Happy Birthday Malachi and Zion!!!

   I can not believe it has been 12 years already. I feel like time is flying by. Twelve years ago I had to beep Jacob to tell him I needed to go to the hospital. Man, I was as big as a house. We doubled our family in one night.
   It's bitter sweet. I love who they were as babies, as toddles and as big kids. Now I love who they are becoming as they finish out their pre-teens and as they are getting ready to enter into their teens.
   I want so much for them but what I want most is to hold on just a little longer. I can remember them as little boys realizing that they would grow up and move away someday. They both cried and I had to hold them until they calmed down. Now they are dreaming of their bachelor pad and moving on. (Who's going to hold mommy when she can't calm down? LOL!)

   Turning 5, 10 and 12 are big mile stones in our family. At 5 they can chew gum. At 10 their bed time gets moved to 9. At 12 they get to drink soda. Malachi and Zion are really looking forward to drinking soda. They want Cherry Dr. Pepper.

Malachi. He is a very goofy kid. He will go for the joke every time. He still likes his pictures to be funny and he will ham it up every chance he gets. He has been this way his whole life. I must have just missed whatever silly face he was giving.  

Zion. I would say he is as goofy as Mal but in a more subtle way. He's very sharp and witty. He thinks he looks more cool if he doesn't smile in his pictures. I get asked why he looks so angry but he's not. Zion's actually a very happy, fun loving person who laughs all of the time.

Zion likes to hurt Malachi and Malachi likes to encourage Zion to hurt him. LOL, just kidding. I should have taken video of them trying to plan this picture. Mal, "Hey, Zion, how 'bout I get down like this and you drag me..."

  Zion, "No, no, no. How 'bout I get on you like this and pull your leg like this..."

Watching twins growing up together is a real treat. They have this special bond like no other. I am one blessed mom for having them in my life.

This is the last of the birthdays for the year. They come and they go so fast. I need to remember to enjoy the time I have with them, all of them. I need to remember that every stage is a good stage and look forward to the next stage in their lives. There may be tough times but there will always be good ones, too. I hope when they look back what they see is a happy childhood.