Recent Quotes from the Dynamic Duo

Some from Kyle:

• One early morning, cuddling in bed~~ "Papi, I'm a little white just like you. And I'm a lot brown. I'm like you on my hands and I'm brown for the whole rest of me. "
• Explaining to us one day why he has brown skin (note: Jaren Walker was the boys' summer sports camp coach and is Kyle's favorite Lehigh football player, who we watched play in many games this fall)~~ "God made me this way because I love football and I'm going to be a football player. Just like Jaren Walker. He's brown. That's why I'm brown."
• One evening, requesting a specific type of cracker to be included in his lunch the next day, referring to his Kindergarten classmates~~ "Mommy, you have to put these crackers in my lunch because my people love these crackers! And you have to put my bulldozer spoon for my soup because my people love it when I have that spoon!"
  
• Kyle is fascinated with languages right now. He's particularly interested in the idea that different people speak different languages and that it is often rooted in geographical location and/or race. He has a classmate who is Russian. Kyle often overhears her speaking Russian with her Mom. One day, totally out of the blue~~ "People from France speak French. People from Mexico speak Spanish. People from Russia speak Russian. I wish I moved to Georgia. So I could speak Georgian."
• (Note: Kyle does not, by any stretch of the imagination [other than his own imagination] speak "Haitian"/Creole/Haitian-French, but he knows that Creole was the only language he heard in the orphanage while he was a baby in Haiti.) One day, quite matter of factly~~ "Mommy, did you know I speak English and Haitian? My whole family understands me when I speak English. But only my brother understands me when I speak Haitian. Because my brother and me both speak Haitian because my brother and me both are Haitian. Did you know that Mommy? Me and Owen really do speak Haitian. So we speak Haitian when we don't want you to understand what we are saying. Because we are Haitian! And you aren't!"
• We have close family friends whose daughter, Joy Lin, was adopted from China by white American parents. The boys have known her forever and they share the inter-racial-adoption bond. Joy Lin does not go to the same school as Kyle and Owen. At school, Kyle has a classmate who is Chinese (not adopted), and whose parents are both Chinese. He often overhears his classmate and her mom speaking Chinese together. He's trying to figure out any connection he can make between race and language. One day, after school~~  "Joy Lin and Alyssa are both from China. But Joy Lin was born in China. Alyssa was born in the United States of America. But Joy Lin doesn't speak Chinese, only English. Alyssa speaks Chinese and English. But they are both from China. And they definitely don't speak Spanish!"
  
• Another day, again on the subject of Joy Lin and Alyssa~~ "Joy Lin and Alyssa are both from China. You can call that Chinese. But Joy Lin was adopted and Alyssa wasn't adopted. I like China people. I like adopted people and Belly Mom people." {this was the first I've ever heard 'Belly Mom people'... I thought it was such an interesting way that Kyle came up with to identify non-adopted people!}
  

Some from Owen:

• One morning, making french toast, out of the blue~~ "Sugar is my favorite vegetable!!!"
• One day right after the boys had been eating popcorn for a snack, Kyle announced that he had to go brush his teeth because he had some popcorn stuck in his teeth. Owen, too busy for teeth brushing, quickly replied~~ "Me too Kyle! Something's stuck on my teeth too! But I'm gonna leave it there!"
• One day, in the car... we had reached our destination and were about to get out of the car. Meera had taken her shoe off, and I asked Owen to please put her shoe on for me. His reply, completely genuinely sincere~~ "Sorry Mom, I can't right now because I'm too busy sucking my thumb."
  
• One day, talking about favorite colors (a recent favorite subject)~~ "Mommy, what is your favorite color? But remember, if you don't like brown you don't like us."
• Another day~~ "I love Mommy, Papi, Kyle, Meera, myself, and Cooper. My whole family. But I do have one thing. Don't feel bad about this, okay Mama? I love my whole family but I love one person the most and that's my brother. I do love him a tiny bit the most. Is that okay Mama???"
• One night, the three bambinos all together in the bath before bed~~ "Mommy, I wish I was white like you."  me: "Oh, really? Why do you wish that?"  O: "Because I want to all be the same. I wish we were all the same on our skin." H: "Oh, I can understand that. But I'm really glad you're not white." O: "Why?"  H: "Because then you wouldn't be you! And I love you with your brown skin!"  Long pause. O: "Wait. Actually, actually, I really wish you and Papi were brown like us. I wish you were brown and then we'd all be the same."  H: "I can understand that you feel that way." Long pause (as I notice him concentrating on looking at Meera playing next to him in the tub). O: "Wait. Actually, here is what I really wish-- I wish you and Papi were brown so that you'd be the same as me and Kyle. But I don't want Meera to be brown because then she wouldn't be her! So, it would be you, me, Kyle, and Papi brown, and Meera white. Yeah, that's what I wish!" 
  

