More firsts...

So, when does it count as having lost a child? Do you actually have to report that child missing to someone in authority? Or do you just have to be thinking about doing so?

We were back at the Children's Museum, possibly the most wonderful place in the known universe, when the adventure occurred. I have helpfully found you a link to a map which you will need to keep track:

Children's Museum floor plan

Take a minute and open that in another window. Find #19, The Port, where Daddy and Vanh were playing. Now find #17 to the right, where Max and I came from. Max rushed to join Daddy, and Vanh... disappeared.

You have to understand, our kids don't run off. In a busy public place they tend to keep us in sight. So it was really, really weird that he was out of sight, yet we couldn't hear him discovering this and getting upset.

Still looking at your map? We searched around 10, 18, 13... nothing. We split up and Woody headed back to check 14-17, while I did 7, 8, 9, 20, 21 & 22. At this point I was reminding myself that there is statistically more chance that we would win the lottery than have a child snatched by a stranger, but I was headed to the front desk anyway when I saw this

at #5. He had obviously been there for some time as there was a very puzzled looking group in the back of the bus, patiently waiting for their turn at the wheel.

Is your map still open? Find #19 again. Now find #5.

Eeesh.

A (slightly) less child-endangering milestone occurred moments later, as the boys experienced their First Drink from a Fountain.

Hiking in the Gatineaus

We tried a hike that was described as, "easy, with gently rolling hills," which is not exactly how we experienced it. The boys still managed to walk/climb several kilometers (at least a mile) on their own.

"Beeg wock!"


Another milestone (ha) occurred when we arrived back at the parking lot at the same time as a cyclist was pulling in. "Bike!" Max announced proudly. "Yes, a bike," replied it's owner. And without really expecting a response I tried,"What colour is it?" to which Max beamed back, "Wed bike!"
Over the last few days this question has continued to be answered with increasing accuracy. So, it looks like they know colours. Some colours. Sometimes.

Give your brother a kiss

But what if brother doesn't want to be kissed?

Fwee pony-taos peez

At least he can count.

I can't stop staring at this photo, and not for the obvious reasons. He looks so much like his brother here! I would never have guessed who this was; I would have been certain it was a photo of Max. (Remember, to me they are so definitely not identical I'm still unwilling to fork over the $500 to find out something I know already. So it's very strange to look at a photo of one child and see another child when you know it is not that child.) I know 78% of you are thinking, "Of course they're going to occasionally look like each other in photos since they are IDENTICAL," but maybe the other 22% understand what I'm talking about?

Twenty-four months old

I feel like I have so many cute stories to remember, I'll never get them all down. Not to mention our 18-month report (for Vietnam) is due. As usual when I have too much obligatory paperwork, I have just been ignoring it all. Since this post is already a week late I'm just going to write SOMETHING.

I read on another twin blog how she taught her kids how to take turns by counting to ten. "What a great idea," I thought, because the desperate need for both boys to have the exact same toy at the exact same time occurs practically every 3.5 seconds around here, even if said "toy" is a broken margarine lid and they are surrounded by $8000 worth of actual toys.

What I neglected to consider fully was the need for someone involved in the dispute (ie a twin) to be able to count to ten. Otherwise it would be up to the nearest adult to count to ten, and having to stop what you are doing and carefully count to ten every 3.5 seconds is not a lot more satisfying than listening to the shrieks (although it is admittedly nice to have the option).

"Nevermind," I thought, "I have patience, I can count to ten over and over, and the bonus is, the more times they hear it, the sooner they will learn it..." But "sooner" does not necessarily mean "anytime soon", as any elementary school teacher can tell you.

What Vanh has learned is "1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2..." while Max prefers "8, 9, 10! Max's turn!" And it works between them. However, they are still confounded when they hand over their favourite pail or race car at the playground, only to discover that the random spouting of numbers as an indication of turn taking is not understood by their little playmate.

Maybe they can't count, but wow my boys can read (pictures). This is their favourite book and they know every truck. They know more specific names of vehicles, machines, etc than I did a few weeks ago. They both like to sit and look at books and name everything they see. They never seem to get tired of being read to (as long as it's a picture book, preferably either naming or rhyming). They certainly never get tired before I do. At least our persistent repetition of, "We already read this one - get another one" has paid off, and our boys don't expect us to read the same book over and over again.

Birthday post #3

Here are some photos of the boys on their birthday,
2 years old
2'9" tall
26lbs










They got identical pj's for their birthday (because how could you give one monster trucks and one something else?) and hats that were not in colours I would have picked (due to my obsession, I mean organization issues). With the end result being that I couldn't tell them apart all day and am still not sure who is who in all of these photos.

Turning Two

The weekend started with an informal gathering of families in the area with children from Vietnam. Hosts E and B generously offered family property and organized a perfect day. In addition to the variety of inflatable toddler toys, delicious food, and wonderful company, we were close enough to an airport that the children were treated to clear views of airplanes, some at astoundingly low altitudes. We couldn't have arranged a more perfect treat for our boys.


The children proved a little more difficult to photograph as a group than last year...

... except when they slowed down to eat.

The next day many of the same people plus our family and friends joined us at home for a Turning Two celebration.

A long couch and a musical Thomas video proved the key to the group photo this year.

"Happy Birthday to you..."

They have no idea why all these people are in their backyard.

Happy Birthday Max! Happy Birthday Vanh!

July

Happy Canada Day!