The Breakfast Club

When the boys rise each morning promptly at 6:00 a.m., I serve them each a warm 8 oz cup of milk. Then at 8:00 am, they have breakfast. On weekends, Sandy prepares waffles, pancakes or French toast, which we enjoy downstairs in the dining room as we do with all our other prepared meals. The boys will use their high chairs. During the week, breakfast is served upstairs. The boys eat cereal, bananas and yogurt at their desks so they can watch the Disney Channel. These are training exercises. At first the toddlers would not sit still, preferring to take a handful of food and play around the room. However over time these little boys have begun to stay seated and finish their breakfast before playing. Once they grasp this concept, we’ll try seating them at the table downstairs.

Easy Assembly Instruction Included

I worked in the family hardware business for nine years from age 12 to 21. In that time one of my primary duties included assembly. We sold bicycles, tricycles, wagons, grills, patio furniture, lawnmowers, and small and large appliances, just to name a few. Everything came from the truck disassembled in the smallest box possible with easy assembly instructions. After all that experience, my brother and I could put together just about anything blindfolded just by feel. However, neither of us ever assembled a single item with the assistance of toddlers. One glance at the instructions and pieces disappeared. Complete section A, move on to assemble B, and A disappears and is dismantled behind your back. What should have taken 15 minutes required nearly an hour. While it would have been easier to assemble the train without their help, this teachable moment lays the groundwork for the skills they’ll need to do it for themselves.

Emily Post protégé

One of the first gifts Benji opened from his stocking Christmas morning was a toddler-sized set of eating utensils. Up until now the boys have been using plastic spoons, so it’s understandable that more mature flatware might be a welcome addition, but his reaction was most surprising. The spoon, fork and knife set fascinated him to the point of neglecting the opening of other gifts. Instead, he arranged and rearranged his new instruments around his plate in an effort to set his table just right. Maybe next year he’ll receive a copy of Emily Post’s book on etiquette.

Music City Bowl Game Tradition

Oh what a difference two years make. The boys were not even a month old when we watched their first University of Kentucky Music City Bowl Game. They weighed under six pounds then and wiggled very little as we watched UK defeat Florida State 35-28. That first game Daddy had to cheer quietly so as to not wake his fellow fans. Twenty four months later, each boy weighs over 30 lbs and wiggled constantly during UK’s 21-13 defeat by Clemson. This time the energy level was much higher with the boys joining Daddy in the cheering and saying Kentucky, football, touchdown and many other words.

Our Sixth Wedding Anniversary

This is such a special time of year for us. Sandy and I have always loved Christmas time, and our marriage was the greatest gift either of us ever gave or received. A close second was the birth of our miracle twin boys at Christmas time two years ago. Pa and Granny Edds watched the boys so Sandy and I could slip away for an anniversary celebration. Our friends Al and Lisa Bell joined us in Evansville at Acropolis Restaurant, the place where we held our rehearsal dinner. Afterwards, we enjoyed the movie “The Blind Side” staring Sandra Bullock our favorite actress. While we enjoyed the time away, the night was made complete when we tucked the boys in bed.

Our finest gifts we bring

Our friends Al and Lisa Bell confided that one of the Christmas moments that they were looking forward to most was watching our boys open their presents. Perhaps this was because the Bell’s children are grown and they missed the contagious excitement little children bring to Christmas. Or maybe they just wanted to see the parents’ faces when we saw the gifts they had selected for our boys. The first was a nice large farm tractor and wagon. The second gift was a drum, which was an immediate hit, literally. Trey Davey especially loves drumming. This drum gift is not only popular, but thoughtful. The drumsticks are attached to the drum to not only prevent loss, but to limit the drummer’s swing. This feature and the instrument’s sound dampening design actually keep this drum’s sound at tolerable level.

Christmas Day – All Aboard!

One should always be careful what you ask for. Grandpa Edds was very impressed with our leisurely gift opening pace last Christmas and asked if we planned to do the same this year. He loved the fact that we took our time and celebrated each gift opened before proceeding to the next rather than ripping all of the presents open as quickly as possible. That was the plan. We rose early, bathed, dressed and had a snack before going downstairs. When the boys saw the train under the tree all interest in the other presents was gone. We showed them how to operate the voice-activated “Toots the Train” and watched them go. After about 30 minutes we tried to interest them in opening some of their other gifts with minimal success. About midmorning we drove over to Pa and Granny’s house for breakfast then opened a few more gifts with Uncle Steve, Aunt Erin and Cousin Levi. At noon we said goodbye and returned home for our nap. Steve’s family left shortly afterwards to return to Indianapolis and open more gifts with Levi’s other grandparents. Pa and Granny arrived around 4:00 pm just as the boys were rallying and joined us for more gift opening. The evening pace wasn’t much faster. Every ribbon, box, packing material and gift was interesting and worthy of exploration. We broke for dinner then resumed unwrapping with the last gift finally opened just before bedtime. Nothing was hurried or unappreciated.

