Alone at last....

Not being a twin myself, I can't really imagine what it's like to have to share everything. Right now the boys have very little that is not interchangeable. Actually, it might only be their beds that are really their own. And their shoes (since Owen is a size 12 and Kyle is a size 11). And their lovely lion and honey bunny. But that's about it.

To top it off, while it's obvious to anyone who looks for 1/2 a second that these boys are very close and love each other dearly, they almost never get a break from their twin. So, tonight, Kyle is sick - he has an ear infection - poor guy (and poor us) - and went to bed before Owen.

I guess if there is a perk to your brother having an ear infection it would be getting a moment to yourself with a good book. Same can not be said for said parents....

Owen Rides It! Kyle Rides It!

Our boys are kind of exceptionally physically capable for their age. Their birthparents obviously gave them something incredible that we never could have: unbelievably awesome genes. They're not even 2.5 years old yet and they can do stuff like: dive & swim underwater for long distances, walk unassisted on a high balance beam and then perfectly land their jump off on both feet, throw a frisbee better than me, ride a scooter, dribble a full size basketball, golf like you wouldn't believe, drop-kick a kickball, and throw a baseball up onto our garage roof over and over again. They've got good genes for sportsy athletic physical (or like I'm fond of saying: "boys' boys") kind of stuff. Their sheer size probably helps too: they can easily ride on toys made for "3+" year olds and fit baseball gloves made for 4 year olds and comfortably use golf clubs made for 5 year olds. It is sort of a relief to me that Braydon and I don't have to "claim" any of this-- that we can say, "Wow, yeah, their birthparents must have come from an incredible gene pool!" It would feel really weird to me if they were my biological children and I somehow had to explain where all of this awesome-ness came from genetically. It is nice for me that it has nothing to do with me. So, anyway, they're really quite amazing in the physical realm. Given all this it has come to a surprise to Braydon and I that the boys haven't been able to figure out how to pedal a bike. We bought them little tricycles this past spring, and they've been trying for several months now, but they just have not mastered the whole concept of the pedals. They love the idea of the bikes, and they've been playing with them daily for a long time now-- but basically, what that has involved is the two of them "riding" their bikes around the driveway by pushing along with their feet on the ground. It is the whole pedal thing that has been getting in the way...

Up until this weekend!

Maybe it was that they both took such nice long naps, or maybe it was that the sugar from trick-or-treating with Joy Lin still hadn't worn off, or maybe it was just that it was an exceptionally beautiful sunset, but late Saturday afternoon they both got it! They were playing around on their tricycles like any other day, and suddenely Owen was peddling. And then suddenly Kyle was peddling. I thought that maybe it was a fluke, but no!

We were out for the morning today - we went for brunch at the home of our friends Brian and Emily and their adorable son Lucas - and we had a great time. No bikes were involved (just good bagels and bloody mary's!). Anyway, after we got home from our outing K & O pulled their tricycles out of the garage and sure enough- they did it again! They're now peddling like old pro's!

Owen rides it!

Kyle rides it!

Photos From This Weekend

The view from our driveway on Saturday afternoon

It is so beautiful here right now. Before we ever even met, when we were both teenagers (me in New Hampshire, Braydon in Georgia), Braydon and I separately dreamed of living in Bucks County Pennsylvania some day! Now we're here. And weekends like this are so gorgeous here, they almost feel like we're still dreaming...

Trick Or Treating with Joy Lin

Friday night we went trick-or-treating with Joy Lin and her family! It was trick-or-treat night in Joy Lin's Gram's neighborhood and we had the honor of being invited to join the whole family. These three kids are like three peas in a pod, and whenever we get together it is total, complete, utter mayhem... especially when Gram (thus candy/sweets/sugar) is around! Joy has almost as much energy as K & O. Seriously! And even though she's 4 and they're only 2, the three of them are more like triplets than like friends. It is a LOT of fun to see them on a normal day, let alone on trick-or-treat day!! Whoa! We had a blast. They went wild trick-or-treating. For all of you who know my boys... well, let's just say you should use your imagination and then multiply that tenfold re: the level of gusto and energy that they poured into this evening's activities. Two highlights: 1) at one point, walking across the porch of a house where we had just trick-or-treated, Kyle picked a huge branch of beautiful purple flowers off a potted mum plant. The family was inside, watching from the window, and started laughing hysterically. Kyle went back to their door, knocked, and handed the lady the flowers!!!!! Hysterical!!!!!!!! 2) at another point, when the three kids were really starting to get comfortable with the whole trick-or-treat routine, the three of them were collecting their candy in a doorway of somebody's house. For whatever reason, Owen decided to make himself at home there and just strolled inside right into the living room and started hanging out in there with the family. Braydon literally had to walk into the house to remove him!!! What a riot!!!!!!!! Anyway, we just love Joy Lin and her whole family. And we're especially really, really excited because Lisa and Chris (Joy's mom and dad) just announced they've begun the process to adopt again: a baby sister for Joy! We're already dreaming of the day they bring the new little Kulp home from China! Poor little thing will have her work cut out for her to keep up with K, O, and Joy Lin! :)

