Hi there. Welcome to Blue Times Two, the place where I intend to keep a long overdue account of life with the two most delightful little guys you can imagine.
Inspired by my amazing (and that's not just a random adjective -- she really is amazing) sister-in-law, Cara, this will be my best attempt to give the gift that she gives, which is to not only chronicle the two reasons I get up in the morning and all the precious little bits that otherwise might be forgotten, but to help people feel connected to our life. (I'll be proud if I can say Blue Times Two is a respectable but distant second to Me? A Mom? ). So, family, strangers, or somewhere in between, you're invited to get to know us.
Here's the lowdown on me: I live in Memphis with my four year old twins, Cable and Parker. They're named after superheroes (nope -- not kidding), which I actually love. You know how once your children are named, no other name could possibly fit them so perfectly? But this is one tiny speck of information not completely unrelated to why we are three and not four.
Let's go ahead and get that subject out of the way for now. Put simply, my boys' dad is a good dad (but mostly in ways that are fun for him). And as far as ex-husbands go, he does have many admirable qualities and skills that are of great service to me. I do have a wish list of other behaviors I'd like to see out of him, but in the words of Thom Yorke, "don't get any big ideas; they're not gonna happen." So I have to believe that in an age of "who's your daddy?" their dad is way better than a dad who is totally absent. (Even when he's a pain in my ass).
In order for some sort of regular deposit to make a brief appearance in my bank account, I am a Montessori teacher (for 3-6 year olds) ten months out of the year, a job which I care a lot about and mostly enjoy. Of course, I say this during one of the two blessed months I'm not doing that while also trying to be a decent mother to my kids. Let me tell you, the combination could be easily mistaken for mental torture more often than what's really considered healthy. But, as an IOP (Independently Operating Parent), it serves me well to have the same schedule as my children. And yes, we even go to school together. They're not in my classroom -- please, people -- but they are across the hall. While there is a substantial list of pros and cons to the whole teacher gig, including this one in particular, at the end of the day, things could be a whole lot more complicated, and I've got it pretty good for now.
Do I seek the man who has made something of himself, has a salary that makes mine look like the change my boys find under granola bar wrappers in our back seat, is all of the things on My List (including passing the shoe test, and having respectable taste in music), doesn't think of me just as his parents' friend, adores me, AND accepts Cable and Parker as his own while still respecting that they have a relationship with their dad?
You betcha.
Now. About these boys.
I've never understood what it is about twins, and why almost everyone who does not have them assumes that one must be one way, and the other must be the opposite. This is true sometimes (read on) but mine, man, they are a LOT alike. They've always been a LOT alike. Not just when we had to paint Cable's big toenail until they were like 6 months old, since genetically, they are the same person. Their likes, dislikes, hang-ups, strengths, weaknesses, etc. match up pretty well. In fact, up until the last year or so, I started to fear that I didn't know them well enough or something, because I really didn't feel like they were all that different, and everyone insisted that they HAVE to be different.
Complicating the matter further, on the off chance that one has solidified his reputation as being This, and the other That, they SWITCH. As soon as they become aware that a living being outside of their duo has perceived them as This and That, I swear to you, they switch. And I never notice it as it's happening, I only notice it the next day or so, when something brings it out, and I go, "Wait. Yep. They did it again."
But there are certain things about their little selves that have put down roots and set them apart from each other.
Cable is a smidge taller and a good pound heavier than Parker, but was born one minute later, which gives him the paradoxical distinction of being the "bigger, but younger" brother. He is his Daddy's boy. I am certain of his devotion to me, but I've really been noticing in the last couple months that Cable seems most at peace with the world when his Dad is here. On his rougher days, he can be incredibly moody, quickly unglued, a real force to be reckoned with. Yet Cable is also the child who thoughtfully plans his outfit the night before. He wakes up and gets dressed straight away. He is artistic and he gets remarkably absorbed in his process, and really makes things that say something when he sits down to work. He loves bugs, but especially snails, and prefers to offer them a ride to school rather than leaving them on the wet sidewalk when we leave the house in the morning. He can be surprisingly agreeable, like this morning when he lost control of his bike, ran off the street into the neighbor's flowering hedge, and with only the rear wheel of his bike sticking out of the hedge could be heard saying, "Mmmmm! This bush smells good!" He is beautiful, boisterous, and ALL boy.
