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I snapped this photo at 7:30 this morning. Kyle was dressed for school, Owen was still in his pjs. I took it because I get a kick out of how they want to wear these Santa hats all the time. But after I took it, when I was downloading it to the computer, I noticed how close the boys are sitting to each other. They always are. And always have been. They are always right next to each other, usually with their bodies touching. I find it peculiar and special all at the same time. Even though I have twins, I’m still fascinated by them. Can you imagine wanting to be that close to someone, all the time? It must be really something being a twin. Also, for some reason, when I look at this photo I can just imagine Kyle being a 16 year old young man some day. Scary, but amazing, all at the same time.

“When I grow up, then I will be in a marching band, then I will go into a big building, and then I will get to be doing Final Exams too!!!” –Kyle, this evening

Kyle Looks Out the Playroom Window

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I’ve been pondering a post I’ve been wanting to write about believing, and about the magic of Christmas. But then I came across a post that already said everything I wanted to say. I love this blogger and this might be my favorite post from her yet. CLICK HERE to read it.

Many people have been emailing me about our posts from a couple days ago (December 10). Just for the record: this desire, on K & O’s parts, for “a baby brother or a baby sister” is not new. We’ve known that they have wanted a baby sibling since they could express themselves. In fact, before they could even talk we could see it coming. From my recollection it started at around 14-16 months old… at that point they were in the “Baby Room” at the Lehigh University Daycare Center. Babies from age 6 weeks to around 18 months were in there together. K & O (but Owen especially) adored the tiny babies. He’d spend huge portions of his time at daycare just gazing at them and trying to play with them and help take care of them. The Baby Room Teachers started telling us as early as then that we “better watch out!” because K & O were “going to be asking for a baby brother or a baby sister as soon as they could talk!” I used to laugh it off. “Oh, they just love babies, I know! But this is it for us! We have our hands full!!!” The older wiser teachers would just tilt their heads and roll their eyes at me, “We’ll see about that” they would say. “Just wait. These boys are going to be begging you as soon as they are verbal. You’re going to have to have another.” I have to admit, in my mind I was thinking “Yeah, whatever.” But they were right on. As soon as K & O could talk well enough to express it, sure enough, it started. The pressure was on. K & O (Owen especially) have been asking for “a baby brother or a baby sister” since then. I don’t know how often I have actually recorded it on this blog (and I don’t have time to really go through the posts to search it), but here are just a few examples from around one year ago of posts where it is mentioned:
December 14, 2006 (click here)
December 27, 2006 (click here)
January 21, 2007 (click here)

For other posts referencing June click here, and click here.

Since around mid-September June has been prominent in our lives here at the Johnson-McCormick home. She started out as what seemed like a little ‘crush’ type thing for Owen. But slowly and surely she has morphed into something much larger. She’s evolved into a full-blown imaginary friend… for both boys. K & O haven’t even seen an episode of The Little Einsteins since about early October. They have no interest whatsoever. And from what we can gather, at this point, we don’t think that the current June even resembles the original June in any way at all (except that she is for sure a girl and we’re pretty sure she’s still Asian — Owen describes her as “not white” and “not brown” but rather as “pink”). At first this whole June craze was entirely Owen’s thing. In fact, when Owen would talk about June Kyle would look at him like he was crazy. From time to time Kyle would look at Braydon and I like we were crazy too (for playing along with Owen regarding June). But over time Kyle has come to not only accept Owen’s imaginary friend, but to fully take her on as his imaginary friend too. They now both completely and wholly share June. They play with her constantly. They talk about her incessantly. She’s with us for everything we do, everywhere we go. June is now like another member of our family. Seriously. She’s with us in the car; often we have to wait for what feels like hours for the boys to “buckle her in.” She’s with us in restaurants; they want to order for her (and she always has the same thing they’re having in). She’s with us at the dinner table; outside playing; in the playroom; in the bathtub. She helps us fill the bird feeders. She helped us decorate our Christmas Tree. We have to wait for her to catch up sometimes when we’re walking. She sings songs with us and reads books with us and plays games with us. She plays along with K & O’s silly jokes. She apparently thinks they are hysterical when they make funny faces at her. Braydon and I have to pour a third glass of juice — for June. We have to set a third place setting at the table — for June. We have to put a third toy in the tub — for June. We have to help her into the grocery cart so that all three of them can fit in together. We have to make space on the couch so that she can snuggle in tight with us. June never has “bad behavior” — never ever. She has never once had even a short Time Out. She’s “always a good June.” June is perfect in every way. Sometimes there seem to be two of her (when both boys need her to do something with them at the same time — i.e., they’ll both have June on the back of their scooters at the same time, or they’ll both have June pushing their baby doll strollers with them at the same time… this always seems to work out just fine for them. “Two Junes!” No problem.) Sometimes (most of the time) there is clearly one of her. K & O always agree on what she’s doing at any given time. They tell us stories about her with zero disagreement. If we ask questions about her they both have clear, coordinated answers and explanations regarding June (i.e., “What is June wearing right now?” might be answered– in unison– “a dress! and underpants! and she has a magic wand!”). They have never fought over June. Neither K or O is more dominant about June. Both boys initiate talk of June equally. She is ever-present. We don’t go for more than an hour, ever, without hearing something about her. I asked about June at our Parent-Teacher conference at the boys’ school. Interestingly, their teacher had never heard of June. I was shocked. Given her larger-than-life presence at home it is hard to believe that she’s not at school (especially since she’s definitely in the car on the way to and from school). The boys’ teacher seemed disappointed to not have known about June — she admitted she loves it when a kid has an imaginary friend, she believes it is a sign of above-average intelligence, and she is absolutely fascinated with how one imaginary friend would play out amongst two twins (she’s had twins many times in her classes but never known of twins who share an imaginary friend). She asked me lots of questions about June. I gave the best answers I could. She said she was going to listen closely to see if June is there at school. I told her I’d be surprised if June wasn’t there. I haven’t checked in with her to follow up. I’ll try to remember to do that soon. K & O have already told us (numerous times) that June is going to be with us for Christmas, and that she’s going to be at their birthday party, and that she is going on vacation with us (even though we have no vacations planned). June is here and doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.