And, lastly:

• This isn't a quote exactly, but I wrote it down on a scrap of paper to remember it~~ Driving home from Washington, D.C. after Thanksgiving... we had to take a driving break so we stopped at a McDonalds that had an indoor playground so that the kids could burn some energy. A cute energetic little boy was the only other kid playing in the playground space. We soon found out he was 5 years old too, just like K & O. His mom was sitting there keeping an eye on him. Him and his mom were both black. K, O, and the boy were instant friends and within seconds they were playing together like they'd known each other their whole lives. Braydon and I stood there chatting with the other mom, and watching Meera, while the three boys played. After a while the mom went to go check on her teenage son (who was eating in the regular eating part), and Braydon took Meera to the bathroom for a diaper change. So I was alone supervising the three boys. The three of them were way high up, inside the plastic tunnel area above my head, looking down at me through a clear plastic window, waving at me like little maniacs, and I was enthusiastically waving back. Since they were so high up, and inside the plastic tunnel thing, they seemed to have the impression that I could not hear them. They were being silly with each other, saying things that only 5-year-old boys think are funny, and laughing hysterically. Suddenly the new-friend-boy became very quiet and serious. There was silence for a second or two, and then, I overhear him say, pointedly, to K & O:  "So, where are your parents?"  K & O: "Right there!"  boy: "Where?" (they are still all three looking down at me, I'm the only other person in the entire play area, and K & O are pointing at me).  K & O: "Right there! Down there! You're looking right at her!"  boy: "No, I mean, where are your parents?"  K & O (I don't remember which one said what): "Right there!" boy: "No, I mean, your real parents!?" K & O: "Right there! That's our mom!" boy (completely perplexed): "The white one?!" K & O: "Yes! The white one!" boy (completely stunned): "Oh." A second or two passed and then the three of them were off and running again.
  

Joy Lin's 5th Birthday Party

Yesterday we went to Joy Lin's 5th Birthday Party. We love Joy Lin. In my opinion (as a mother of two boys longing lately to add a little sister to the mix), Joy Lin's the coolest kind of little girl there is: sweet and cute and considerate and also a rough and tumble tomboy at heart. Joy has almost as much energy as Kyle and Owen -- so even though there is a two year age difference, the three of them get along brilliantly. The birthday party was at Bounce U (click here). We hadn't been there before. It is a massive play space with tons and tons of huge blown up jumping/sliding/climbing/bouncing contraptions. The minute we walked in I said to our friends Lisa and Chris (Joy's parents) "Is this a party for Joy Lin or for Kyle and Owen???!" (it was in indoor air-conditioned version of heaven for K & O). They loved it. In fact, Kyle said to me about halfway through, "Mama, I want mine birthday party to be at Bounce U when I will be five! I want mine birthday party to be right here!" There were a lot of kids at the birthday party, but at one point I found K, O, and Joy sliding together over and over and over down a little slide:

By far the boys' favorite thing at Bounce U, though, was the "BIG HUGE SLIDE!!!" They seriously went down this thing at least 20 times in a row...

It looked ... so fun! And it was!

After all the sliding and jumping and bouncing it was time for cake and ice cream. They brought out a big liter of Coke. All the kids were having it. We couldn't bear to keep it from just our two. So... K & O had Coca Cola for the very first time!!! This is newsworthy stuff; Kyle liked it; but for Owen, especially, this was a big deal. He did not touch his cake or ice cream. He just savored that Coke. And then he sweet talked the Bounce U staff into giving him a second helping. In this photo he is holding his precious Coke and saying to us, "Here is my beer. It is just like beer. Just. Like. Beer."

And here is Owen, about 30 minutes later in the car heading home, passed out from his "beer"/post-Coke-sugar-crash:

On the ride home Kyle talked on and on about how he wants his birthday party to be at Bounce U. He also talked at length about the fact that "inside his present will be a trombone." He also wanted to be clear that "Joy Lin will be there at his birthday party." Happy Birthday Joy Lin!

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!

"Where's My Twin?"