Christmas Eve Gathering

Great Grandmother Kitty Edds had seven children and each Christmas they all gathered at her home to open gifts. As the children married and had children of their own, the crowd grew significantly. At some point a decision was made to have a large family gathering on Christmas Eve, and for individual families to open gifts at their homes on Christmas morning. It was Pa and Granny’s turn to host the family gathering this year. Twenty Edds were in attendance including three of Grandmother Kitty’s children, five of her grandchildren and six of her great grandchildren. As a child I remember how much I looked forward to seeing my cousins each Christmas Eve, and I still do. Now our children are playing together and experiencing a taste of what it’s like to be a part of a large family.

From a House to a Home

Ten years ago today, December 23, 1999, I took possession of this large English Tudor cottage. For me it was symbolic of my past achievements and dreams for the new decade. To that point I had focused so intently on education, career and community that my personal life had been neglected. I needed to make time and have space for a family. Sandy came into my life in 2003, and the boys arrived just over two years ago. These changes have had this old house in a constant and continuing state of remodeling. One room went from a bedroom, to an office, to a nursery and then back to a bedroom. Over this entire period, our friend and electrician, Steve Besecker, visited regularly to help us on each project. Recently he commented that this place had been just a house when I moved in, and now it is a home.

Beyond the Boundaries

Our babysitter Carol, who raised her own set of twins, said that her sons would periodically exchange personalities. The dominant one would become more passive, and the reserved one would become more forceful. This time last year Trey Davey was our angel and Benji was the rebel, but they have since assumed the other’s role. For some time now Davey has been visiting “Time Out” on almost a daily basis for misbehavior. We’re not sure why he has begun acting out all of a sudden, but he clearly understands what is forbidden and chooses to test us. His transgressions are not really dangerous or mean-spirited, rather simple disobedience or tantrums. He is mostly acting like a two year old. While it doesn’t seem like a deliberate bid for attention, we have redoubled our efforts to praise his good behavior and shame him for misconduct. It’s too bad that he doesn’t understand Santa’s nice and naughty list yet.

Please Mr. Please

Of all the words and phrases the twins are adding to their vocabularies each day, “please” is the word that pleases us most. Polite conversation from children seems to be on the decline, and many children are encouraged to address adults by their first name. While we accept this, Sandy and I would like to set our boys’ standard a little higher. Both of our boys are very receptive to learning and using polite words like please and thank you, and Benji has especially grasped the power of these pleasing words. He has found that an unsolicited “sorry Momma, Daddy” said for his minor transgressions quickly neutralizes a potentially stressful situation, and a “thank you, welcome” always brings approving smiles from adults. Most powerful is the “more please” which usually grants him an extra helping of whatever he wishes.

Child Dedication

We thought Christmas was a great time to dedicate our children to the service of Jesus Christ, which we did today in a ceremony at Bellevue Baptist Church. Many Christian churches practice Baby Dedication instead of infant Baptism. Our friend and neighbor, Wes Roberts (holding Benji) shepherded us through the process. He is an assistant pastor at Bellevue where we have been attending since May. The senior pastor, Dr. Greg Faulls (holding Trey Davey), presided over the service and offered a great message about Godly parenting. Granny and Pa were in attendance to help the family take this spiritual step. Christian parents who dedicate a child are making a promise to the Lord to do everything within their power to raise the child in a Godly way, prayerfully until that child can make a decision on his or her own to follow God. At that point, they are baptized by immersion.

Neighborhood Carolers

A welcomed surprise arrived at our door this evening. After dinner we were upstairs playing and reading books with the TV playing in the background when we heard the sound of singing. Muting the TV allowed us to realize the singing was coming from outside. Away to our window we flew in a flash. Looking down we saw a large group singing Christmas carols at our neighbor’s front door. Seeing us appear at the window they waved and smiled. We descended the stairs to our backdoor where they gathered singing and smiling. Our boys began dancing which brought smiles all around. We appreciated this gift of Christmas spirit from our neighbors.

