Twins
Audio Book: “The Story of the World” by Susan Wise Bauer (Volume 1)
After a friends recommendation we got the first CD set of The Story of the World: Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor by Susan Wise Bauer and read by Jim Weiss. The girls LOVE listening to audio books and have thoroughly enjoyed these ones as well. As a Mom I am thrilled about it because it isn’t just an audio book they are listening to but history. It is amazing how quickly kids will pick up on bits of history just listening to the audio books. I have been very impressed with it and glad the girls are captivated by their stories as well! They do a wonderful job keeping the kids attention. If you have a young child that loves to read this may be a wonderful addition to your home library. I have even learned new stuff listening to the CDs with the girls. We look forward to listening to the first set several times and hopefully getting the next Volume in the future.
Twice as Fun: A Visit From The Tooth Fairy
My little Karlie is growing up! Karlie recently lost her first baby tooth which was an exciting day for the whole family. It marked a new stage in her life which means my baby is growing up! Although our girls know the “tooth fairy” really doesn’t exist it is fun to celebrate a new milestone in the lives of our kids.
Brina was excited for Karlie too and shared in the celebrations but is now ready for her baby teeth to start falling out as well. That is one hard part about having two at the same age, they are excited for each other but are ready for their turn too. Each of us is made uniquely so we let Brina know she will have a chance to celebrate too when her big teeth come through. I told her teeth will come in when it is perfect for her. Those who know me realize that I have been dreading this stage of Motherhood because I just don’t like wiggly teeth. I have to say it is amazing how much you can actually handle once you are going through it with your child.
Here are some pictures from Karlie’s First Tooth Fairy Celebration:
Karlie's Dollar from the "Tooth Fairy" for losing her first tooth! We put $1 Dollar in a butterfly Ziploc bag for Karlie losing her first tooth! She was super excited to see cash under her pillow the next morning. Karlie was up before the sun came up because she was so excited about losing her first tooth!
A Special Note from the Tooth Fairy The front side of her present had a note from the Tooth Fairy that said – “Congratulations Karlie on getting your 1st big girl tooth! Love, Tooth Fairy” She thought it was super silly especially the “eyes” on the word tooth!
A Note from the Tooth Fairy to Karlie! On the back side of her gift there was another note from the Tooth Fairy – “Karlie, Congratulations on losing your 1st baby tooth! You are growing up to be a beautiful girl! Love, The Tooth Fairy” Karlie thought it was great getting two special notes from the Tooth Fairy!
Karlie's Tooth Fairy goodies - $1 Dollar and 1 Book! Karlie was super excited to find her treasure under her pillow the next morning. I picked out shiny “star” wrapping paper for Karlie because she enjoys rockets, planets, and science. She even kept the paper for several days after opening the gift!
Karlie showing off her new book from the "Tooth Fairy"! Karlie was super excited to get a new book! Both girls love horses so they had fun reading this book together several times over the last few days.
Karlie's baby tooth in a little treasure chest! The dentist gave the Karlie a cute little yellow treasure chest to put her baby tooth in. She was super excited about the mini treasure chest!
It was a lot of fun celebrating the loss of Karlie’s first baby tooth. Karlie knows that there is no such thing as “The Tooth Fairy” even though we call it the Tooth Fairy. She was thrilled to get something special either way even if Mom and Dad are the Tooth Fairy. As parents we feel like it is okay to celebrate the monumental moments with your kids, however, we chose let them know if something that we celebrate such as the “Tooth Fairy” is really imaginary. We don’t want our kids growing up thinking we lied to them about something that isn’t even real. Every family has to make a decision about what is best for their family.
Please share with us your ideas on what you do to celebrate your children losing their teeth and what the “Tooth Fairy” brings for special goodies!
Twice as Fun is a series on raising Twins and all the joy that comes with it. We have been richly blessed to have twin daughters in our lives and want to share with you our thoughts, challenges, wisdom and love for raising multiples. Our girls have different interests and hobbies but they both know how to add excitement to our lives and make us chuckle.
Family Celebrations: Happy Birthday Skipper!
Best Buddies - A Girl and Her Dog (Brina and Skipper) The fifth member of our family is full of energy, a loyal friend, loves to play outside and adds a lot of laughter to our family…….Skipper! She is our sweet black lab who the girls absolutely adore! Our little Puddle Skipper Hayes was born on March 14, 2010 and she had fun celebrating her 1st birthday with us! It was a busy day full of a lot of activities but ended it with a little celebration for our furry family member. The girls were so excited to celebrate Skipper’s birthday.
Here are a few pictures from our fun together!
Brina and Karlie wrapping Skipper's birthday gifts! The girls wrapped Skipper’s gifts in newspaper and A LOT of tape! They even had tape on the floor when they were done (you can see a pile in between them on the carpet). They were so excited and had a blast doing the wrapping for their furry sister!