Joy Lin strikes a pose!

Huddle!

Post-trick-or-treating hot chocolate --- Cheers!

Chug!

A great time was had by all!

Daycare Halloween Parade!

Our two lions roaring loud

Today was the annual Halloween Parade at daycare! This is one of the highlights of the entire year for K & O. Man, do they just love it! Last year they were sheep for Halloween, because at the time their favorite animal noise to make was sheep: "baaa baaaa baaaaaaaaaa!" Well, in keeping with the tradition, this year, they are LIONS because right now their favorite animal noise to make -- by far -- is lion: "rooaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr!" Last night, given that it was the eve of the big parade day, we tried on their costumes after supper! They spent about 20 minutes just dancing in front of the mirror in their room roaring and carrying on. I think Halloween might be their favorite holiday. I'll probably take that back in a couple months when I'm posting about Santa... Anyway, we're in full Halloween mode now and everything they've been waiting for is now officially underway! They love it! Love it love it love it! If you say, "What are you for halloween?" They'll say, "LION!" If you say, "What does the lion say?" They'll say, "Rooaaaaarrrrr!" If you say, "Where does the lion live?" They'll say, "AFRICA!!" If you say, "What kind of lion are you?"---then you're in for a surprise... sometimes one or both will say, "Scary lion!!", other times, "Happy lion!!", other times they'll just look at you blankly like they have no clue what you're talking about. Last night, when they were wearing their costumes for the first time I heard them saying something I hadn't ever heard them say before-- out of the blue they started saying, "Trick or treat! Candy time!!" :0

Kyle marches in the parade

Owen is so excited about all his friends in costume

The "parade" is actually just a stroll down the sidewalk outside the daycare center (!)

K & O find their friend Maddie, dressed as a giraffe, and sandwich her with a huge double-lion-hug!

Singing songs in costume at the end of the parade route

More Lion Pics from Today

Quote of the Day: "Good Boy!"

So today was a big day for the Johnson-McCormick family! We had a big Lehigh event to attend- a Book Party for me, celebrating the publication of my first book, The American Dream and the Power of Wealth. The party was co-sponsored by my department (Sociology & Anthropology), Women's Studies, and Africana Studies. It was a big deal. And it turned out to be a really, really nice event. Anyway, K & O, in all their glory, of course stole the show. As they love parties and all social events, they were the life of the party and the Big Guys on Campus. I had lined up two of their favorite Lehigh students -- a grad student of mine, Xochitl, and her boyfriend, Dave, to babysit at the party. They all had a ball. So... the Book Party was over, it was the end of a very long day, we picked up a pizza for supper on the way home, and were all sitting around the dinner table eating our take-out. To celebrate The American Dream and the Power of Wealth (and to reward them for their best behavior at the Book Party) K & O got to have a special treat to drink with their pizza: Yo-Baby Yogurt Smoothies. To celebrate The American Dream and the Power of Wealth (and to reward us for our best behavior at the Book Party) Braydon and I got to have a special treat with our pizza too: Wine. Things were starting to wind down, the pizza was almost gone, and the Yo-Baby Smoothies were almost finished. The glasses of wine were long empty. Kyle says, "Mama, more wine?" And I said,"Yes baby, thank you, I'd love more wine!" So, Braydon pours me another glass. Kyle says, "Papi, more wine?" And Braydon then pours himself another glass as well. Owen then says to Papi, soooo approvingly and supportively: "GOOD BOY!"