This morning we went to Bounce U with Joy Lin and her Mom and Dad. It was heaven for Kyle and Owen to be at Bounce U playing with Joy Lin. And Braydon and I had such a good time chatting with Chris and Lisa. One thing that is so great about getting together with another high-energy-and-full-of-life-kid-family is that you don't have to feel self-conscious about how high-energy-and-full-of-life your kid(s) is/are! You all just sort of understand each other in some way that feels really comfortable and special. It's really nice. Anyway, at one point Owen and Kyle lost track of each other (a rare thing). Owen ran up to Lisa and I and said to me, "Mommy, where is my twin???" I pointed to where Kyle and Joy Lin were, and Owen ran off to play with them. But this wording-- "my twin"-- was so striking to me. He didn't say, "Where is Kyle?" or "Where is my Ky Ky?" or "Where is my brother?" (all of which I've heard many times before), instead he said, "my twin." Of course being twins is a huge part of K & O's identities, they know that they are twins, they understand what twins are, etc... but I've never heard either of them use "my twin" to refer to the other. This was a first. And Owen said it so unconsciously, so unreflectively. "Where is my twin???"... somehow it just seemed so... I don't know... just so striking to hear Owen say that. I just can't even imagine what it would be like to be twins. I was thinking about it again when we were out to lunch. Eating our tacos and burritos and quesadillas the boys were fooling around with each other in their characteristic way. Braydon and I were just watching them carry on (as were most people in the restaurant), getting the biggest kick out of them. But we couldn't help but talk about what we talk about often when watching them interact--- there is something so unique about the way they are --as twins-- together. And then tonight at home I was thinking about it again as I watched them sit together watching their Curious George video. They were sitting right next to each other so that their entire sides of their bodies were touching. They always sit this way when watching a video. I watched as Kyle put his arm up and rested his elbow on Owen's shoulder, Kyle's hand touching the side of Owen's face. They sat that way for a long stretch, and I watched as Owen rubbed his cheek along Kyle's hand a couple of times -- neither of them the least bit bothered by the proximity, neither of them taking their eyes off of the t.v. Their twinship--- it is just not like any other relationship. I can't put words to it to describe it. But I have to say, that to be able to witness it so intimately, as Braydon and I get to do daily, makes for such a fascinating life. And it is such a wonder-filled blessing for us to be able to parent our twins.

K & O's "China Adoption"

Recently K & O have become fixated on knowing the specific countries that their friends who were adopted were adopted from. The fact that they (K & O) were adopted from Haiti is big for them/us. We talk about Haiti all the time, and they know lots of other kids ("lots" is relative and used loosely!) who were adopted from Haiti. But they have friends who were adopted from other countries too. They know that Joy Lin, for example, was adopted from China, and they talk about this a lot. They have started to recognize other Chinese kids when we're out and about and will sometimes comment that they "look just like Joy Lin!"... and have now started to comment (when the kids they see have obviously white parents with them) that the kid "must have been born in China, and adopted from China, just like Joy Lin!" The other day the boys were playing -- they set up chairs and it was "an airplane!" They were flying "to China!" The plane was "going overnight!" (thus the blankets). And they were "going to China for "an adoption!!!" They went "to the orphanage!" And "got their babies!" And brought them "all the way back to the United States!"

R

After Mor Mor & Mor Far left today we went to Panera for lunch and Lowe's to get some birdseed. At Lowe's, naturally, we had to sit on the riding lawn mowers (first things first of course), then we got the bird seed and then we looked at the washer and dryers.

While we were browsing the washing machines a nice black family came up and starting chatting with us and smiling at the boys. Both O & K pounded (when you hit your fist on the other person's fist) with them as a way of saying hi.

Then as we were heading to the checkout line Owen exclaimed: "Look, it's just like Joy-Lin!" and pointed to a cute young Asian girl with her mother. Joy-Lin is the Chinese adopted daughter of Chris and Lisa.

After passing them, Owen then points to a middle-age white woman and states: "Look, it's just like Amy!" Amy is our great neighbor who is white.

This all took place in the span of 3 minutes or less. And they are not even 3 yet.

K & O are starting to recognize numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4.... And even the letters O, K and sometimes M and P.

And they evidently recognize R, even if they don't yet recognize the letter.