Parker is equally beautiful, boisterous, and all boy (with the exception of his longer-lived-than-expected preference for princess toothpaste), but on the flip side, he is Mommy's boy. He is often the first thing I see in the morning, whether he's already lying next to me or I feel his quick little steps on the hardwood floors, and his crawling onto my bed. Either way, I open my eyes to see his little face right next to mine, smiling and then he plants a sloppy kiss on me and says "Good-morning-Mommeeeee!" On "school days" he takes after me, burying himself under his pillow, requiring multiple invitations to rise and face the day. On weekends, he might get dressed before lunch. In contrast with his brother, Parker seeks out his dirty clothes and appears from his room all crusty and disheveled, then acts surprised when I say "Parker, can you please find something clean to wear?" He has a tendency to be sensitive, too. He's the child who runs to his teachers on the playground just shy of tears because someone has smashed a bug. Like Cable, he loves animals, especially ours. Our dog Oscar sleeps on Parker's bed until I get in mine.
If I had the where-with-all (is that the right use of that word?) to make it happen, I'd sit down and log who leads which kinds of activities to see if there are any interesting trends happening, then pass my data on to Cara, who would no doubt produce an impressive spreadsheet with color coding. I can tell you without a formal scientific study that they are both accomplished in the art of mischief. They are both smitten with superheroes, coming to the rescue, construction machines, motorcycles, sports, potty talk, large creatures of the sea, and dinosaurs. They share my musical taste (thank GOD) and are well on their way to recording their first album. Do I have hilarious video -- wish it was digital -- of Cable playing serious air guitar to Black Sabbath in his underwear? Do they write their own songs? Was their first band name "We Rock Out Better Than You?" Was Parker's first song entitled "Man Who Pets Wolves?" Guilty on all counts. I rest my case.
So it is with boys. And mine are WONDERFUL.
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy.
Inspired by my amazing (and that's not just a random adjective -- she really is amazing) sister-in-law, Cara, this will be my best attempt to give the gift that she gives, which is to not only chronicle the two reasons I get up in the morning and all the precious little bits that otherwise might be forgotten, but to help people feel connected to our life. (I'll be proud if I can say Blue Times Two is a respectable but distant second to Me? A Mom? ). So, family, strangers, or somewhere in between, you're invited to get to know us.
Here's the lowdown on me: I live in Memphis with my four year old twins, Cable and Parker. They're named after superheroes (nope -- not kidding), which I actually love. You know how once your children are named, no other name could possibly fit them so perfectly? But this is one tiny speck of information not completely unrelated to why we are three and not four.
Let's go ahead and get that subject out of the way for now. Put simply, my boys' dad is a good dad (but mostly in ways that are fun for him). And as far as ex-husbands go, he does have many admirable qualities and skills that are of great service to me. I do have a wish list of other behaviors I'd like to see out of him, but in the words of Thom Yorke, "don't get any big ideas; they're not gonna happen." So I have to believe that in an age of "who's your daddy?" their dad is way better than a dad who is totally absent. (Even when he's a pain in my ass).
In order for some sort of regular deposit to make a brief appearance in my bank account, I am a Montessori teacher (for 3-6 year olds) ten months out of the year, a job which I care a lot about and mostly enjoy. Of course, I say this during one of the two blessed months I'm not doing that while also trying to be a decent mother to my kids. Let me tell you, the combination could be easily mistaken for mental torture more often than what's really considered healthy. But, as an IOP (Independently Operating Parent), it serves me well to have the same schedule as my children. And yes, we even go to school together. They're not in my classroom -- please, people -- but they are across the hall. While there is a substantial list of pros and cons to the whole teacher gig, including this one in particular, at the end of the day, things could be a whole lot more complicated, and I've got it pretty good for now.
Do I seek the man who has made something of himself, has a salary that makes mine look like the change my boys find under granola bar wrappers in our back seat, is all of the things on My List (including passing the shoe test, and having respectable taste in music), doesn't think of me just as his parents' friend, adores me, AND accepts Cable and Parker as his own while still respecting that they have a relationship with their dad?