Skipper's Special Birthday Meal! The girls thought it was hilarious putting Skipper’s candle in her special meal. They thought it was funny she would rather have a special birthday meal with “bacon” then a birthday cake. The girls were worried that Skipper was going to burn her nose so she barely got close to the bowl until the candle was blown out, glad they were looking out for her. It was great watching them trying to keep her away from the candle while we sang Happy Birthday!
Skipper eating her birthday treat! The best puppy birthday meal you can ask for – Meaty and Moist, simply delicious! Plus she got to eat her special birthday treat all by herself (no one was wanting to share it with her).
The unwrapping part of the birthday celebrations was exciting and confusing for Skipper, good thing the girls were there to help! Skipper was very excited to get new bones and a toy! She immediately took one bone into the yard, then realized the other one was still on the porch so went back for that one. I really think she stayed up all night playing and eating her bones!
Happy Birthday Skipper! Hope you enjoyed your play time with the family, your feast, bones, and toy! The girls had fun picking them out, wrapping and celebrating with you!!!
Curious Kids: Triangular Vacuums
The neat part about having kids is that they notice the small things, the stuff we take for granted as adults. A few months ago one of my girls wanted to know “Why does the vacuum leave triangles on the carpet?” It perplexed them when they were watching me because the vacuum itself is a rectangle yet somehow it manages to spit out triangles onto the carpet when I vacuum the floor. Although the triangles are not necessary I let them know that seeing the triangles indicates to Mommy that the carpet has recently been cleaned and makes the room look nice.They had been learning about patterns at school and this strange occurrence at home captivated their attention one day. The triangles are created in a pattern by the way I steer the vacuum cleaner over the carpet. It helps me know that I have cleaned the entire floor and adds an extra reward at the end. It is the little things that you do that the kids pick up on and want to learn more about. I don’t know for sure if they will do the same things once they are grown but at least they know why Mommy creates triangles on the floor and how to do it with a rectangle shaped vacuum. I am thankful for kids who have the desire to learn, explore, and try to figure out how things work. Their curiosity keeps me on my toes and allows me to continue finding ways to teach them about life. As a Mom love this day to day education opportunity with my girls.
Family Celebrations: “Welcome Ranch” Birthday Party
This year did the girls birthday party celebration at Welcome Ranch. It was our first year doing their party outside of the house and after calling several locations we made the decision to do it at Welcome Ranch. Brina and Karlie’s personalities and tastes are very different (one of the many joys of having twins), however, they both LOVE animals especially horses. Jake and I booked the party and when we sat down to tell the girls they were thrilled. They were okay that we wouldn’t be decorating the house since they would be riding horses for entertainment this year. I think every day after telling them they would ask “Is it this week?” When the day finally arrived they asked every few minutes “How much longer until we can ride the horses?” Thankfully we had another activity planned with friends earlier that day so that distracted them for a couple hours. They were very excited when we were on our way to the horse ranch to celebrate. Here are a few pictures from our day at Welcome Ranch:
The sign at the entrance of Welcome Ranch said "Happy Birthday Karlie 6 & Brina 6" The girls were thrilled to see their names on the BIG sign at the entrance of Welcome Ranch! “We have never had such a BIG sign to wish us Happy Birthday!” They were pleasantly surprised and excited!
Brina and Karlie listening carefully to Ms. Lisa's instructions! Lisa did a wonderful job of getting the kids (and parents) attention while making the whole experience fun for everyone. She even got a few laughs when explaining the rules. Brina and Karlie were listening carefully so they wouldn’t miss out on anything! They picked out their ranch hats earlier that week at Wilson’s Five & Dime store on Lauren’s Road. I was surprised they wore the hats the entire time!
Karlie and Brina leading the way with Ms. Lisa to the horses! On our way to ride the horses! Karlie and Brina led everyone with Lisa to the horses. They were ready to ride!
Brina talking and riding Montana! Loving it! 
Karlie all smiles riding Chocolate their miniature horse! 
Brina having a blast at Welcome Ranch! 
Karlie riding with Daddy on Montana! Hang on tight kiddo! 
Brina LOVING her time with the horses! 
Karlie riding on Mickey! 
Brina riding like a pro on Mickey!!! 
Brina and Karlie riding together on Montana! 
Karlie riding on Chocolate! 
Mommy and Brina riding Montana! 
Karlie volunteering to ride again! Always ready for another turn on the horses! 
Brina going for another ride on Mickey! 
Brina and Karlie on top of the Firetruck!!! 
Karlie putting out the fire! 
Brina putting out the fire! 
Firetruck at Welcome Ranch 
Daddy putting out the final flames! 
One of their signs at Welcome Ranch, love it! 
Happy Birthday Brina and Karlie!!! 
Karlie and Brina taking the candles out of their cake! 
