The Twin Bond

I am continually amazed at the tight bond that Bryce & Drew share.  These 2 little boys love each other like crazy.  They love to be together.  They still sleep in the same bed (even though they have their own rooms) & still take baths together. When watching tv, I ususally find them snuggled up on the couch together.  Jimmy and I pray that they will always remain "best fwends" and protect one another. 

I'm so thankful that God chose us to love & raise twins.  It is such a special relationship and an awesome blessing & honor!  I just love watching these two grow up together!

The Orioles

Bryce & Drew just started their 2nd season of baseball. Jimmy pulled up a MLB website and told the boys to each pick out a jersey that they like. To be fair, I chose a number between 1-100 and Drew picked the closest number. His favorite color is orange so he chose The Orioles!  Being the coach's kid has its benefits!

Writing sentences

The boys have been learning to write sentences in Kindergarten.  This is what came home in Drew's backpack yesterday.

If you're having a hard time reading it, it says:

My Dad is fun to play with.

We like to play gun fittes. 

We like to play sord fitts.

Pretty sweet, even though he spelled a few words wrong!

Operation Christmas Child

Bryce & Drew were SO excited to participate in Operation Christmas Child this year.  They each chose to shop for boys in the age 5-7 category and both made very thoughtful and selective choices to fill up their shoeboxes.  They commented that "This was one of their best days ever!" 
Bryce & Drew helped to load up the 157 shoeboxes that our church had collected.  Their smiles and enthusiasm were priceless!

My children have such a wonderful life - they are blessed with the love of so many and have so many nice things. It makes me very proud to see their desire to serve and help those that don't have as much!  I'm thankful they understand what CHRISTmas is all about!

TOOTHLESS!

All I have to say is....I'm SO GLAD we got family portraits done when we did.  One of my children's smile looks DRASTICALLY different! 

TODAY

3 WEEKS AGO!

For the record, the "toothless count" in our house is:

Drew = 4
Bryce = 0

EVEN STEVEN!

At birth...
Baby A (Bryce) weighed 6# 11oz.
Baby B (Drew) weighed 7# 2oz.
Throughout infancy and young toddler-age Bryce weighed the most.  However, Drew passed him in height and weight a few years ago and has worn a size bigger in clothing and shoes ever since. About a year ago, it became a huge topic of conversation and a source of competition...as is everything with twins!  Of course, both boys want to be "the biggest twin!" Drew loves to point out that he weighs the most...Rubbing it in so frequently that Bryce would get really upset and even cry!  When Drew topped the scale at 3# heavier about a month ago, I asked them to stop weighing!

This has prompted many conversations. "You are 2 completely different children - just born on the same day.  God made you exactly how he wanted you to be.  And, we do not judge someone on their size, looks, etc....."

SO...today when they pulled out my scale, you can imagine how thrilled Bryce was to see this number!

BRYCE

DREW

THEY WEIGH EXACTLY THE SAME.  What a happy day for my Bryce!

A New Chapter

Sharing a room is all Bryce & Drew have ever known...

This is how it all started...

When they were born, they shared a "twin crib" in the hospital for 4 days.

When they came home from the hospital, they shared one crib

but we had to split them up after a few days.  SOMEHOW, my little 7 pound Drew was able to "scooch" himself over to Bryce.  He would be practically on top of him or covering his face.  I had no idea 39 week old babies could move like that!  Now I know why.  Drew LOVES his brother and LOVES to be close to him.  I guess after 38 weeks of sharing a womb, that's all you know!
After squeezing 3 1/2 years out of their cribs, we finally said goodbye to them and gave Bryce & Drew our queen size bed.  I think Drew was thrilled to be able to sleep right next to his brother, again!

Soon it became clear that Bryce was needing his own space.  Drew was always encroaching upon his space.. holding his hand, kissing him, wrapping his arm around him, hogging the bed, etc.  And for a boy that is VERY SERIOUS about his sleep (like me!)...it's not fun! So, when we finally got moved into our new home, we decided it was time to split them into their own rooms.  BRYCE WAS THRILLED.  DREW WAS DEVASTATED! 
Drew LOVES his stuffed animals so to help him get excited about his new bedroom, we told him he could sleep with 10 babies every night!  THANK GOODNESS THAT WORKED!

Drew kept the queen size bed and Bryce got a whole new bedroom set.  He is very proud of his new room and keeps it very clean and organized. The smile says it all!

So far, it's working out pretty well.  Bryce is getting a lot more sleep.  Drew really misses Bryce and looks forward to having "sleep overs" with him!  The bond that twins share is TIGHT!

ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER!

Who Needs an Ocean?

I JUST LOVE THESE CRAZY BOYS!

My Little Worker Boys

Life has been so crazy.  Moving.  Lots of visitors.  Home repairs.  Remodels.  Life with twins...etc! As a result, I have fallen behind on my blogging and desperately trying to get caught up...

Prior to moving into our new home, we spent almost 2 months cleaning and doing some home repairs/remodeling.  I was very proud of Bryce & Drew.  They always had a good attitude about going to the "new house" and helping out.  They both love to work...especially Bryce.

Today, I captured my quirky, little Drew helping Jimmy with some yard work!

I hope we can instill a good work ethic in our boys.  I think the key is TO MAKE IT FUN!

NOT AGAIN!

OUR POOR LITTLE DREW NOW IS WEARING 2 CASTS!

We were playing at the park today when he fell off the monkey bars and landed on his elbow.  He was crying & unable to hold his arm or make a fist.  Jimmy took him to the doctor where the x-ray revealed a hairline fracture in his arm.  UNBELIEVABLE!  We were starting to count down the days until his leg cast can be removed and now he will be in the arm cast for a minimum of 4 weeks - up to 6 weeks!  And, will be wearing 2 casts for 5 more days!  

Waterproof!

Last week we went to a "going away party" for some people in our neighborhood.  All the kiddos were playing chase and tag in the yard, when Drew fell and started complaining that his foot hurt.  He was limping a little but continued to play hard.  I thought maybe he just twisted or sprained his ankle.  We used ice for a few days but when he started walking on his heel and crawling up and down the stairs, I knew it wasn't healing.  After taking him to the Pediatrician and getting x-rays, he diagnosed him with a "phantom break".  A fracture in the foot that is too small to show up on x-rays.  I was SO sad when he said he would have to wear a cast for 3 weeks.  We have been spending 3+ hours a day in our pool and he would be devastated to have to sit on the sidelines for that long! Thankfully, the Dr. presented the option of a waterproof cast...well worth the cash out of pocket expense!


Drew swam today for the first time with the cast on.  It is definitely heavy and slows him down, but he still swims into the deep end and dives to the bottom of the pool!  I'm thankful that he is so tough, has a good attitude and a big smile!

God's Beauty

We just love this beautiful Dogwood tree at our new house.  Drew feels very lucky that he has a direct view from his 2nd story bedroom window.  Perfect for my boy who loves and appreciates nature!

Go WOLVES!

Bryce & Drew are playing their first "team sport" this Spring.  Soccer is so much better when they only have 6-7 players on a team playing 3 on 3....brilliant!  No big huddles of kiddos falling all over each other on the field!

Bryce

Drew

Bryce

Drew