Happy Birthday Girls!

Sharing a birthday has got to be tough. As a twin you have to share everything already - a room, friends, toys, clothes... even underwear. It's always they, not she. It's always them, not her. It's all about sharing and compromising. But, I just know they're thinking, "Really? Do I really have to share my birthday too?"

Three is a fun birthday. It's the age they really begin to understand it. They talk about it for months after, they sing happy birthday at any moment, and they want to buy everything "for my birthday." So I wanted to make it special for them (I mean her and her). Our first compromise was the birthday dinner. Chloe loves peanut butter, Hadley does not. Hadley loves french fries, Chloe does not. Compromise: they both love snacks (imagine this in unison, "Snack, mama, snack)! Their birthday dinner consisted of cheese and crackers, deli turkey, olives, corn on the cob and melon. Braden deemed it the best dinner ever!

Our second compromise was the birthday cake. The girls have an obsession with princesses which has only deepened since our trip to Disneyland. (Whose idea was that anyway?) While they love them all, Hadley has developed a fondness for Snow White and Chloe for Belle. Voila! We made a Siamese princess!

The girls had a wonderful birthday, compromises and all. The best moment of night for me was easy. It wasn't our snack dinner, our swim party, the presents or the cake. The best moment was producing two beautiful new princess dolls - one Belle, one Snow White - and then seeing two empty-handed-girls look on as their mom ripped the legs off and jammed them into a cake. They went into a hysterical fit! I really wish I had that picture to share.

In all, it was a wonderful 3rd birthday and we're looking forward to year three. Their vocabulary is improving and they can be caught jabbering away to each other. My favorite things they say? "Chloe, so cute!" "That really hurt!" "I love my mama." And when you ask them how old they are, "One, three, two."

Though I hear the older they get the easier it will be, I am thankful today they are just three. They still don't know any better. Sharing things like birthdays... and underwear... is still great fun!

Fleeting Moments

What memories do you have of your great-grandparents? Mine are pretty patchy. I remember a few things here and a few things there. I remember visiting my great-grandmother Gankee and her siblings at their small home in Salt Lake. Right as you entered their home you climbed a few steps and were in their kitchen. In the second drawer down they always had cookies. They had a wheel chair out back that we liked to ride on. I also remember visiting with great-grandparents at Mommy Allo and Pappy's home (my grandparents). They sat in a rocking chair. That's it.

Mommy Allo and Pappy are now in their mid-90s. I took my children over to visit while we were in Utah a month ago. What do they remember? They remember Pappy in a wheel chair. They remember him asking them questions and saying what beautiful children they are. But they are constantly talking about Mommy Allo. "Mommy Allo paint my nails," they say. "Go to Mommy Allo's house."

It's interesting the memories we hold on to. The moments are so fleeting, but the memories can last forever. My girls will always remember their great-grandmother Mommy Allo and how she painted their nails!

Finding Magic

It has been a dream of mine to take my kids to Disneyland. The rides, the magic, the memories. I wanted that for my kids. I wanted them to ride blindly through Space Mountain and get dizzy on the tea pots. I wanted them to watch the shows and dance in the parades. I wanted them to eat expensive ice cream and drink overpriced lemonade. I wanted them to pick out and buy their very own souvenirs. I wanted the magic of Disneyland for them.

It was a dream fulfilled from the first moment to the last. Upon our arrival at the hotel there were three boxes waiting for us. Inside were princess dresses, stuffed Minnie and Daisy duck dolls, tiaras and wands. The dresses were immediately put on, and once they were on it was very difficult getting them off. Hadley, dressed as Snow White, and Chloe, dressed as Belle, refused each morning to take them off to go to the park. Once there, they loved the Dumbo ride and spent a good part of our early entrance at the Pooh ride. FYI, there's no one in line for Pooh at 8:00 a.m. You can ride it over and over and over again. You don't even have to get off as your children chant in unison "'gin, 'gin"(sigh).

Braden was the most reluctant of the kids. He equates Disney with everything girl and princess, because it pretty much is at our house. When he entered the parks, he came with a little chip on his shoulder and Disney definitely had something to prove. Poor Crush the sea turtle from Finding Nemo felt it, as Braden gave him a bit of a hard time. Their conversation went something like this:

Crush: So, what's your name.

Braden: Braden

Crush: Where ya from?

Braden: (long pause)... I don't think you'd know it.

Crush: That's why I'm asking. So, let's try it again. Where ya from?

Braden: (long pause)... Up on the surface.

Crush: Where abouts up on the surface?

Braden: On the land.

In the end Disney won Braden over. He and Emme kept Ryan nauseous for the entire four days. Braden loved the Tower of Terror while Emmry's favorite was the Matterhorn. Ryan's favorite may likely have been the park bench, and my favorite? I loved the shows (When did I become a boring adult?).

On the last day we let the kids pick out their souvenir. They had had four days now to look in every shop and contemplate just the right trinket. In the end, it was pretty easy. Braden chose a double-sided light saber; Emmry, a Minnie Mouse Polly Pocket; Hadley, a bucket of princesses; and Chloe, the cat in a princess purse she fell in love with at the Pooh ride.

The dream vacation was truly magical for me and I was not disappointed. But it was really more than the magic of the park, Mickey and the princesses, Small World, and Sleeping Beauty's castle. For me, it was what the vacation represented. It represented the end of our journey through school, our finally making it, and the opportunities that are ahead of us. That is what made this dream truly magical!

Puppy Dog Eyes

We have been in Utah for exactly one month and we can definitely taste the bitter sweet as we pack up to leave. The kids are excited. Tonight we'll be in St. George staying with our friends, the Nelsons, and tomorrow we'll be in Anaheim. But we're all sad to say goodbye to friends, family, and the fun we've had here in Utah. We have that sort of expression on our faces. The longing you see in a dog's face when something they can't have is dangled right in front of them.

Staying in a house with up to six adults, eight kids, and two dogs has been quite a party and definitely one of the highlights. Braden was adopted for the better part of the month by his Aunt Launi and her four boys. They hiked to Timpanogos Cave, visited the Kennecott Copper Mine, camped in Logan Canyon, and played Wii daily at the break of dawn. We have enjoyed the "cool" Utah weather and just sitting on the grass in Liberty Park.

Visiting the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House was a memorable experience. The kids had the unique opportunity to walk through the temple before its dedication. With four kids it was not exactly the reverent, spiritual experience for which I had hoped. But it definitely was memorable. When else will you see a two-year-old jump on the step of the alter?

With thoughts of returning home to Scottsdale in our heads, Braden and I took to the golf course for two days of lessons. Braden has developed quite the swing! When Ryan got into town it was fun for us to spend a little time with Braden on the golf course. If paring the ninth hole doesn't keep you coming back, that will.

Of all of us, I think Chanel may be the saddest to leave. She has developed quite a fondness for our parents and my parents' dog, Daisy. She has not only found a warm spot in their hears, but in their beds also. She goes on daily walks and wrestles with Daisy. Not sure we could compete with that, with the good of the dog in mind, I proposed she stay in Utah and we could come for visits. But the kids couldn't be fooled and quickly vetoed the idea. So we'll all leave - packed tightly in our van - with our puppy dog eyes focused on Utah, our family, and our friends, just out of reach.