The Popular Polar Bear

Sandy has collected polar bears items of all types for many years. Early in our marriage, I gave her a polar bear gift each year, the last was this inflatable outdoor Christmas decoration. This guy is very popular with toddlers. Last year we noticed a mother being pulled into our yard by her young son who wanted a closer look at our big friend. This year our next door neighbor said her son Mack had to come see the polar bear each day before he would take a nap. One of Sandy’s friends said her children looked forward to seeing our bear every morning on their way to school. Obviously, the big bear is popular with our sons also.

Zoo Train Connects

Our friend Dawn Beckgerd came for a sleep over tonight bearing Christmas gifts. Knowing the boys are into trains and animals, she couldn’t resist buying this Fisher-Price Geo-Trax Zoo. The fun unfolded as they set up the full figure-eight loop of track, complete with a push-along zoo train, trailing car and animals. The trailing car flips up so they can pretend to feed the animals and they can move the train around the track pretending to give visitors a zoo tour. The Geotrax Transportation system offers many products for extensive expansion and is toddler designed for easy assembly and durability. Dawny B’s thoughtful gift has put our Geo-Trax collection on track.

Santa Claus ho ho

The featured attraction at the Mothers of Multiples Christmas Party was Santa Claus. Each family was given an opportunity to visit with him individually and discuss naughty and nice issues. As before, both boys were initially frightened by the jolly ol elf. They now recognize him and say “Santa Claus ho, ho” when they see his image, but they’re not really sure how it all works. Once Santa handed them each a gift, Benji warmed right up to ol St. Nick. The present they received was a red long-sleeved shirt with a train on front. Trey Davey was still apprehensive about Santa, but enthusiastic about the “Choo Choo” shirt.

And now for the Cliffhanger

Sometimes it is really fun and interesting to just sit and watch the boys make discoveries. While we were visiting Bellevue’s indoor playground a boy about 8 years old scaled this climbing wall, then jumped down onto the padded floor. Trey Davey stood motionless for about 5 minutes and watched him, and then decided to try it himself when the boy left. He knew what he wanted to do, and he knew he had to use the colored rocks to climb, but he didn’t quite have the strength or technique to get there. Fortunately, Mommy came over to help him reach his goal.

Tools and Trucks

Bellevue Baptist Church’s new building has an incredible indoor playground located right by the front door. We were at Bellevue today for the Mothers of Multiples Christmas Party. After dinner and crafts, the playground was opened for use. Looking like something you might see at a McDonald’s Restaurant, the multicolored playground equipment stands two-stories high and offers multiple stations for climbing, crawling, bouncing and sliding exercise. After 45 minutes of high energy play, the boys found a few smaller toys and a table to play. Benji became fascinated with a toy Crescent wrench, which he analyzed and discovered how to use properly. Trey Davey found a truck he liked that was self-propelled. Sandy and I were so proud of our well behaved boys.

Holiday Open House

When I was a boy, some of my friends’ (usually girls) fathers built them playhouses. Made of wood, they usually had a door and window with just enough room for a small table and chairs inside. One actually had power for an overhead light. We thought that was something. Tonight we attended First Baptist Church’s Christmas Pageant to enjoy Grandpa Edds’ singing with the choir. When the boys entered the nursery they discovered the coolest play house ever. Made of splinter free molded plastic, it featured a Dutch door, 2 large bay windows, peaked roof with skylight and welcome mat. The detailed interior had a full kitchen with sink, range, storage cabinet, drop-leaf table and cordless electronic phone. Plus it had an electronic doorbell with realistic chime sound. We had to pry our boys out of this fine playhouse when the service was over.

Downtown Holiday Stroll

The principle reason we ventured out on this cold night was to see Grandpa Edds sing with the First Baptist Church choir. Dressed smartly in 1890’s attire, the church was providing street corner caroling for the Downtown Holiday Stroll event. Grandpa sang in the high school choir and then, after nearly a half decade interval, he joined the church choir a few years ago. He loves the singing and companionship the choir offers. We followed him for a few blocks taking photos and then ducked into the RiverPark Center to rest our merry gentlemen in the warmth.

Checking out the Nativity Scene

One of the features of Owensboro’s Downtown Holiday Stroll event is First Baptist Church’s Live Nativity Scene. They were all there, the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. Our boys were respectful, but unimpressed by these fine actors. Their interest was drawn to the manger’s livestock. The Billy goat was a little skittish, but the black sheep were very gentle and responded favorably to the boys calls of “bah, bah”. Another favorite was the miniature burro, who not only allowed the boys to pet him, but nuzzled them. Even the manger animals were tender and mild.

