By most everyone who has ever experienced any time with them, even strangers witnessing them from afar, my boys are labeled “active” (read: off-the-wall go go go non-stop movement always-into-everything constant-full-throttle-energy SPIRITED-to-the-Nth-degree). Generally I’m highly opposed to labels. But in this case, I can’t blame anyone who labels K & O this way. They are so incredibly “active” all the time that I really can’t argue with the label. They don’t ever, ever, ever seem to get tired out; their energy never seems to expire. Ever. Anyone who has spent any time with my boys — you know what I mean. The director of our daycare (who has run the place for over 17 years) told me one day that Kyle and Owen are the two most “active” children she’s ever had in her care. Seriously. And I totally believe her. I’ve often thought that we should offer some sort of prize or award to anybody who can tire them out. Think you are good with spirited kids?! O.k., try mine! Think you have a lot of energy for your age? O.k., try a day with my two boys! Think you can keep up with active children? O.k., try keeping up with mine! The challenge would be something like this: Spend a day with K & O and try to tucker them out without physically putting them in unreasonable danger. The awards and prizes would be given out based on something like this: At the end of the day did they go to sleep smoothly/easily and sleep for more than twelve hours straight? Since I’m so confident that this competition would kick the butts of the vast majority of people who tried to enter it, I would push hard for the prizes to be big, huge, amazing prizes. Like ‘all-expense-paid-vacation’ kinds of prizes. I, for one, think that anyone who could win at this game (especially anyone over the age of 30) deserves something wonderful and restorative — like a spa trip for two to someplace warm and lovely. I can count on two fingers the number of people who, to my knowledge, have actually entered this competition and won: 1) Braydon, 2) Heather. Yes, folks, we are over 30 and we’re good — darn good — at tuckering out our “Active” (with a capital “A”) kids. Last night, after a very “active” day, we brought them upstairs for bedtime at 6:30. They were in bed and asleep by 7:00. And right now it is 8:19 a.m. and they’re both still sleeping soundly. Shouldn’t we get some sort of prize for that??? Like, a really big, huge, amazing prize?
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Late morning P.S. to this post — Just for the record: Owen woke up at 8:40 a.m. Kyle just kept sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. Finally, at 9:20, I let Owen go upstairs to wake up his brother. Who knows how long Ky Ky would have slept?! Just for the record: I’m still waiting for my prize…????? I feel like this is one of those games that is rigged from the start — they let you fantasize about all the great prizes you might win for participating, but nobody ever actually gets to claim anything?!
Saturday was the 2007 EASTER EGG-STRAVAGANZA at Peddler’s Village. We had gone to this last year and had a blast. This year was even better because the boys understand everything so much more. I feel like I wish they could be exactly this age forever.
After the Egg Hunt on Saturday we spent awhile walking (well, Braydon and I were walking… Kyle and Owen were running) around Peddler’s Village. The boys love to explore the winding little paths, look at the meandering streams, run over the little bridges, and check out the windmill and water wheel. At one point we went into a Gourmet Candy Shop where they sell handmade chocolates and other goodies. We let the boys pick out one special treat each. Of course they both chose the same exact thing. Of course. But I was surprised when they chose two different colors — Owen chose a treat wrapped in green foil, Kyle chose a treat wrapped in pink foil. They had absolutely no idea what was to be discovered inside, but they knew enough to know that whatever it was inside that pretty foil wrapping was going to be good good good. They each had an oreo cookie hand dipped in milk chocolate. These treats did not disappoint!
Kyle had an awesome weekend. For whatever reason (it really is a mystery to us), he was in an *incredibly* good mood all weekend long. Not that Kyle isn’t in a good mood all the time — he is! — Kyle is “Mr. Happy Go Lucky” 24 x 7. But for the past two days he’s been even more happy-happy-happy than usual. All weekend he was hopping and skipping around, beaming with smiles, humming and singing to himself, and cheerily greeting every single person we encountered everywhere we went: “Hi! What’s your name?!” Lately Owen has been more extroverted and gregarious, and Kyle has often been taking a back seat to his brother’s constant one-man-comedy-show. Not that Kyle isn’t extroverted and gregarious and funny himself — he is! — Kyle has always been Super Flirt Numero Uno all day every day. But lately he’s been just a bit subdued and letting Owen dominate the spotlight.
I am saying “lately” here because Braydon and I have always noticed that these things seem to go back-and-forth and the boys’ dynamic seems to shift seamlessly over time. It is a twin thing and these ebbs and flows in their personality dynamics are really absolutely fascinating and amazing to witness. It is almost as if they take turns trying on different aspects of their personalities, stepping up and holding back, being the “____ [fill in the blank] one” and being the “____ [fill in the blank] one.” That’s why whenever anybody says, “Oh! So, he’s the ____ [fill in the blank] one?!” We say, “Only for this particular moment!” Anyway… Kyle was extremely happy and outgoing and charismatic this weekend.
And… he was quite the little Mischief Maker too. For example… This past week Braydon’s mother had come to visit and before she left on Friday she had left a birthday present on the counter for the boys. There were two packages, both wrapped with paper and ribbons. On Saturday morning Kyle had been eyeing it and asked Braydon many times if he could open them. Braydon said that he could not, that he had to wait until their birthday. This little question and answer session was repeated multiple times on Saturday morning. Later in the morning Braydon was in the shower and I was “in charge” of the boys. I had to run upstairs to get something out of Owen’s room and told them I’d be “right back!” I was only out of the room for 3 minutes max, but by the time I returned Kyle had got both presents down from the kitchen counter, had unwrapped both of them, and was inspecting the goods. I grabbed the camera—Here is what I found:
It was a gorgeous day and we finally got to spend some time outside. I have a new video camera and couldn’t resist filming as the boys played simply in the sandbox.
Note: if the video looks cut off, double click on it to watch directly on youtube.
At bedtime tonight Owen was acting up because it was his night with Braydon and he wanted to be with me (click here to read my “Quotes of the Day” post from this past Monday with an explanation about our current bedtime situation). Braydon and I have just about had it with these bedtime fiascos. Braydon crouched down and said very firmly: “Owen, tonight there is no acting up. Tomorrow you’ll have Mama. Tonight you have Papi. No acting up!” Owen then proceeded to very rambunctiously act up. Within a few seconds, before Braydon could even react, Owen stopped everything, stood perfectly still, looked up at Braydon, and said: “Papi, I’m so mad at myself!” Braydon said, “Why are you so mad at yourself?” And Owen said: “Papi, I’m so mad at myself because I’m not listening!” We had all we could do to not break into hysterics.
The four of us (as Owen and Kyle say, “OUR WHOLE FAMILY!”) went to the park after daycare today. Here are some photos from Braydon’s cell phone camera…
101 Haitian migrants who had fled Haiti in a small boat were found yesterday on the shore of Florida. Read the Miami Herald article: click here. Read the Orlando Sentinal article: click here. Or, just look at these photos: click here.
The boys had been home for less than a month. They were still shell-shocked. As were we. You can see it in the faces of these three in this photo. And you can also see the grip Braydon has on both of them — he’s got them snug on his lap; they’re not going anywhere. He loved those babies right from the start. And love grows. It grows and grows and grows. Today, his grip is even tighter. And the shell-shock is long gone. Love is all around. Happy Love Thursday, everyone!
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