Owen & Kyle Exactly Two Years Ago, age 18 months

Dear Kyle & Owen,
Someday maybe one or both of you will decide to read this blog. If you don’t, I hope that I’ll remember to print out some of the posts for you so that you’ll see at least a few. Either way, I hope you’ll read this letter someday. Because no matter what happens down the road —no matter what— I want you to know that now, this time of your lives –this time of our life– is truly, sincerely, utterly magical. I am a mother, and biased for sure (probably many mothers feel the way I do right now), but I have to confess that I honestly believe that I have the most adorable, most fun, most FULL OF LIFE little three year olds that ever lived. You two are high maintenance in many departments (like the structure, discipline, constant-supervision, and consistent-behavior-modification departments!! LOL!), but within that solid structure that you both so desperately need (which we are working our tails of every day to provide for you), you thrive. You two are thriving. The truth is that you’ve been thriving since we got you, but especially since the photo taken above. Right around then (about a year after coming home) you two took off like rockets shooting straight up high. And you haven’t stopped. You’re like a life force in and unto yourselves. You live the way I try to live: savoring every moment, living in the moment, living it up, and making the most of everything. You don’t look back. You don’t dwell on disappointment or critique. You ignore negativity. You smile in the face of things that other kids your age throw themselves on the floor fussing about. You take the bull by the horns and you don’t look back. You are living. In the present. In the real world. But the real world is, for you, a place of full immersion, a place of opportunity, a place of fun, a place of open connection, a place of magic, a place of true living. And during a season like this –the Christmas Season– nothing compares to spending it with you two. Nothing. You’re like a dream. You make the season a dream. It is all magic for you. This past weekend we left our camera on the shelf. But it is all captured in my mind. Friday night at Lehigh, at my Department Holiday Party, you delighted everyone there. You love parties, even “Lehigh Parties.” You high-fived with the football and basketball stars. The college girls went ga-ga for you. My graduate students were enamored with you. My colleagues were delighted with you. You grooved to the DJ’s music. When a break-dancing troop finished their performance you two took center stage, break-danced the best you could, and stole the show. There wasn’t a person in the place who wasn’t grinning from ear to ear watching you. It was a gift to be your parents that night. Saturday we went to your school’s big winter festival: The River Valley Waldorf School’s Winter Faire. The school was transformed into a magical winter fairytale land. It was all real for you– your exploration of the “Secret Garden”; your visit with “King Winter”; your tea and gingerbread cookies in the “Tea House”; your tries at “Ice Fishing.” You made “magic wands” and seemed to truly believe they were magical. You danced to the music and made the performers on the stage feel like a million bucks. You are the kinds of kids that make events like “Winter Faire” so worth it for so many people who put the work into making them. Everyone loved to just watch you with wonder and excitement lit up in your eyes. And you give back ten-fold. It was hugs all around. Dancing and hand-holding and wand-swishing and “I’m so excited!!!’s” from you all afternoon. Nothing can compare. I was so proud to be with you; to be “Kyle and Owen’s Mom.” Today we had a family day. Out to lunch and then to an indoor playground that you love. For two hours straight we watched you run around the place, running circles around every other kid there. On the way home we got ice cream and you both chose the same (of course): vanilla ice cream cones with rainbow sprinkles. When they were handed to you, your smiles could have lit up a hundred houses. Owen, you burst out with “Papi, thank you so much for this ice cream!” And Papi said, “Owen, when you say that like that it is sooooo worth it!” And that is soooooooo true. What we give you, we get back ten-million-fold. As is our tradition this time of year, driving home at dusk you made us sing the Hallelujah Chorus for every single house with Christmas lights we saw (which was, of course, many). Every string of lights on every house or bush, every glowing reindeer on a lawn, or lit up tree, or blow-up Santa— it is all magical for you. You stare out the car windows and buzz with chatter and laughter and “oohs” and “aahs” and bursts of excitement so that your whole bodies wiggle almost out of your carseats. You are only 3 years old, just barely 3.5 — but you have enough magic and excitement inside you to fill many lifetimes. You believe. You truly believe. It is magic with you. And I am so grateful to be able to spend this Christmas with you.
Love,
Your Mommy, a Believer too.

One of my grad students emailed me some photos she took Friday night of K & O at the Department Holiday Party at Lehigh. Here are a couple of them… the boys watching the breakdancing performance. (Braydon holding Kyle; another one of my grad students holding Owen)