Surprise Santa

While strolling around downtown we visited the Winter Wonderland festival at RiverPark Center. There were carnival rides and a large ice skating rink under a huge movie screen showing holiday films. It was fun watching the ice skaters, but the weather outside was frightful, so we moved inside to warm ourselves. Then what to our wondering eyes should appear but ol’ St. Nick himself gesturing for us to approach. When we wandered over to say hello the boys again hesitated, just as they had at the Evansville mall. Holding tightly to Granny and Mommy the twins eased up to Santa for a closer look. He was a jolly old elf and soon put them completely at ease.

Conference Calling

When Grandma and Granddaddy Roe call us to visit, they do a very smart and efficient thing: they share the call using two phone extensions. In this way you can speak to both of them at the same time and not have to repeat yourself. Not only does this shorten the call’s length, but both Grands get the scoop directly from the same source. During one of their recent calls, both boys wanted to speak to them and we happened to have an extra cordless phone in the room. Handing each to a boy, it was fun watching them trying to sort out who’s voices were coming from where. They could hear and see each other, and hear Grandma and Granddaddy’s voice, but they couldn’t see them. We have video conferencing capabilities, which will soon fill in that visual gap.

Pretty Lights

We didn’t hang Christmas lights on our home’s exterior last year because it was just too cold. Had we not started early this year, we would have suffered the same fate, but because we had such big plans for this season I started hanging icicles the second week in November. For the first time, lights adorned the roofline entirely around the house and garage. Also for the first time, we placed a live cut Christmas tree in the front yard. The all red Christmas lights used to decorate the tree were a legacy from Sandy’s childhood. They had bejeweled Granddaddy and Grandma Roe’s Kansas City home for many years. Before we could complete the decorating, frigid weather again engulfed us. Even incomplete, the boys enjoyed the seasonal display exalting “pretty lights, pretty lights” each time we ventured outside. Next year we’ll start in October and go full Griswald.

Comforter Duty

It’s the cold and flu season everywhere including our house. Daddy had just recovered when Benji’s flu symptoms began. Our little fellow developed a sore throat, hacking cough, fever and runny nose. You could tell he felt bad and wasn’t his normal playful self. He had problems sleeping and just wanted to be held. For several nights in a row, I got up and slept with him sitting up in the recliner so he could breathe easier. All of us took turns comforting our little boy, and this safe harbor really seemed to help him through his illness.

10,000th Diaper Change

I remember changing my first diaper. I was 44 years old. Sandy and I practiced on a doll in a prenatal class. It seemed so easy; however the doll didn’t kick, squirm, roll over, make chocolate or pee in our faces. That education came later. Before the twins slept through the night, we changed their diapers every three hours around the clock. Eight times a day times two boys equaled 16 diapers daily. As they slept longer, that number dropped and then we found overnight diapers. They cost twice as much, but they held twice as much. That brought our diaper changing average down to a dozen per day. Then the boys discovered the joy of filling a brand new diaper. No more than we lift them off the changing table and they have a fresh dump requiring another change. We estimate that we’ll change over 15,000 diapers before they’re potty trained.

Birthday Benchmark Photo – Two Years

A funny thing happened at the doctor’s office on the boy’s second birthday; they measured smaller than expected. While both boys have added about 4 lbs over the last 4 months, neither has grown measurably taller. This is odd considering how much leaner they both look. It is also common for children’s bodies to fill out before going through a growth spurt. Their 2T clothes are getting tighter while their sleeves and pant legs are still too long. Perhaps because they were five weeks premature their two-year growth spurt is slightly delayed. Of course it’s difficult to measure squirming little boys and the nurse’s technique is not perfect. We’ll measure again next month and see what happens.

Showers are not scary

Grandma Roe and I attempted to give the twins a bath recently, and when they melted down with fear, we were dumbfounded. They love water and taking baths. Something had changed that. Had they somehow seen Janet Leigh in the movie Psycho without our knowledge? We called for Sandy who said they had a scary shower experience the previous day while filling the bath. Trey Davey lifted the valve switching the water stream from the tub up to the shower head and this sudden change terrified the boys. The next day Daddy sat in the tub with the boys to show them it was safe. The day after he showed each boy how showering was safe. After a week of apprehension, both boys returned to joyful bathing.

