it's time to stop. I give them ample warning when we are quitting, and they know they'll get more time again soon, so I'm hopeful it will be fine. Plus, they are motivated to keep this new liberty they've been given.  We shall see.

 My sister and I planned the day over a week ago, deciding to keep it a surprise.  My boys thought they might spend the day out at the land with Josh, and knew for sure we'd have pizza and a movie for family movie night since it's Saturday.  But instead, at around 11:30, the doorbell rang.  The twins answered it, and there sat two presents, wrapped so cute, sitting on the porch.  

The boys ran toward the street as my sister and her crew popped out from beside the garage yelling, "Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday!" The kids all hugged and I held Grady back from attacking everyone- we were all SO excited to have company over. 

They came in and got settled and played for a bit, then we had lunch.  After lunch the twins got to use their birthday gifts from my sister- new squirt guns and 420 water balloons (the kind that are self filling/self tying from Costco).  We went out to "watch the water gun fight" that we assumed would be between the cousins, only to be accosted by our own offspring and end up SOAKING wet.  It was hilarious and maybe the most fun I have had since March.  My throat hurts from screaming. Hahaha!

The twins said it was the highlight of their day.

Once we all dried off, I frosted cupcakes and we sang happy birthday to the oldest two in our crew.  Carly played the ukulele and Jack blew out his candles one by one as we sang.  Logan saved all twelve until the end.  I'm not sure what they wished for... but I hope that their dreams come true.

After cupcakes and ice cream, we played a little more, and then Roxanne and her kiddos had to hit the road for home.  We sadly said our goodbyes, but promised our kids we would be getting together again soon. Very soon!

Before we knew it, Josh got home with Call of the Wild (the boys and I finished reading the book yesterday) and the pizza ingredients we needed and we started movie night.  The kids really enjoyed comparing the movie and the book, and the food was all delish.  

Overall, I would say it was a delightful birthday for the boys, despite it being a strange year, what with Coronavirus and everything.  They got cards from my Grandma with some money inside and from their Grandma & Papa Cunningham as well.  They felt very loved and thought of, and ended the night with big smiles on their faces after playing football with their dad and staying up extra late playing Fortnite, a big deal around here, as we're usually really strict about bedtime. 

I am ending the night feeling so grateful my sister made the effort to bring all four of her kiddos over,  it really made the day; and so grateful for the little family Josh and I created, starting with the surprise of these twins.

 They've never stopped helping me grow, challenging me and fascinating me.

I feel so lucky to be their mom.

***