Whew; what a busy month we have had in our house! We have celebrated birthdays, ended and began sport seasons, attended many medical and dental appointments (human and dog; all is well!), dealt with unexpected home repairs and took a trip to Mexico!
I think the most important event of the month thus far has been celebrating our kids’ eighth birthday. Each year with them is such a reminder of how precious and special they are to us. They were almost born prematurely when I went into pre-term labor at 24 weeks gestation. It was such a difficult and scary experience with a lot of ups and downs, however by the grace of God they made it to 38 weeks. They are my sweet miracles and I remind myself of that when they are driving me bonkers!
We spread out the celebration over a week with school, friends and family celebrations. It was a fun and special time for them, but a bit exhausting for me!
One of the highlights of the birthday fun was attending each of their classroom “compliment circles”, where each classmate and teacher shared aloud characteristics they admired in the birthday boy and girl. While they are twins and share some traits, they are also uniquely individual and keep us on our toes with their different personalities.
Our little guy is an energetic and passionate boy who is so dedicated to everything he makes up his mind to complete. He enjoys reading, lacrosse, Minecraft, riding his bike, and cuddling with our dog morning, noon and night. He wants to be a spy/CIA agent when he grows up and is certainly practicing with various gear around the house. His classmates note that he is kind, a good friend and spy (!), a hard worker who never gives up, a great reader, and perhaps my favorite…”I love how your laugh lights up the room.” It sounds like they know him well!
This boy continues to be active in Cub Scouts and loves earning the treasured belt loops throughout the year. He attended a fall lacrosse clinic this past fall and fell in love with the sport. The spring season practices and games have just begun, so we are looking forward to watching him play and progress over the coming months. He also just began a basketball skills clinic that should keep him on his toes!
Our little lady is a fun, talkative, and thoughtful girl who never tires of learning, asking interesting questions, and garnering a laugh from those around her. She enjoys reading anything and everything, playing math games, researching health-related topics, and playing with her “lovies”. She wants to be a scientist when she grows up and I feel sure she will contribute greatly to the world in that role. Her classmates think that she is smart, funny, a great partner and friend, as well as my favorite, “Your sense of humor helps me make it through every day”. These are all traits that will serve her well in life!
She is steadily progressing in the sport of JiuJitsu, which she began learning this past fall. She just earned her second belt and is now a yellow-white stripe in Jiujitsu! I have seen such increased confidence and strength as she has participated in this activity throughout this year. She also just finished up a basketball skills clinic through her PE teacher at school and loves playing “Around the World” at home.
I look forward to watching them continue to grow and mature this year. They are nearing the end of second grade and we have seen different types of growth in them over the last year. I will say we have a ways to go in them getting along with each other. The beginning of the eighth year has been a bit tumultuous with sibling needling, competition and general disagreements. I am going to try hard to focus on incorporating more one-on-one time this year. I think the different sports schedules will lend to some of that occurring naturally, but I hope to be more cognizant of additional times alone with each of them as well. Here’s to 8!
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