Alex

Alex & the boys. Photo taken last Wednesday afternoon, by Alex, with her cell phone.

One of the MAJOR perks of being a college professor is the incredible babysitting pool I have access to! I have 6,000 Lehigh students to choose from -- most of whom would be great babysitters for my kids. Last spring, after an extensive search and interviewing process (!!!), I hand-chose one- in my opinion, the most superb of the bunch, to be Kyle and Owen's babysitter. Alex has come to hold a very special place in our family. She babysat for the boys 20 hours a week this summer so that we could cut down to part-time daycare for the summer. K & O had the time of thir life! Alex is perfect for us. She is a cool, calming, creative presence in the boys' lives. She off-sets me & Braydon's frenetic craziness with an entirely different type of energy. And she has a dog, Cypress, something that Braydon and I will probably NEVER provide for the boys!!! On top of it all, she's utterly ridiculously dependable and reliable - which makes the entire scenario almost too-good-to-be-true for Braydon and I. Once the fall semester began, the boys went back to daycare full-time, Alex started her senior year of classes at Lehigh, and we began a new babysitting routine. Now Alex picks the boys up early from daycare every Wednesday and spends that afternoon with them each week. This gets them out of daycare early once a week, and it keeps their relationship with Alex steady. She also stays late every-other-Wednesday night so that Braydon and I can have a regular date night together. Which makes EVERYONE'S life better! ;) I think Alex might be the only Lehigh student with two carseats in her car! She's definately the only Lehigh student who regularly eats dinner at our house and gets a glimpse into Professor Johnson's inner world! Eeks! As for Kyle and Owen, well, they just think Alex is the best. Braydon and I agree. Alex does such fun stuff with the boys. She takes them to parks, they go on walks with Cypress, she introduces them to her cool college friends when the boys hang out with her on campus or at her apartment. She takes them through the car wash, she runs errands with them, she gives them cookies and ice cream and lolipops. She brought them to softball games all summer, she brought them to the Crayola Factory once, she took them to see The Lehigh Women's Center one day this fall. She also just lets them chill and do their own thing at home a lot. Yesterday afternoon she and some other Lehigh students took them to a Halloween Party at an After School Program where K & O got to play and eat chips and candy with some big kids ages 6-15... How cool is THAT?! My dad says Alex is his "hero" because she does all of this alone with them. He has direct experience, he knows how incredibly amazing all this is!-- Like, for example, she gives them a bath and puts them to bed solo, which is (believe us!), truly worthy of some sort of medal of honor. I am already dreading the day Alex graduates. I've never had her as a student in class. Believe me, if I had her in class I'd do everything in my power to fail her... just so that she couldn't graduate on time.

Owen and Kyle last week, at a park with Alex. Photo taken by Alex, with her cell phone.

Kyle and Owen this summer, at home, at the end of a rainy day, playing in the puddles. Photo taken by Alex, with her cell phone.

It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween

Which of course means - 'candy num nums' for breakfast !!!