Kyle Talks About Adoption

We talk a lot about adoption in our family. Kyle and Owen know their story (or at least a very simplistic version of it). But it is not clear how much they understand their story (even the very simplistic version of it). Tonight, as I was getting Kyle into his pajamas he pointed to a picture on his wall (a framed map of the Caribbean Islands). He said, "Mama, what is that? You say it." I said, "You know!" He said, "No, you say it." I said, "That's the Caribbean Islands and Haiti." He then pointed to the other picture on his wall (a frame surronding two photos of the boys when they were infants and an image of the Haitian flag), and said, "Mama, what's that one? You say it." I said, "That's you and Owen when you were little tiny babies. In the orphanage in Haiti." Kyle said, "Yes. Let's see it." I lifted him up and he looked quietly and closely at both pictures on the wall. I pointed to Haiti and said, "See, that's Haiti island. That's where you were born." He said, "Born." It was silent for a minute, then he said, "O.k. Mama." I then laid him back down on the floor and we continued to get his pajamas on. And this is the conversation that occurred:

Kyle: Mama, me and Owen, me and Owen, where was my mama and my papi?
Heather: We were here, waiting for you. We were waiting and waiting to get our babies.
K: But we needed a mama and a papi.
H: Yes, you needed a mama and a papi. You did. You did! And we went on a big airplane to Haiti to get you! And we adopted you!
K: Yes, adopted.
H: Yes. And now you have a mama and a papi.
{...then, we cuddled and snuggled for a minute... Kyle giggling...}
K: Adopted.
H: Yes, you and Owen were adopted. Who else was adopted?
K: {smiling ear to ear...} Ben!
H: Yes! And who else?
K: Um, you say it!
H: Ambika and Nate were adopted!
K: Yes! Ambika and Nate adopted! And who else?
H: And Joy Lin was adopted!
K: Yes! Joy Lin adopted!
H: Yes! And who else?
K: And you! You adopted!
H: Yes, I guess in a way, you and Owen adopted me! Our whole family was adopted! We adopted each other.
K: Yay adoption! YAY! Let me pick out a book.

{He then picked out I Love You Like Crazy Cakes (click here)... an adoption book that he has never, ever, ever before picked out as a bedtime book...}

A Day to Remember

Someday, long from now, when I'm well rested, and these days are far behind me, I may laugh at days like today. But, today, there is no laughing. It was a terrible, terrible, very bad day. A Top Ten 'I-Must-Be-The-Worst-Mother-In-The-World' Day. An "oh dear God how are we ever going to get through this?" day. A "someday maybe we'll laugh at this, but right now it is hard not to cry" day. The boys were in rare form. They are wild (always), they are rambunctious (always), they are challenging (always), they are the most 'energetic' kids around (always), they are full-of-it (always), but they usually are not bad. They are good boys with insane amounts of energy. But they aren't (usually) bad boys. Today they were bad boys. Excuse me (I'll try to rephrase that...), they had bad behavior. Very bad behavior. It started from the moment they woke up. They were all over each other, throwing tantrums left and right, fidgety and agitated. Nothing went right. I'll skip over all the gory details and just get straight to the horrible climax.

Our plan was to meet up with our good friends the Kulps for a playdate at Jungle Fun. From the second they saw Joy Lin the boys were crazed. Competing for her attention and affection; off-the-wall-wild; disobedient and --it seemed-- determined to see how far they could push us (us = their parents). They hadn't seen Joy in a while, so it is understandable that they were excited, but they could not contain their excitement... which was a problem. And then it got bad. Owen got a Time Out (sitting on the bench at Jungle Fun) for pulling a girl's hair. I was mortified that he'd do that (pull her ponytail to the point that she cried), made him apologize to her, the whole nine yards. We should have left right then. Because it got worse. The manager of Jungle Fun came up to me to tell me that Kyle had bit -- yes, BIT -- a girl. We found her, crying with her mother, with an ice pack on her back. The bite was not bad, and admittedly, the girl was milking it for all it was worth, but still... it was a bite. A BITE from my 4 1/2 year old son. A bite from my child who hasn't bitten anyone (other than his brother) since he was about 18 months old. I was horrified. Beyond horrified. Kyle cried hysterically as he said sorry to the girl and her family. He sobbed, "I need to kiss the owie for her to feel better" but the girl (understandably) turned down his offer. I apologized up and down to the mother -- who let it be known that she was (understandably) not pleased. And then I gathered the boys up faster than I ever have, apologized to the Kulps for having to leave early, and I marched the five of us out of there about as quickly as humanly possible (with Kyle crying hysterically the entire way). It was a scene. And the thing is, our family -- just being the unusual combo that we are -- is always a scene (which just makes the whole thing feel somehow worse...)... but this, this was a different and completely embarrassing (humiliating!!!) scene.

The boys were told, on the ride home, that we would NEVER, ever, for the rest of their lives take them to Jungle Fun ever again. And we mean it. And they know we mean it.

