Lilly
Drew
To this....
We have come a long way since the NICU days at Sutter Hospital. That first year was barely survivable in lots of ways, but the memory of how far these twins has come gives me that warm feeling inside like hot chocolate does coming off a ski slope. I am happy to report that Lilly has officially broken the 30 pound mark at 5 years old (can you hear the applause in the background?) , climbing the charts in the 2nd percentile. Drew is growing like a weed (which bugs Lilly to no end) and not looking like a little kids anymore. I have to admit sometimes in the littlest moments I get choked up when I look at these two. They are normal, fighting siblings, but they are sweet, rambunctious, good hearted, larger than life personalities for 5 year olds. I am blessed that God chose me to be their mommy.
As we approach their 5th birthday on Oct. 18th, I write this post in the middle of the night because I am too excited for what the next days will hold.... DISNEYLAND!!!! I can't sleep and the butterflies are present. But to paraphrase a favorite quote of mine, "Butterflies are a good thing...the key is to get them to fly in formation"
What can I say about Drew at age 5? What do I want him to know when he is old enough to read this about himself?
Drew.....my inquisitive scholar with a thoughtful and truly kind heart. Drew is beyond his years in lots of ways. He talks lots about heaven, God, forgiveness, and concepts that most kids breeze over. He is our encourager, and gives compliments out as easy as I eat a half gallon on vanilla ice cream. At five years old, he obsesses over Star Wars and at the current moment...Pokeman. The kid literally has like 200 pokeman cards and he knows all their names, powers, and what each number means on the card.
Drew is our early riser. He doesn't sleep in much, but despite the fact that I am tired and not quite at his energy level at 6am everyday, I still enjoy our time together as I get ready every morning. He tells me about his dreams, what day it is and what the next day will hold for us. He does math problems and tries to come up with "really really hard ones" for me to figure out. He climbs up in our bed (Todd has already been gone for an hour at this point) with some books and giggles and laughs to himself. He is working on his jokes. Right now every joke is about bathroom humor. Does it ever get old?? I am guessing not.
I love that I can have real conversations with Drew. That on long car rides, he and I talk like friends and he is reciprocal with the questions. It's not a one way street. It's in these moments that confirm how much I like this age in comparison to the earlier years, and it's also the time I think in my own head- I want to stop time and live in these years.... right now......permanently. Deep inhale, slow exhale.
Now onto Lilly....my spunky little Lilly
Lilly is going to be a botanist when she is older. Or maybe an geologist? Her love and interest in flowers, rocks, dirt, and nature is like none I have ever seen. Lilly is usually dirtier than a construction worker and doesn't care. She is not tidy, or well kept in lots of ways and I waved the white flag in that department a long time ago unless it's a special occasion.
She is my strong willed, sensitive, stubborn type. Kind of a weird combination but so so true. Lilly can light up a room with her comedic timing and she always cheers up Drew if he is upset. I think she might be related to the 3 stooges (look them up Lilly) with her physical comedy. In some areas, she is more like a girl then ever. For example she is nosey. Wants to know who you are talking to, what they are saying, and how she can get involved. One of my favorite lines she says is "What you said?" Another girly factor is how much she loves to dance. She gets that from me :) She adores music and grooving in the car and around the house. She is in dance class now, and asks to go every day even though it is once a week. I hope that trait stays around for a long time.
The best gift we could ever give Lilly was given to her this year in August. I mean really...I don't think I ever really understood the meaning of all those Hallmarks cards with little kids and dogs side by side, but Lilly's closest and most dedicated friend is our dog Kuiper. She simply adores this dog. Despite the fact that his brain is half the size of a pea, he has no eye sockets, and he runs full speed into glass doors, Kuiper gives Lilly more happiness than we could have ever hoped for. Lilly is very into her friends and even more importantly....who is her BEST friend. For example, we go to many parks throughout a week and play and meet new people. It never fails when we get in the car to drive home that Lilly asks, "mommy...who was that girl in the red shirt that I was playing with?" I respond by saying, "Her name was Violet sweetie. She was nice, huh?" Lilly then shouts at the top of her lungs, "YES, she is my BEST FRIEND!! That girl is my best friend mommy. What's her name again?" I swear this never gets old to me because every day (sometimes every 10 minutes) Lilly has a new no-named best friend. Maybe you don't need to know a person's name to be best friends? :)
I think deep down though, these two know that they are each other's true best friends.
Happy 5th birthday you two...We love you so incredibly much.
Disneyland awaits.