First Graduation Day

The Health Access Nurturing Development Service (HANDS) is a voluntary program for all first time parents residing in Kentucky designed to promote healthy pregnancies, births, healthy child growth and development, healthy and safe homes, and self-sufficient families. With limited to no experience with children, Sandy and I thought it might be a good idea for us to participate. For the last two years our HANDS nurse, Jackie, has visited us at regular intervals testing and tutoring us on healthy parenting. As parents, we are the most important people in Benji and Trey Davey’s life, their first and most important teachers. With Jackie’s help, we prepared the boys well and aced their final exam qualifying them to graduate from the program. Neither boy cared much for the cap and gown, so Winnie the Pooh accepted their diplomas for them.

Out Mid-Bite

Both boys were wide awake this morning at 6:00 am. It is likely that they actually rose much earlier and were waiting for a parental stirring before becoming feisty. Unlike their traditionally slow wake up period where they sit and watch cartoons for an hour before they break out the toys, on this morning they traveled directly from crib to toy box to engage the loudest most exciting toys available. This high energy continued through breakfast and bath time. At about 11:30 Trey Davey crawled into a ball on the couch and fell fast asleep, so we transferred him to the security of his crib. Benji was still a ball of energy at noon, so we brought him downstairs for lunch. After just a few bites, however, we lost him too.

Big Present

In the 1988 movie Big, Tom Hanks performed one of the most memorable film scenes of that decade when he played the song chopsticks with his feet on a huge piano. In this comedy-drama film Hanks plays a boy who makes a wish “to be big” to a magical fortune-telling machine, and is then aged to adulthood overnight. We don’t want our boys to grow up that fast, but they are big enough for this big piano. This birthday gift from Grandma and Granddaddy Roe is really fun. The boys love music and this keyboard offers 24 keys and seven different voices. You can play prerecorded classical songs or tap out your own tune as Trey Davey is doing – with or without pants.

Newspaper Men

When the Bells were visiting over Thanksgiving, Al took the opportunity to sit on our couch and read the newspaper. Benji thought this was very cool and decided to do the same. Mimicking his newspaper buddy, he found a spot nearby and began reading the entertainment section. Opening the newspaper with both hands outstretched like his hero, Benji would hold the paper up high just like people do when they are actually reading it. He would watch and when Al turned pages, so would Benji. Al lingered on one particular sports page for some time reading a column. As Benji watched this he noticed a photo of a football game and pointed this out in case Al missed it.

Birthday Cake Pride

The boys are really into animals right now. First they began identifying the animals by the sounds they make: meow for cats, ruff ruff for dogs, etc. Now they are blending the animal sounds with their names (i.e. moo cow). With their animal enthusiasm peaking, Sandy chose animals for their second birthday decorating theme. She shopped several stores locally and online to find just the right plates, napkins and decorations. Her crème de la crème were two lion birthday cakes she made for them. The boys loved their cakes and responded by saying “Roar! Roar!”. Not only did they look good, they tasted delicious. In case you’re wondering, the lion’s mane is made of chow mien noodles.

Birthday Party Time

With the Florida grandparents in town for Thanksgiving and Uncle Steve’s family coming for a visit, we decided to have the boy’s second birthday party a week early again this year. The tradition we have begun is to have a small birthday celebration in December and a second, larger party in June for their half-year birthday. A family with two children born on different dates would hold two birthday parties per year, but twins share a single day, and our boys’ birthday falls close to Christmas. Our solution allows for two parties per year and the June half-year birthday falls when the weather permits outside activities. For this birthday dinner we chose the boys’ favorite food: barbeque mutton sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, burgoo and fruit.

Christmas Tree Farm

Sandy remembers fondly those times when her family visited Missouri’s Christmas Tree Land when she was a girl. She and I last visited this tree farm in Spencer County, Indiana on our first Christmas together just days before our wedding. This year, with the boys walking and the Roe Grands visiting for Thanksgiving, we thought it might be fun to renew this family holiday tradition. The trip had two goals; to select a tree and take a Christmas card photo. Because of the boys’ age and unbridled curiosity, we felt an artificial tree in the house would be best. However, we thought a cut live tree would make a wonderful front yard focal point. To complete the holiday traditions theme, we plan to decorate it with the large old-fashioned outside lights that annually adorned the Roe’s Kansas City home for so many years.

A Festive Thanksgiving Day

We are so thankful for our family and friends, and both were represented at our table this Thanksgiving day. Joining the twins and their parents were both sets of grandparents and our friends Al and Lisa Bell. Sandy prepared a delicious meal along with some dishes brought by the guests. The boys didn’t care much for the traditional Thanksgiving foods of turkey, dressing, and vegetables, but they were very curious to sample the apple and pecan pies. Mommy and Daddy said no due to the high sugar continent, but the boys persuaded certain conspirators to slip them bites on the sly.