Merry Christmas 2010

Christmas morning in the new house was great, and we got to spend it with Grandpa.

Santa brought both twins a Nintendo DS, new winter jackets, pillow pets, light sabers and a few other awesome things.

But it was neat to see them get just as excited about the Dr. Seuss books Aunt Sharon sent them.

Christmas 2010

Our first gathering at the new house. We welcomed the entire Reynolds clan and exchanged gifts.

For one rare moment, we had all the grandkids together in one place.

Separating Twins in School

Probably one of the greatest things that's ever happened to the twins was getting accepted to Carver Early Childhood Academy for preschool. Located in far north Amarillo, in what many would refer to as the "ghetto," Carver is a magnet school with the best teacher/student ratio of any public school in town.

I'll never forget orientation day, however, when the principal told me of their "twins policy." Carver insists on separating twins, and, despite natural reservations, I felt I had to trust their expertise. So, although Evan and Owen get to share lunch and recess, they are in separate preschool classes.

Has this been a good decision? That's debatable. They love their classes and their teachers, however their preschool experiences have been vastly different. And it's hard, as their mom, to watch one come home to show me a really cool project he completed, while the other has nothing to show me. Or hearing how one went on a super-cool field trip, but the other one doesn't get to go until next week and it doesn't involve a sack lunch. It's the little things... I can definitely tell that one twin gets more positive reinforcement from his teacher than the other.

The twins are surprisingly supportive of each other and have almost never gotten truly jealous of each others experiences. But, at the same time, I think things would be better if they were together in class. Although they both get great grades and do well in school, I think they'd be even better off together, to share similar experiences, support each other and give each other confidence. The blessing of being an identical twin is so unique, and I think it needs to be held sacred in school.

I like the way reporter Pamela Prindle Fierro states the phenomenon on About.com:

Nonmultiples can perhaps relate the experience to a relationship with a spouse. Certainly, you could face the challenges of day-to-day life without the presence of your beloved, but doesn't it make it easier and more enjoyable when you're together? Thus it is with multiples in the school environment. Proponents of separation argue that having multiples together in the classroom is a distraction; however it can be just as distracting to sever the bond. Children who are wondering "What's my twin doing? Where is she? Why aren't we together? Were we separated because we were bad?" can't favorably focus on their school work.

So, next year, if the kids advance to kindergarten, which the teachers say is the right decision, we hope Carver will respect our wishes to put them in the same class.

Same teacher, similar friends, same homework, same field trips, same chances to cheer each other on and foster each others strengths. They're best friends, and they work at their very best when they're together.

The Force

I honestly don't know anyone more obsessed with Star Wars than Evan and Owen. Collaboratively, they know every ship, and who drives which one, who carries the red sword or the purple one, who dies in which episode and who works for whom.

And, of course, it's cool that Luke and Lea are twins.

For Halloween this year, they wanted to be Han Solo and Anakin Skywalker, which wasn't the perfect matching, seeing as how they lived in separate episodes. Which, of course the twins know.

But, Grammi made it happen, with another year of Halloween costume perfection.

Read All About It

The Amarillo Area Mothers of Multiples Club made the paper today, and it turned out really cute. The article was in celebration of the club's 40th anniversary.

We're always looking for ways to reach out to our community and let everyone know about our awesome club. I know I can't survive without them!

Learn more about AAMOM on their website.

Almost 4

It's the countdown to the big 4-year-old birthday party at the Donut Stop.

Wishlist? Star Wars and more Star Wars.

New Friend

The world's friendliest stray kitty came to be our buddy over the weekend. Now he/she and Baby Kitty meet us with smiles every morning for breakfast.

So, meet Snow. We love him/her. And he/she isn't shy with kisses and hugs.

Let's hope he/she sticks around a long, long time!

Editor's note: I was in no way involved in Evan's outfit choice during this photo op.

Get on the Bus!