Excitement is Building

We are getting really excited about Halloween around here! When we're driving in the car Owen and Kyle point out every pumpkin they see. They especially love those huge blow-up lawn decorations that are now appearing in Halloween themes on many lawns!-- Especially the ones of pumpkins. Being a New England Girl the huge numbers of such lawn decorations are all new to me. So all three of us get a big kick out of what we're seeing through the windows of the car as we speed along. But I think we'd all agree: we'd choose a real pumpkin over a blow-up one any day of the week! (See photos below!)

~~~

Kyle, Owen, and one of their best friends - Ben Uhrig - have fun in the pumpkins. This photo was taken by our friend Stacey a couple of weekends ago, at a farm in New Jersey.

Owen and Kyle check out some gigantic pumpkins at a farm along the Delaware River, about 5 minutes from our house. This photo was taken this past weekend.

"Big Green Chainsaw"

Well, we all go a little far sometimes. In our work, in our obsessions, in our family life.

Every morning and afternoon Kyle and Owen insist on seeing 'Papi's Chain Saw' [ain-yaw]. Every morning and every afternoon. Which really means we first look at a little electric chainsaw, then the gas chain saw Don gave me for Chirstmas, then we look at the weedeater, then the leaf blower, then the old lawnmower (Sheesh, I can't believe we have all this stuff). And they have to touch each one in succession and pretend the motor is running - vroom, vroom! So, I thought - hey, they would get such a kick out of it if I started up the weedeater - they love when we start the cars engines.

The boys stood about 3 feet away, I pulled the starting rope, again, again and it started. Kyle was very curious as the motor jumped to life (interesting since he was very worried about the neighbor's chain saw when a tree fell down in his yard); Owen immediately started crying. 'No, no, no Papi!' he called out. He quickly ramped up to full panic. I immediatey stopped the motor and picked him up. Held him; he was so scared and crying. Kyle reached down and made motor noises - vroom, vroom! I held Owen until he calmed down. We had to replay the whole thing in detail (without starting the motor), until everything made sense and was ok. Then we went and played a little golf in the front yard (with the golf tee of course). We've been talking about the Big Green Chain Saw since (it's not even green).

We're a very enthusiastic family and get a little carried away sometimes.

Dressing Twins: Thoughts From the Front Line

Being the mother of twins I am pretty sure that I receive way more unsolicited advice from people than regular parents receive. I don't know what will happen over the span of our lives, but as of now, the biggest subject for which I constantly receive unsolicited advice on raising twins is: HOW TO DRESS THEM.

Everyone -- from some of our closest family members, to some of the daycare staff, to some of my co-workers and students, to some total strangers in the grocery store -- tells me how dressing twins should be done. The major focus of it all is the question of whether or not to dress them in matching outfits.

• Cheerily, "Ahhhh! They're sooooo cuuuuuuuuute! I just LOVE the matching outfits!!!"
• Skeptically, "So, do you always dress them in matching outfits?"
• Disappointedly, "Oh. I was really hoping that you'd have them in cute matching outfits."
• Educate-ing-ly, "You know, you really should not dress them in matching outfits...."
• Knowingly, "I am a twin and I think it is GREAT that you dress them in matching outfits!"
• Knowingly, "I am a twin and I can tell you: do NOT dress them in matching outfits!"
• Sadly, "I'm the mother of twins and I really wish I had not dressed them in matching outfits."
• Sadly, "I'm the mother of twins and I really wish I had dressed them in matching outfits."
• Scathingly, "Oh my gosh. I cannot believe that YOU dress them in matching outfits. You!!?!"
• Approvingly, "Ohhhhhhh myyyyyyy Godddddddd!!! I'm sooo happy that YOU dress them in matching outfits!!! You!!?!"

Personally, before I had twins, I thought that if I ever was a parent of twins I would dress them in different outfits so as to "celebrate difference!" and "allow for individuality!" Then we found out we were adopting twins. Oh, the cute little baby outfits! Oh the cutesie twinsie possibilities of cute little matching baby outfits! Oh, how EVERYONE gave us cute little matching baby outfits!!! Then we got the twins. Could it get any cuter than seeing them in matching outfits?! Another thing: could it get any easier (when shopping, dressing, re-dressing) than doing matching outfits? It is hard to understand until you've actually had to do it. I could go into great depth here about all the reasons it is easier -- and makes the most logical sense on both practical and philosophical levels -- to dress them in matching outfits. Interestingly however, although everyone tells me what they think, no one has ever actually asked me what I think. So, I'll just skip over that. Anyway, we decided soon after we got the boys home that matching outfits were o.k., and we planned to dress them in matching outfits until they were two. We vowed to ourselves that after their second birthday we would stop the cutsie-twinsie-matching-outfit thing.

