The twins turned 8 last week, and although I say it every year, life really does get better and better with these 2.
In a new twist, Avit chose tacos for his birthday request dinner, but Nat stuck with his favorite tried-and-true mac and cheese. “Real” mac and cheese, though, not his usual blue-box Kraft. 😉 And since they got lucky this year and their birthday landed on a weekend, they got McDonald’s for breakfast, too. Plus Grampa came up that day, so they got to pick their Dairy Queen treats for after lunch and he brought their Cuphead cake up for after dinner. What a day!
It’s funny – when the big 3 reached age 8, they truly seemed to be inching closer to “big kid” status. But with these 2, it feels like they’ll always be 5 for some reason. I’m sure I’ll feel that way well into their double-digit years – always the babies of the family no matter how old.
They’re in 2nd grade this year and in separate classes for the first time. I was very nervous to separate them before next year, but it’s worked out totally fine. They are thriving in their own environments and with new, different groups of friends, and they could NOT have gotten better teachers for this year. But they always find each other at recess and remain each other’s go-to for everything – news from the day, something they learned, something they saw, and they still love to snuggle up in Nat’s bigger bed to sleep together more nights than not.
Nat’s favorite color is still red, he still adores cats, and right now it’s everything Mario again with the new Mario Galaxy movie coming out this spring. He’s recently said his lucky number is 12, which I love, because it’s mine, too! He sleeps with about a dozen stuffies, including 2 cats that have removable heating pad parts, which he’s named Floppy and Mini Floppy. He is also becoming a math whiz like his older brother and knows how to spell far more words than I ever imagined.
Avit’s favorite color has switched to pink, his creations are still works of art, and he can build the hardest, most intricate Lego sets with shocking ease. He loves squishmallows, and his bed now contains a “forest” of them that he arranges with abundant TLC. He can express his feelings better than most adults I know, and I never pass up an opportunity to tell him how proud I am of that – how he can so easily put his emotions into words and self regulate. Again, something most adults can’t even handle. His writing is becoming amazing, and he remains our resident ham. This kid is destined for a stage of some sort. He proved to be an outstanding ice skater when we skated downtown this winter, but he said he didn’t want to play hockey when I suggested it. Speed skating, maybe?
They plan to live together when they grow up – Nat will have a cat, Avit will have a dog, and they’re going to be YouTubers. Ah, growing up in the age of all things digital. I absolutely adore that they are ever-present in each other’s vision of the future, and I hope all their wildest dreams come true together. Their best days are when they get to play with Morrison and his 5th-grade friends at recess, but the age and behavior differences between 5th graders and 2nd graders is enough that I constantly quash their desires and tell them to stay with their own friends. As much as they look up to and idolize their older brother, I don’t need 3 tween boys in the house right now, that’s for damn sure!
Twins. It still blows me away and probably always will. Happy 8th birthday, Nat Jennings and Avit Jerome! You 2 are extraordinary beings, and we couldn’t possibly love you more. We’re so proud of the *almost* big kids you’re becoming, and you make life so much fun!
The best part – comparisons!
