And Then The Two Turned Two

So, I have two two year-olds.  I can't even believe I just typed that.  In honor of the twins' birthday, or the day also known as the day they were evicted from my uterus because I could no longer stand upright, here are a few things to know about our girls:

They aren't very good at hide and seek.  See below.

"They'll never see us, I'm sure of it!"

They shared a womb, and that's all they plan on sharing.

If I were to hazard a guess, I would say the next forever years of my life are going to be spent breaking up fights over every material item known to man.  In general, Eowyn takes what is in Asher's hands and walks away with it.  Asher lays in the floor and cries.  Originally, this was completely reversed, and now Asher is getting a little sick of it again, so the tables may be turning soon.  I think I'm going to put a mud pit in the floor and just let them wrestle it out so I don't have to be involved.  The carpet already looks like crap anyway.

This is Eowyn trying her sneak-up-and-take-it move.
Asher is giving her the I'm-about-to-scream look.

French fries are the gateway to their souls.

Gluten-free French fries from In-N-Out Burgers or Twisted Root are the ultimate go to for happy babies.  Teething?  French fries.  Anxiety over being around a lot of people?  French fries, then they're everyone's best friends.  We don't do it often, so when we do and there are 10 consecutive minutes of quiet while they chew, I feel no guilt.  Just happiness.

Eowyn in purple, Asher in red.  This is bliss.

They develop at their own pace.

At this point, Asher is better at physical things like climbing while Eowyn has more words.  This leads to frustration for both of them when they can't do the same thing as sister, but I'm pretty sure one day they are going to figure out that Eowyn can verbally direct while Asher scales the cabinets to retrieve their items of choice.  That days scares me.

Potty training is going to be gross, but I think they are ready.

Two naked butts, double the output in our floor.  Whatever.  I'm tired of paying for diapers.  We're going for it!  One of them has already peed in the potty, but we're not sure which one because they were both naked and we weren't watching.  We high fived everyone just for good measure.

Asher in yellow, Eowyn in green.  One of them peed
in those potties, so yay!

They will always be the babies (unless we have a "surprise")

I notice that we still call Asher and Eowyn the babies.  I think it's just because they are the youngest, because when Wren was two years and 12 days, I had Sammy.  When Sammy was two and a half, I had the twins.  Upon the entrance of a new baby, the oldest child, even if they were only two, looked like some adult behemoth.  With no comparison to actual infant babies, the twins still get deemed our babies.  I cannot even IMAGINE being pregnant right now or being close to having another child, so they will probably forever get away with a ton more than their older siblings and get tired of being called the "little ones".

They encourage each other to go rogue

At VBS, guess what we learned?  Stuff about Jesus, and also that Asher and Eowyn cannot walk while holding a rope (can't might better be replaced with the word won't), only sit down if they are good and in the mood, and generally assume because they come in a pair they run the joint.  They don't misbehave but are just super confident in their abilities to own a room and not be bothered too much because there are two of them, so interference is complicated, tedious, and generally involves tons of time and effort.  They towed the line pretty well since this was their first time at anything this structured, but it was fairly hilarious to watch Eowyn sprint down the hall the wrong direction while Asher sat on the floor refusing to walk.  It was funny until I had to run to catch Eowyn, then it sucked because I am not in shape and she had a major head start.

They go to sleep at night listening to the Blade Runner soundtrack.

This has everything to do with Dennis and zero to do with me.

They are both mischievous, but there is something in Eowyn's eyes that lets me know she will probably be the one I have to start re-reading parenting books about.  She was my first biter, the one who thinks the word no is a suggestion, and who also has the ability to cuddle with you and make you totally forget that she repainted the hallway without permission.  Eowyn still also likes to grab my chest and scream "boobies" when she is sad.  Glad the old girls can perk somebody up after all this time!

Asher is sensitive.  Look at her the wrong way, bump into her, and she is going to wail for an hour.  There are times she gets so caught up in her own drama that she will be 30 minutes into a screaming session before she realizes she has no idea why she is upset.  At that point she just lays face down in the floor until she has the strength to move again.  Drama?  I think so.  I see her making real changes in the world because people will just do what she wants so she will stop shrieking.  But when she crawls in my lap, hugs me and then starts patting my back, I still melt.

More than anything I feel blessed to have these girls.  I'm still sort of shocked when I wake up everyday and there are two little people, born 15 seconds apart, staring back at me.  Being the 3rd and 4th kids means you roll with it and probably don't get as much individual time as you deserve.  I hope both of them know how loved they are, how unique they are, how their bond as twins is fascinating but their unique God-given souls and spirits are what set them apart.

As an added bonus, Wren and Sammy describe their siblings:

Asher loves to sing and hug.
Eowyn is playful and likes to lay on our bellies.

So, Happy Birthday to my sweet Ash and Eo (pronounced like the long a sound, we've totally screwed this kid up on phonetic sounds).  Love you both.

Eowyn in purple, both girls not so sure
about fire.  The bakery employees had to hear us sing,
so it was probably a long day for them at work.