Then they turned two.

The problem now is that Kyle and Owen can actually express themselves. And they express their views on this subject clearly and consistently: They want to dress in identical outfits. If it was up to them they'd wear the exact same thing every single day with no variation whatsoever. At this point in time I am trying to do matching-but-not-identical outfits (i.e. same shirt, different color). Even that is a big challenge for them. Celebrate difference?! Forget it! Allow for individuality?! Um, NO! The boys want nothing to do with any of it.

This morning, I picked out their clothes. Same shirts, but different colors. Both in denim, but one in pants and one in overalls. They had a fit. Owen wanted overalls, not pants. He kept pointing to Kyle's overalls, envious and jealous and full of upset. He begged for overalls. He cried. He sulked. He was so sad. He hung in my arms like a crumpled little boy. Kyle seemed sad too-- his attitude seemed to be that he was psyched to have lucked out with getting to wear the overalls, but he would have much preferred to see Owen wearing matching ones. I stuck it out and dropped them off at daycare in their semi-matching-but-not-identical outfits, much to their great disappointment.

When I arrived at daycare the head of the toddler room immediately cornered me to tell me all about how she had gone out to dinner this past weekend with a family friend of hers who has twins. The twins are grown now and in their twenties and apparently extraordinarily well-adjusted and accomplished. She proceeded to launch into a lengthy unsolicited lecture on explaning the source of twin success and achievement: difference and individuality primarily fostered through -- get this -- clothing attire. I should, she argued quite vehemently, NEVER dress them in matching outfits. As she was explaining all this to me she was standing with her arms crossed, with a very disapproving look on her face, watching Kyle and Owen play in their cutesie twinsie sort-of-matching outfits (the outfits they were still emotionally sore about because they weren't matching enough). Since I was running late (because of the outfit-produced-meltdowns), I didn't even have time to attempt to explain my predicament to her.

Photos of the Day (Dressing Twins)

We're mad. We're mad at YOU Mama. We're mad about these outfits. We're mad mad mad mad mad.

So sad. I'm just going to sit here and suck my thumb. That's how sad I am. Sad sad sad sad sad.

But not too mad or sad to hug/strangle each other

Wait?! The Laurie Berkner Band video is on?! Who cares what the heck we're wearing! Rock on! Let's dance and pound on the t.v. screen!!!

Ben & Ruth Come to Visit!

Ben swings Kyle (then Kyle gets down, and jumps up and down looking up at Ben saying, "AGAIN!" Then Ben swings Kyle. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.)

Our friends Ben & Ruth came from Delaware to visit. They arrived Saturday afternoon and left today. It was a short overnight visit but it was jam-packed with fun and Ben-Ruth-Kyle-Owen-bonding time! We went on a horse-drawn hayride, ate kettle corn, threw rocks in the river, and played outside a lot! Ben is my dear comrade from grad school, and with Ben & Ruth both having tenure now (yay you two!), it was a real inspiration for us to hear lots about how great life is post-tenure. :)

Kyle snuggling on Ben's lap on the hayride

Ben hugging Kyle, Kyle loving every second of it!

Photo Shoot: Ruth, Kyle, Owen, and Ben at Trauger's Farm Market

Owen "up high!", Ruth enjoying (sort of) the head massage

Kyle, Ruth, Owen, Ben: A Beatiful Fall Weekend

Quote of the Day: "Amazing Race"

Braydon, this evening, while seeing an ad on t.v. for the show The Amazing Race: "Our life is an amazing race every day."

Our Little Eaters

One truth about Kyle and Owen: They eat a LOT. Always have. At first their intensity about all-things-food was understandable (it was so sad-- they had been starving, literally, for their first eight months of life). But it was still shocking and unbelievable how much they could consume at ages 8-9-10 months old. It would break your heart to watch them eat. My mom still talks about it. It was like watching a "little bird" she says. Really, the entire thing was truly heart-wrenching. I could go on and on about so many food/eating-related behaviors from their first few months home. But instead, I just want to talk about the here and now.