Since our July trip to KC, we've been the proud users of a sweet RV! The twins call it "Grandpa's Bus," which is fine by us.

Not only did it make the 10-hour drive home from KC much more comfortable, it's also been a great weekend reprise. We've taken it literally down the street to a couple of RV parks (Lame? We don't think so!); to Palo Duro Canyon; and most recently to Eagle Nest, New Mexico. And we plan to do lots more RVing as long as the kids continue to enjoy it.

Plus, Baron comes with us and has his very own couch to sleep on.

In my opinion, it doesn't get much better than hamburgers, campfires, Hungry Hungry Hippos and "roughing it" in an RV with all the amenities a person could dream of out in the wilderness. (Hot showers, microwave, comfy beds, TV...)

We Miss our Kitty

Amarillo experienced a HUGE snowstorm/blizzard Friday, March 29... and that's the last time we saw Black Kitty.

Black Kitty has been with us for three years now. She adopted us around the time we brought Baron home. They were BEST friends - played, ate, slept together. Once we realized she was sticking around, we had her spayed. That's another story in itself, as the non-english-speaking-but-cheaply-priced vet down the street LOST her for two days. She finally came out of the supply closet because she was hungry. Poor baby. We've grown to love Black Kitty, even though she grew to slowly not love Baron. She took over our front porch, and it's become the nicest morning ritual to feed the kitties before school. The kids love it. And they each had a kitty to feed - they'd take turns between Black Kitty and Baby Kitty. Yes, E and O picked out the names.

But, Black Kitty doesn't come around any more, and I shudder to think what might have happened to her in that awful snowstorm. I try to keep hope alive, but it's been almost two weeks. I like to think someone took her inside and loved her too much to let her go. Maybe she'll make her way back to us. Maybe not. Baby Kitty misses her buddy, and it makes me sad. Black Kitty stuck up for Baby Kitty and was probably the only reason Baby Kitty hasn't gotten knocked up. (That's on our to-do list - take another stray cat to the vet for our civic spaying duty. Watch out, Bob Barker!)

I told the twins that Black Kitty moved to a new neighborhood, and I can't believe how easily they accepted it. But I haven't. Didn't realize how attached I'd gotten. Maybe she'll come back.

Duty Calls

I'm going to go ahead and admit this: I've always wanted to serve on a jury. I've been summoned dozens of times since I've lived in Amarillo, but I either had a work trip or I called the automated message the night before to find I no longer had to report for duty. While others felt relief, I felt disappointment! Not because I wanted to get out of work or skip the gym that day - but because I've always been curious about the process and whether or not the movies depict it correctly.

Low and behold, I was summoned again for Monday, March 16. And it didn't get canceled! And, after a long, long wait in the jury room, I was picked to be one of the 12 members on the jury of a civil case. And I didn't even try to do anything tricky to get picked. It just happened. Actually, I know why I was picked. I'm the most indecisive person on the face of the Earth. I'm probably the best person in the world to serve on a jury. If it was a full-time job, I'd be the executive vice president of jury duty participation. But, I don't know how the lawyers knew that, other than the fact that I never raised my hand to declare a strong predisposition to one thing or another that they asked about during the selection process.

The trial lasted two days. My fellow jurors were awesome. We probably had more fun locked away in that tiny jury room than most panels. The lead attorneys on both sides were brand-spankin new, so it was fun to watch newbies in action. There were some major A-ha! moments, just like the movies; the judge scolded the lawyers from time to time; the court reporter sat brazen-faced; the defendants gave us droopy dog looks hoping we'd feel sorry for them; the guards escorted us to the parking lot; the plaintiff threw a temper on the stand; one guy was illiterate and the opposition kept trying to make him read a piece of evidence. It was exciting, it was a great experience, and I feel great pride for having performed my civic duty and allowed justice to prevail. The jury voted unanimously, which was a really cool feeling.

I can only hope I'll get picked again some day. Too bad I can't even give it another shot for six months. Rules are rules.