4+4

If 4 + 4 = 8, does that mean having your twins turn four really means you've lived/survived/aged 8 years?

My mom took this photo. They were wrestling while waiting to be seated at a restaurant. She pulled out the camera and said, "Smile". This is the moment she captured. I love it!!!
Van is in the plaid, and Noah's in white.

I know I know, there are a lot of photos, but I have never gotten over the fact that I had two babies at the same time. I remember staring at them, thinking "WOW!! There are two here!"

I had to wait hours to hold my babies. Noah arrived in my room after 2 hours, but I had to wait almost 4 hours to hold Vance. He didn't want to breathe on his own, and at the time no one told me I could go to the NICU to see him. I remember trying so hard to stay awake until I could hold him. I didn't get to see them together till the next day, that's why I love this picture.

Van is on the left, you (I) can tell because his nose was smaller and more turned up as a newborn.

I "almost" mixed them up once at their 3 week dr's appointment. After that we took a blue marker and wrote a "N" and a "V" on the bottom of their foot. When it would start to fade, we would just write it again. We did this for quite sometime. I wish I had a photo of it. I don't. Those first few weeks/months are such a blur to me. There were a lot of diapers and a lot of bottles. We would make 24 bottles of formula every night to get us through the next 24 hours. Then we would wash and make formula again. It was like a version of the movie "Groundhog Day".

This is on their blessing day. Again, Van is on the left - again.

This next picture is at about 7 months. I love that it shows Noah's happy personality.

Van on the left (again) and Noah on the right, in the back, waving.

They have always gotten along really well. Sure there are times they bite, hit, scratch, and fight. But I hope that they can always be good friends like they are right now.

Noah is on the left in this one, and Van on the right.

They really are good little boys. They aren't the stereo-type nightmare twins that everyone loves to tell stories about. Sure they would do things like this and climb up on the shelves of their closet, or spill juice all over the kitchen floor. Really the worst stuff they do is Noah likes to wander off when we're in public, and they like to eat WHATEVER they find. Like water out of a dog bowl, chicken nuggets off the floor at McDonald's (chicken that was NOT theirs), pepperoni off the sidewalk (again NOT theirs), gum off the bottom of tables, oh how the list could go on and on, but I'll stop there.

Van on the left (this is really strange that he's always on the same side) in the red stripe, and Noah in the blue stripe.

Having twins really is special. I think it's cool that they got to come to earth together. I try to explain to them all the time how special they are, but they don't get it (yet). But, if I keep telling them, hopefully one day they will.

Van on the left in the white, and Noah in the blue on the right.

Just a few more pics of the two of them. I really need to take more photos of just them alone, but I love seeing the two of them together.

Noah on the left, crying because he didn't want his photo taken. And Van on the right in the vest, trying not to cry.

And last but not least, yes they are identical (people ask all the time), no twins do not run in our families. And no, I was not on fertility. We were just lucky. The doctor used to tease us and say it was too bad that our luck with odds wasn't with the lottery. But, I think we are pretty lucky, and that we ended up with something priceless.

Van on the left again (seriously strange), and Noah on the right.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VANCE AND NOAH!!
WE LOVE YOU!!