twins

There was a time before I had any kids when I thought having twins would be so much fun.  And I have no doubt the people that have them love it.  But I feel like now I am getting a glimpse of what that is really like every step of the way.  I watch Carson and Aveah during the week who are less than a month apart.  Right now they are at 15 and 16 months old but I've watched them since 4 & 5 months old.  I have to say this fall seems so much easier than last year.  I am a lot more relaxed and sane most of the time :), things are a lot easier with them.  The hardest thing must have been giving them bottles all day long, twice because neither of them wanted to hold the bottle until quite a bit later.  And really that wouldn't be a big deal but when you have 3 other little kids to take care of and feed it gets to be a lot.  So I am so happy that right now I can feed all the kids at the same time, my babies as I call them eat almost everything we eat and they are happily entertained by the other kids and toys.  It is funny but every stage has its hard moments.  Right now I am dealing with a little bit of messes everywhere.  And it just dawned on me that if it's just one of them here you barely notice but you get both of them together and whatever one doesn't think of the other one will.  :)  Aveah likes splashing away in the toilet and with so many kids in the house it is pretty hard to keep the doors closed all the time, but we're doing better now after a couple pretty wet bathrooms and clothes.  They both enjoy taking out all the toys they can get into and the tinier pieces the better and somehow they can make our kids' rooms look like a tornado hit them in about 5 minutes.  And what's even better is stuff they can find and get into that are not toys. :)  It hasn't happened much luckily (other than my absolute favorite and most treasured vase that broke) because the house is pretty baby proof and I don't have much stuff out in the open.  I'm learning that even the little I have out I need to put away but that's the joys of double one year olds. :)  Our day is sure interesting with them around and it changes so much the older they get.  Now they love singing songs, rhymes, and reading simple books which is so nice to see from just a few months ago.

So I'm really glad God gave me this glimpse of the twins because no matter how cute they are, how attached to me they are and how much we all enjoy them, I sure am glad that they get to go home at the end of the day and they're also really excited to go to their moms and dads which is always fun for me to see.  But no matter how hard some days are, I have to say it doesn't even come close to working outside of home and not be there for our kids during the day or right after they come home from school.  I feel so blessed I am able to be there for them and even though it's so easy for me to say I wish I could just take care of our own children, when I look around me and see husbands and wives losing jobs and having to get out there and work full-time even if it's ripping their hearts apart, I remember what I have is so worth it.  And I believe it is good for our kids too, to know that our house is shared with these other kids, they are a part of our family when they are here.  They gain best friends to play with, they learn how to share easier and it is so fun to watch them really stand up for each other and take care of each other.