Just as peace was starting to set in back at home, I did a very stupid thing. I let Meera hold a peanut (like, in the shell). She somehow bit off a tiny piece, which got lodged in her throat, and she began to choke. Braydon had to perform choking-infant-back-thrusts to try to dislodge it. She was o.k., but it took her almost an entire hour to recover. During that hour she was crying, lethargic, and just generally pathetic. Once she was really o.k. (I got Owen to play around with her to get her to laugh... which he did... and she 'came to' and was back to her happy normal self), I cried hard. Sitting at the dinner table, looking at my three precious ones, with tears springing out of my eyes, all I could think was "OH MY GOD, THEY DRIVE ME CRAZY, BUT WHAT WOULD I EVER DO IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO ANY ONE OF THEM?" Braydon hugged me and told me that my baby is fine and that my boys are going to be o.k. I have to have faith that he is right. And I have to believe that someday I'll be laughing. But today was a (bad) day to remember.

Snippets from the Weekend

Saturday morning Owen woke up and the first thing he wanted to do was "Call MorFar." So we did. Owen talked to my parents for a few minutes and then I got on the phone with my Mom. We were in Braydon and I's bedroom, and I knew that Owen was in our bathroom, and I figured he was up to no good, but I decided I'd just cut my losses so that I could talk to my mom for just a few minutes. I was literally only on the phone with her for three minutes max before I went in to the bathroom to assess the damages. This photo shows what I found. He had pumped out a lot of moisturizing cream and had smeared it all over his face. He also had a mouthfull of cream, realized it tasted very gross, and was trying to wipe the cream out of his mouth with his cream-covered hands. Not sure if you can tell by the photo or not... he also had baby powder sprinkled all over him, our bath water was running, and his pajamas and his Lovey Lion were soaking wet in several places. Now that's what we call a great start to the weekend! ;0 Braydon and I were just laughing and shaking our heads as we took this photo and then tried to clean up our boy and our bathroom before starting our day.

Saturday morning tradition at our house is that K, O, and H make smoothies together. We make yogurt smoothies and/or soy-tofu smoothies, loaded with fruit. Lately the boys insist that blueberries and honey must go in -- all other ingredients are give-or-take. They like to "test" the end product with spoons straight out of the blender, before pouring into our cups.

Saturday was napless. We had Little Gym and then we met our friends the Kulps for a lunch date at McDonalds. For two hours straight the boys and Joy Lin went nutso in the indoor playground thingy at McD's. K & O were completely spent by 5:00 (when this photo was taken) and Braydon was desperately trying to keep them from totally melting down by singing songs to them. Soon after this photo we fed the boys an early supper. Mid-way through his meal, Kyle turned to me and said, "I'm done. I've had enough. Mommy, your baby is so sleepy!"

Saturday night after the boys were in bed we finally got to have the Rum Punches we've been meaning to have since January 31. Rum Punch is our sentimental Adoption Day celebratory drink -- and we had bought the ingredients to have them, but given all the sickness, ETC., Saturday was our first chance.

This afternoon, out for a walk in our neighborhood, Braydon pulling the boys in the wagon.

Home With Mama

Our Summer Nanny, Alex, has been away for the past week on a vacation. I have been home with the boys. I have tried to keep up with some work during their nap times and after they go to bed at night, but for the most part I've been a stay-at-home-mama for the week (well, except that I'm carrying around the mind-numbing-weight of the constant-stress-and-anxiety-of-letting-far-too-much-slip-between-the-cracks-work-wise). At this point in my life I honestly cannot imagine doing just one thing: working or staying home. If nothing else, a week like the past one is a good reminder for me that I truly love and embrace the identity and the reality of being a Working Mother. And I also truly love and embrace the identity and the reality of us being a Two Career Family. I'm glad to have that reminder from time to time because sometimes in the craze of it all that is hard to remember. Anyhoo............ This past week I've done a lot of the things that I think stay-at-home moms do: I've run a lot of errands with the boys (the grocery store, the dry cleaner, the pool store, etc.), had a lot of playdates with the boys and friends (Jackson, Noah, Joy Lin, etc.), and spent a lot of quality down-time/at-home-time with the boys doing just regular-nothing-special stuff. We also went to McDonalds for lunch one day and to the Waffle House for breakfast one day. We went to their favorite park, and we spent a lot of time in our backyard and our swimming pool. We have had a great time together and tomorrow Alex comes back.

P.S. -- Oh, and I potty trained them this week too. ;)

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!