I'm a month and a half late on writing an update on the twins. It's because it's difficult! Now that they are older, their personalities are so much more complex, and it's sometimes hard to differentiate between Seth and Sam. They are always together, so they are a package deal; in our family, they are the "big boys". They're developmentally at the exact same level, they play together 24/7, they sleep together and share the same clothes. It's not that I don't see them as individuals, but their identity is somewhat intertwined. I didn't anticipate how connected they would be in their "twin-ness", but they really are a pair. It's so special and unique. I had one of those teary-eyes, hearting-is-melting mom moments the other day when I was watching them play and realized that they will always have a "safe place" with one another. They will always have that friend who they can trust and be themselves with (specifically this moment came when they were standing on the deck with no shirts on singing the national anthem at the top of their lungs). It's so amazing and such a privilege for Ben and I to raise these boys, these twins!
So at six (six!) what are Seth and Sam up to? Well, we wrapped up our first year of homeschooling. It was a really fun year and went much smoother than I anticipated! They are very quick learners and are reading basic chapter books, have almost finished their first grade level math curriculum, love to write stories, count money, tell time and ask questions.
They spend most their days in their alto ego's: "Hanger and George," meaning that they pretend they are these imaginary characters who go on various adventures. Some days Hanger and George are babies, sometimes they are fighting a war or getting married. Sometimes they are building a house, starting a garden nursery, or zoo owners. Each day's adventures vary based either on what we have been exploring as a family, or reading together. They have amazing imaginations and are always wanting to recreate adventures once we get home. For example, we saw a parade and went to a little carnival, so what did they do; they came home, had a parade (reusing the candy they had collected), and then made carnival rides.
They love to read and are reading books such as "Stuart Little," "Frog and Toad," "Magical School Bus," "The Mouse and the Motorcycle," and their new favorite series, "Billy and Blaze." They love to dress up. They are really interested in war and are always fighting some new battle. Horses are a new interest to them, and they want to know when we will get a horse. "Never," doesn't seem to be a satisfying reply for them (Ben and I can barely take care of our dog--there's no way we'd ever be good horse owners!) They love riding their new (bigger) bikes that we got them for their birthday, and (surprisingly) love going fast on them (they tend to be pretty cautious, but not with bike speed apparently). They are also really into fishing and love to make fishing flies. I'm amazed at their dexterity in tying their "flies." They also love "hunting" and would shoot their bb guns all day long if I let them.
Their favorite dinner is sweet and sour chicken. Like all kids, they love hotdogs, pizza and French fries. They never complain about being gluten free. They love popsicles, peaches, and berries. They hate spaghetti, lasagna and anything that is a casserole. They are horrible at trying new food and preemptively decide to dislike food before even trying it.
This past year we've seen them grow a lot in confidence, especially socially. I love seeing them freely go over to the neighbors house (without me!), or have them ask to have Abby, our wonderful babysitter, come over to watch them. They really enjoy playing with our neighbor boys, or playing with a group at the park. It's fun to watch them be independent. However, overall, they tend to be more home-bodies (like Ben and I!) After a string of busy days, they just want to be at home, playing in their imaginary world with one another.
Seth acts a lot more like a first-born. He's more of a perfectionist, and is often unwilling to try something because he is worried that he'll fail. He's struggling with anxiety a little bit and is afraid (or maybe nervous might be the right word) about a lot of things: fireworks, saws. His current coping mechanism is sucking on or smelling his fingers (oh will we be glad when that's over with!) He's very protective of Josh, and is watchful that he's safe. He likes to help and will do things just out of kindness, such as watering my garden for me. He has a great sense of humor, and has said many things that have had us in stitches. He loves being read to and sitting under the crook of my arm when we read at night. He's a bedtime staller, and always wants one more hug, one more blanket cover, one more prayer. He's reserved and shy, kind and caring.
He gets quite the hoot out of reading Dr. Seuss out loud to Ben or I.
Painting the planets.
Sammy is very tender hearted and passionate. He doesn't all things at 100%. He's competitive and will be in tears if he can't figure something out. He likes to finish what he starts (he's finished many more chapter books than Seth--Seth tends to move from book to book). He loves Rosey and will always make time for her. Sam loves to laugh and be touched. He's persistent! For example, there is a book he wants to read that I'm not sure he's ready for. So, to put him off, I told him to ask me next month. The next day he told me, "Man, I can't wait to read that book next month!" Along with that persistence comes the ability to negotiate...never willing to take "no" as an answer. He's sincere and loving, genuine and friendly.
Here's their pirate outfits and looks.
Ben had the idea to let them have a "sleep over", i.e. sleep in the same bed. It was very sweet. Seth loved it so much (because it helped him with his fear) that he wanted to do it every night. Sam, not so much, but I think that it will be something that we have them do periodically.