The birthday girls enjoying a slice of delicious cake - Brina and Karlie! 
The girls liked their cat - Supervisor! They thought his name was very funny! 
Karlie had so much fun she crashed in the van on the ride home, too funny! 
Brina playing with her toys on the way home, love the crazy hat hair! 
Skipper joining in the birthday fun by wearing Karlie's hat! The girls had a wonderful birthday party at Welcome Ranch! Lisa, her Mom, and the crew did an amazing job. The kids loved riding the horses petting the animals (goats, donkey, dogs, cats, etc…) eating pizza, drinking ice tea, koolaide, a delicious cake and enjoying time with their family and friends. Thanks to Welcome Ranch for making their birthday extra special and memorable. We had a lot of fun celebrating with everyone that came to their party.
Happy 6th Birthday Brina and Karlie!
WE LOVE YOU!!!
They Really DO Love Me!
One of the many "I Love You" notes from Jake and girls! Recently I went on a quick road trip to Orlando, Florida with some friends. They were moving their items down from North Carolina to Orlando and I was able to spend time traveling with their sweet family. It was great having a few hours to catch up with friends. They have three adorable children who traveled very well in the van. We stopped for lunch at McDonald’s and let them run around then they crashed in the van for a couple hours. It was wonderful having some time to relax and talk with another Mom friend while traveling. For dinner we ate outside at a great place called, Crispers, they have a delicious chicken salad wrap if you ever get a chance to go there! Thankfully everyone made it safely to Orlando and in good spirits. The kids had school the next day so they quickly took their baths and were tucked into bed. The next morning I flew out of Orlando back to Greenville, SC.
It was nice having a relaxing time with friends. Although it was a quick trip it was enjoyable and reminded me of the many amazing blessing I have in my life from my spouse to my children, family and friends. When I arrived home I was greeted by a VERY excited Skipper! She was bouncing all around me and eventually gave me a lick on the hand before I was able to give her a treat. Glad to have such a warm welcome home. Since Jake was at work and the girls were at school I was just planning on having a quiet day of catching up in the office. When I got to the top of the stairs I found my first “I Love You” note, I quickly found out that I had “I Love You” notes scattered across the house to welcome me home. Jake even made the bed before heading into work. My keyboard had a note on it and underneath the note was one of my favorite candies – Milk Duds. So thankful for a husband who takes the time to show me his love and to know that my family really does miss me when I am away even for a short trip. I am also grateful for a husband who is willing and knows how to get the girls up, ready, and off to school (which can be an adventure some mornings)!
Here pictures from my short trip and love notes from my family, simple yet beautiful and perfect! Jake really knows how to melt my heart!
Napkin from my snack at the airport! 
Strawberry Blast Smoothie, it was delicious!!! 
Yummy chocolate chip muffin! 
My "I Love You" note on the keyboard! 
The "I Love You" note on my keyboard had an extra special surprise underneath, MILK DUDS! Delicious! I had a series of “I Love You” notes all over the house!
- On the Kitchen Counter
- The Kitchen Floor
- Dining Room Table
- Office Chair
- Keyboard
- Hallway
- Bathroom
- Bed with a treat underneath
- Bedroom floor
- Entryway
- In the Printer…..as soon as I printed something a hidden “I love you” note popped out of the printer…super sweet! The girls thought this one was so funny!
Thankful for my sweet family and that they took the time to show their love to me. It was a lot of fun coming home to the special surprise. I had a wonderful time with our friends as well as coming home to my great family (yes I know I am bias).
Book: “The Multiples Manual” by Lynn Lorenz
A friend gave me this book “The Multiples Manual: Preparing and Caring for Twins and triplets” by Lynn Lorenz. I had the first edition of this book. It was one of the best books I had to read for Twins because it was easy to read, fun, and practical. It was neat getting some insights from from a Twin and a Mom of Triplets. If you are having twins or triplets…..as my friend once said to me “Welcome to the ‘multiples’ club!”
Curious Kids: Swing Experiment!
Notice anything odd about the jungle gym? The girls are always asking questions and trying new things. As parents we get the privilege to answer these questions and teach them more about how things work. Occasionally, they come up with some interesting ideas on their own. I love how they use their creativity and are able to pull together some fun experiments. Not every creative moment ends up perfect but glad to see them thinking outside the box.
We were outside playing one sunny winter afternoon when I looked over at the girls playing on the swing set and noticed something a little odd. They had taken their cherry red lawn chairs from the front porch and put them on top of the swings on the jungle gym. It was hilarious watching them swing on the lawn chairs. A piece of me was thrilled that they figured out how to “invent” something silly yet not dangerous. They had a blast swinging on their “redneck” swings. It was great hearing their bursts of giggles as they watched each other swing.
They came up with this creative Redneck "swing" all on their own! 