You betcha.
Now. About these boys.
I've never understood what it is about twins, and why almost everyone who does not have them assumes that one must be one way, and the other must be the opposite. This is true sometimes (read on) but mine, man, they are a LOT alike. They've always been a LOT alike. Not just when we had to paint Cable's big toenail until they were like 6 months old, since genetically, they are the same person. Their likes, dislikes, hang-ups, strengths, weaknesses, etc. match up pretty well. In fact, up until the last year or so, I started to fear that I didn't know them well enough or something, because I really didn't feel like they were all that different, and everyone insisted that they HAVE to be different.
Complicating the matter further, on the off chance that one has solidified his reputation as being This, and the other That, they SWITCH. As soon as they become aware that a living being outside of their duo has perceived them as This and That, I swear to you, they switch. And I never notice it as it's happening, I only notice it the next day or so, when something brings it out, and I go, "Wait. Yep. They did it again."
But there are certain things about their little selves that have put down roots and set them apart from each other.
Cable is a smidge taller and a good pound heavier than Parker, but was born one minute later, which gives him the paradoxical distinction of being the "bigger, but younger" brother. He is his Daddy's boy. I am certain of his devotion to me, but I've really been noticing in the last couple months that Cable seems most at peace with the world when his Dad is here. On his rougher days, he can be incredibly moody, quickly unglued, a real force to be reckoned with. Yet Cable is also the child who thoughtfully plans his outfit the night before. He wakes up and gets dressed straight away. He is artistic and he gets remarkably absorbed in his process, and really makes things that say something when he sits down to work. He loves bugs, but especially snails, and prefers to offer them a ride to school rather than leaving them on the wet sidewalk when we leave the house in the morning. He can be surprisingly agreeable, like this morning when he lost control of his bike, ran off the street into the neighbor's flowering hedge, and with only the rear wheel of his bike sticking out of the hedge could be heard saying, "Mmmmm! This bush smells good!" He is beautiful, boisterous, and ALL boy.
Parker is equally beautiful, boisterous, and all boy (with the exception of his longer-lived-than-expected preference for princess toothpaste), but on the flip side, he is Mommy's boy. He is often the first thing I see in the morning, whether he's already lying next to me or I feel his quick little steps on the hardwood floors, and his crawling onto my bed. Either way, I open my eyes to see his little face right next to mine, smiling and then he plants a sloppy kiss on me and says "Good-morning-Mommeeeee!" On "school days" he takes after me, burying himself under his pillow, requiring multiple invitations to rise and face the day. On weekends, he might get dressed before lunch. In contrast with his brother, Parker seeks out his dirty clothes and appears from his room all crusty and disheveled, then acts surprised when I say "Parker, can you please find something clean to wear?" He has a tendency to be sensitive, too. He's the child who runs to his teachers on the playground just shy of tears because someone has smashed a bug. Like Cable, he loves animals, especially ours. Our dog Oscar sleeps on Parker's bed until I get in mine.
If I had the where-with-all (is that the right use of that word?) to make it happen, I'd sit down and log who leads which kinds of activities to see if there are any interesting trends happening, then pass my data on to Cara, who would no doubt produce an impressive spreadsheet with color coding. I can tell you without a formal scientific study that they are both accomplished in the art of mischief. They are both smitten with superheroes, coming to the rescue, construction machines, motorcycles, sports, potty talk, large creatures of the sea, and dinosaurs. They share my musical taste (thank GOD) and are well on their way to recording their first album. Do I have hilarious video -- wish it was digital -- of Cable playing serious air guitar to Black Sabbath in his underwear? Do they write their own songs? Was their first band name "We Rock Out Better Than You?" Was Parker's first song entitled "Man Who Pets Wolves?" Guilty on all counts. I rest my case.
So it is with boys. And mine are WONDERFUL.
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy.
1 comment:
Hi, Blues. Thank you so much for the early birthday present that will truly keep on giving! Now I'll be able to keep up with your lives as I'm able to do with your cousins'. Your birthday card is beautiful and almost as bright as your smiles! Looking forward to seeing and hearing more soon. Love, Grandma.
Post a Comment