Two four year olds!! I can hardly believe it!!! The boys were so excited for their birthday and even after a fun party the day before, they were up and ready to celebrate early on their birthday. I had to work that day, so I fixed them a birthday breakfast and then headed to work. Michael brought them up to school around 10 so he could do some visitation to church members and we spent the next little while walking around the school and letting them visit with teacher friends. They loved having everybody make a big deal over them!! For lunch, the wanted to go to Chickfila (imagine that!) so we headed to the food court at the mall. (Michael wanted to have a different option for lunch!) When we got there, we discovered that there was a new kiosk at the mall that served italian ice. These boys were overjoyed to get to have a special birthday treat and Mommy was happy to finally have a dairy free dessert somewhere in Winston-Salem!
Aren't their shirts so cute!?
After birthday lunch, Michael brought them home to nap and I ran back to school to finish up just a few things. I came home and found them still fast asleep.
(Charlie apparently had fought his nap hard, but exhaustion quickly won out!)
After nap, we got in the car and drove to High Point. I had to pick up what I had left from the WeeRuns sale (thankfully, it was only 5 items!) and the boys had chosen Carter Brothers as their birthday dinner of choice.
We have eaten at Carter Brothers quite a bit this summer and there is a waitress who just loves the boys. She wanted to bring the boys a special dessert for their birthday but again, due to their milk allergy, it's hard to do. She was determined though and so she made them each a fruit cup and all the waitresses came out and sang Happy Birthday to the boys, which they LOVED!
After dinner, it was time to go to Grammy's house for the best part of any birthday - PRESENTS!!
The boys got lots of Paw Patrol toys and DinoTrux. They got some new school clothes and blocks and then Mommy and Daddy got them a Big Wheel (Which Pappy thankfully put together for us!). Grammy had a purple cake for them so we could blow out candles and celebrate some more.
Pictures like these always crack me up . . . sometimes it's so clear to me that they are two very different little boys. But then, at times like these, there is no doubt that these two are twins!!! Can you tell who is who??
As I was putting the boys to bed after all our birthday fun, I asked if they had a good day. I don't remember which one said it, but the response I got was, "My birthday was too short!"I think they enjoyed their birthday celebrations!!
I don't know why this particular birthday was so hard for me, but I have been emotional for a couple weeks leading up to it. When Lucy turned four, I didn't have a hard time! I think what it is though is that I have come to realize that there are no babies left in my house. We have passed out of that phase comepletely - no bottles, no diapers, no pacifiers, no cribs, no high chairs, no pullups, no late-night feedings . . . there isn't any "baby" even left in their little faces anymore. I now have a house full of children, not babies or toddlers. And while I have no desire to relive the baby stage again, it's so hard to believe that time has come and gone. I remember all too well the sleepless nights, the screaming and crying, the never ending feeding and diapering and then, just like that, I have kids that can feed themselves, go to the bathroom on their own, get dressed on their own and sleep through the night, for the most part. I keep remembering those tiny 3 lb 11 oz and 4 lb 3 oz boys, hooked up to feeding tubes and oxygen, separated from me for 25 days and I remember looking at those tiny creatures and dreaming about who they would become. And then I blinked and here we are, four years later and I have the two best little boys in the world. They are so funny and smart and sweet. And wide open and stubborn and exhausting. These boys have such vivid imaginations and playtime with them is so much fun. It's also been amazing to watch them as they have transitioned from parallel play to interacting more and more with each other. You hear about the twin bond from other twin moms and from reading articles, but watching these two together is incredible. They are best buds and it melts my heart every day. And if all of that wasn't great enough, they are the most loving little guys. I can't get enough of their sweet hugs and kisses and "I wuv you's". . . . I want this phase to last as long as possible!!! Happy 4th birthday, my precious Charlie and Alex. Life is never dull with the two of you around and it is more wonderful and sweeter and fuller because I have the two of you. I love you so much!!
And then, just because I don't know where else to put these pictures, here are a couple of fun things we've done this summer too.
Lucy was at Gramma's house, so the boys drove their own grocery carts at the store. They LOVED it!
When we finally got rid of pullups at night time, the boys got to go to Build a Bear and make their own Chase and Marshall dogs.
I snapped this picture after we ate dinner the night of our family photos. It just doesn't get any cuter than these two!!