They did pretty well swinging on their little red lawn chairs! 
Karlie and Brina Swinging on their silly swings! 
So proud of their little experiment! It was pretty funny watching them swing on those little red lawn chairs. They were so excited their experiment worked out so well. As Jake and I moved around in the yard the girls would just rotate their chair swings to face us. They make me laugh with some of the things they come up with but I am glad to see their imaginations running full throttle!
What started out as mere curiosity ended up being a fun new way to enjoy time swinging on the jungle gym. Encourage your kids to be creative and curious, you never know what you’ll see when you come around the corner!
Curious Kids is a series of posts on various questions kids ask as well as creative things they come up with on their own. If you have ever been around a toddler you know they will have a season when they start asking all the “Why” questions. Then as your toddler gets older you begin to see them start experimenting with objects, becoming even more creative, and trying to figure out new ways to make things work. As a parent of Twins my girls hit those stages at the same time! I was (and am) determined to not answer….”Because I said so” to their questions and allow them the freedom to be creative (as long as it isn’t dangerous) but there there are days when it is difficult coming up with all the answers to their questions and the mess behind their “creative” experiments sometimes gets a little too crazy for even Mom. Most days I love having the opportunity to teach my girls and encourage them to use their curiosity to be creative when they play!
Family Celebrations: Girls Birthday!
Happy Birthday Banner for Brina and Karlie!!! The girls had a blast celebrating their sixth birthday! We made the day special for them and had fun! It is still hard to believe that they are growing up so quickly. Here are a few shots from our adventures on their birthday!
Birthday Breakfast - Blueberry Bear Pancakes & Banana Pudding with Star Candles 
Brina and Karlie LOVE writing in their notebooks. At breakfast they got a pretty princess notepad with purple fluffy pen! Super exciting and cute! (Even better is I found them on clearance at Walmart.) 
Karlie playing with her little pony at TGI Friday's 
Brina playing with her little pony at the restaurant - TGI Friday's 
We celebrated their birthday dinner at TGI Friday's! 
Brina and Karlie enjoying their caramel & chocolate ice cream birthday sundae's at TGI Friday's!!! So delicious they got it all over themselves! 
Karlie and Brina using their gift certificates at Toys R Us! 
Brina picked out a pink & white puppy and baby doll supplies at Toys R Us! 
Karlie and Brina sharing their birthday goodies! 
Daddy helping Karlie putting together her Hot Wheels truck! 
Brina LOVES her horses, the stable, and books! We read one right away then put the horse and book back in the stable! 
Karlie so excited about her Stomp ROCKET! She even blasted a few off in the house that night! 
Brina and Karlie coming downstairs for some more birthday fun! 
Brina having a blast riding the go cart in the front yard! Peddle FASTER!!! 
Look Out MOM!!! Karlie's driving fast and you're in the way! Use the breaks!!! I have been very blessed with a sweet family. Even though I am still in shock that my baby girls are 6 years old I am thankful for them and the privilege of watching them grow up. Wishing them many more awesome years together!
Book: “God Gave Us So Much” by Lisa Tawn Bergren
I recently read the book treasury “God Gave Us So Much” by Lisa Tawn Bergren to my twin daughters. “God Gave Us So Much” is a limited-edition treasury of three books. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the depth into creation, love, and heaven the author went into for a children’s book. The author created a pretty steady stream of “Questions” and “Answers” dialogue between Little Cub, her parents, and grandparents.I read the books to my girls in three separate settings. The first book “God Gave us the World” which was a huge hit with the kids. One of my daughters is fascinated with earth, planets, traveling and science so she had a lot of wonderful questions about the story. It was neat hearing Little Cubs questions about all the different types of bears that live around the world and how God made each bear unique.
The second book was “God Gave Us Love” which I read to the girls on Valentine’s Day. It was a great reminder of all the people who love us in life and especially that God loves each one of us. It had practical applications on ways to show love to others. Ultimately I liked how the book encouraged the kids to know that God loved them.
“God Gave Us Heaven” was the third book in this treasury and it paints an amazing picture of heaven! Little Cub asked a series of common questions kids ask regarding heaven and the author did well in answering them. I especially liked the analogy of Jesus being our “bridge” to our forever home. She painted a pretty clear picture for children regarding heaven and salvation.
The books mention God and many of the questions little ones ask regarding God, the world, love and heaven. I really like how Lisa emphasized on how our world was designed by God, that he loves us and wants us to live in heaven with him. The only thing that caught me off guard was there is no mention of “Little Cub’s” gender until the end of books and all three of us assumed by the conversation that Little Cub was male so we were surprised to find out Little Cub was actually a female. These books had a good mixture of adventure and giving credit to God. Each book peaked the curiosity of my girls enough to allow us the opportunity to continue the conversation for several minutes after reading the book and answer their additional questions about life, love, and heaven.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