O.k., so they are two year olds wearing size "4-5 year" socks. They are HUGE. And they never seem to not be growing like weeds. Other parents talk to me about their kids' "growth spurts," and parenting books and pediatric guides I read go on and on about the ebb and flow of baby/toddler growth and eating -- our boys seem to clearly defy all the norms. They seem to be in full-time growth/eating spurt since the day we got them. People who see them eat regularly comment on it: "Oh my god, I can't believe how much they eat?!!!!!!!!" and "Heather, if they're like this now, what on earth are you going to do when they're sixteen?!!!!!! Men seem to love to watch it. They're like, "WOW! YOU GO BOY!!! YOU GO!" Women are appalled. They're like, "Heather, do you really think that is o.k. for a little child to eat that much?! Don't you think you should stop them?" (Believe me, I worry too- that their stomachs will explode, or that they'll make themselves sick. I've talked to our pediatrician about this numerous times: she tells me to just let them go and not stop them. Once I had to ask her, "How many bananas can I let Kyle eat per day?" and that was the only time she ever limited the food intake: she said he shouldn't be eating more than 2-3 per day on average, so we've tried to stick to that. She's been our medical saving grace throughout K & O's entire adoption so I never second-guess anything with her, and we just do what she says.) Braydon and I are kind of used to it -- to seeing how much our boys can consume. Kyle, especially, is truly shocking to watch. I swear, if they had eating contests for 2 year olds, this boy would win every single one he entered. But still, occassionally, even Braydon and I are stunned. Particularly when it comes to pasta... these boys can EAT!

7:00 a.m. this morning -- both boys wake up asking for milk

7:30 a.m. -- Owen helps me make yogurt smoothies for the boys. (in it: 2 bananas, 1 tub of peach yogurt, 2 cups frozen strawberries, 2 cups orange juice)

7:40 a.m. Owen and Kyle drink up all of the smoothie from the blender.

By our 10:00 a.m. arrival at The Little Gym they had also eaten 2 bowls of dry cereal each.

12 noon: Kyle is done with his lunch. And happy as can be about it. What did he eat? An entire bowl of Panera Bread's broccoli cheddar soup (rich!) and a large piece of multi-grain baguette (dense!). This is not a "children's meal" (we don't even order off the children's menu there), this is a fully adult-size-meal. A meal that would make many adults comfortably full (I know it makes me comfortably full).

12:30 pm: They're asleep for nap. I read in the pediatrics books that children only grow when they are sleeping. Must be why our boys sleep so much.

"Mapi"

Twins are challenging in terms of who covers whom. People often tell me sports analogies: "With one, you can trade off and perform full coverage; with two you have to go man to man coverage." Then the joke goes that with three you have to play zone defense. Right now we're with man to man coverage, or parent to toddler coverage with both running backs heading for opposite end-zones.

And when you're working your butt off to have a balanced marriage (which we do every day - sometimes more successfully than others) and balanced parenting it can be down-right nutty. Whose rules go where, what happens when he bites, or kicks, or runs out into the middle of the street? Instant time-out? One warning and time out? Yelling or total detachment? "Do you think that is really productive?" So you celebrate the little accomplishments when they come.

Last night Owen had a "paci-event", which translated means his pacifier fell out of his mouth in the night while he was sleeping and he wanted it, but was too half-asleep to figure out that it's in the same place it always is - attached to his pj's about 3 inches from his mouth.

I woke up hearing him crying out in a very forelorne voice: 'Mapi', 'Mapi'. I realized then, at 2 AM, that he was combining Mama + Papi to come up with Mapi.

It's the little accomplishments that matter.

Package from Sadie! And... Pumpkins?

Oh happy day! Oh happy day! After daycare today ANOTHER package was waiting in the mailbox!! This one: from cousin Sadie!!! When I took it out of the mailbox and showed it to the boys Kyle said, "Let's go open it!" It still feels strange every time one of them uses a full, grammatically correct, coherent sentence!?! We opened it right away.

Guess what was inside?! One "yummy thing" for each boy! Rice krispie treats with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds mixed in! "I like it!", said Owen! They ate them right up! THANK YOU SADIE! :) What a great way to start off the weekend! Since the two of them got to have their "yummy things" Braydon and I thought it only fair to start off our weekend with our own "yummy things": a big glass of wine for each of us. This has been kinda a long week for us here, so we're glad it is done. TGIF.

P.S. A side note: O.k., so, here's the thing: regularly arts & crafts projects come home from daycare. Today these two pumpkins were waiting for pick-up with K & O. So, in all seriousness: does anyone out there realistically think that it is humanly possible that my sons actually hand-glued these little foam things onto these pumpkins? The daycare staff swear that the kids make these things. I can kind of believe that some of the kids might make these things -- the really good nice well-behaved kids who sit still for big stretches of time and patiently calmly do nice quiet little craft projects. But the thing is that the daycare staff swear that my kids make these things. They say it with a straight face. This has been going on at daycare since K & O were about 14 months old. I simply cannot imagine my boys doing this. Simply cannot imagine! And get this, tonight, during dinner, when I pointed to one of the pumpkins and asked K & O "Who made this?!" Owen said dumb-foundedly, "Hm?" and Kyle said, "Marcus did it." [Marcus is one of those really good nice well-behaved kids I mentioned above.]