TwinsTales

By Holly Engel-Smothers

Some days are: "I know I can!" Some days are: "I think I can." And some days are: "How can I?!"

There are good days when it seems as if all the planets and stars in the great cosmos are lining up just for me to make a wonderful day. Click to read the rest of this entry

By Holly Engel-Smothers

[NOTE FROM SUSAN HEIM: This column is the first of many from talented writer, mom and educator Holly Engel-Smothers, who will be sharing her tales of life with twins (and a twingle) with readers through this "TwinGrins" column, which will appear on a regular basis on TwinsTalk.]

The day has gone down in my baby books of infamy. Bailee and Rilee (my identical twin girls) were 3, and Jaynee (little sister) was a newborn.

Being ever sleep-deprived and outnumbered, I allowed Bailee and Rilee to use construction paper, glue sticks and scissors. Baby Jaynee was ready for a nap, so I told the girls that I'd be back in a minute and to just continue with their projects. Click to read the rest of this entry

by Cynthia Ann Chambers

One boy, one girl
Four hands, four feet.
With life just beginning,
your two hearts beat.

Will you ever know
what you mean to us?
Two gifts from God
in Him do we trust.

We've waited so long
for you to arrive.
With each passing week,
you've grown and you thrive.

Take care little ones
my life, my joy.
We are perfectly blessed
with one girl and one boy.

Copyright (c)Cynthia Ann Chambers

by Susan M. Heim

When I met my husband, Mike, he was a single man. Divorced for a few years without children, it was just two Senegal parrots, two old cats and Mike in a three-bedroom house. Although he wasn't unhappy, he yearned to have a family some day. Have you heard the saying, "Be careful what you ask for"? Well, this advice certainly turned out to be true for Mike -- in a BIG way! After meeting me on a blind date, I'm sure he had no premonition that he would soon grow from a household of one adult to a family of six (with two more cats thrown into the mix)! Click to read the rest of this entry

By Adam C. Schnell

Corporal Jason P. Abell and 1st Lt. Bryan J. Abell, of Demasses, Md., crossed paths as one returns to Iraq and the other leaves the hot desert. Click to read the rest of this entry

By Michelle Marsh

As a mother of two sets of fraternal boy/girl twins, I am often asked, “How do you do it?” I do not have an answer. I am just a regular 27-year-old who has never known it any other way. Most people come home from the hospital with one baby. I, however, always seem to come out with a pair. Through my experiences, I feel that there is no such answer. Each child is a unique gift with their own personality, likes, dislikes, and own sense of self. I have no master plan. I deal with each moment as it comes and try to remember that these are the best days of my life. There are moments, I must admit, that I feel like my day will never end and my own personal identity is withering away. A smile or hug from my children washes this feeling away. I am a mother chosen for this great adventure and I press on. Click to read the rest of this entry

by Lynel Washington

The year 2005 will forever be embedded in my heart and mind as a year of tragedy and triumph for me. On June 2^nd, I joyfully discovered that I was pregnant. Because of my suspicions, I completed a home pregnancy test before work. Once I read the positive results, I was so blown away that I contacted a friend on her cell phone who was en route to work and asked her to come over to my home right away to confirm the very thing I knew I was seeing. Upon looking at the test, she said, "Yes, you are pregnant!" Click to read the rest of this entry

By Holly Engel-Smothers

The Public Puke is the true test of motherhood. It is hard to fake a smile and the glow of motherhood when the chunks are flying. We were in Blockbuster Video, standing in line to pay for videos the other day. One of my daughters, Bailee, complained that her tummy hurt.

"We'll be home in five minutes. Hang in there. Maybe you're just hungry," I said.

"But it really hurts, Mama," whined my daughter.

As I dug out my billfold, I heard it: the undeniable sound of a child throwing up. The next few minutes seemed to happen in slow motion, but my mind was spinning. Should I catch it before it hits the ground? Should I use my purse as a barf bag? Is anyone watching? Maybe I can just sneak out the emergency exit. Click to read the rest of this entry

by Rosemarie Kazenko

Being blessed with four grandchildren who are already growing up so gracefully at ages eight through fifteen, babysitting for our eighteen-month-old twin grandsons should be a breeze . . . right? After all, there are two of us (my willing and capable husband, who has always been a hands-on father and grandfather, and me . . . very experienced). So, of course, we readily agreed to take on the task so our daughter and son-in-law and their two older boys could take a well-deserved, five-day trip to Central Florida. Click to read the rest of this entry

by Susan M. Heim

My day started out much like any other day in the life of a mother with toddler twins. Chaotic, yes, but somewhat controlled. I'd managed to get the boys up from bed and fed them their breakfast. Faces were washed; the highchair was clean; the floor was swept. I took off the twins' pajamas and put their diaper-clad bodies in their fenced-in play area while I went into my home office to check my e-mail. All was quiet from the other room. They must be playing nicely, I said to myself. But another little voice inside told me it was too quiet for the playful antics of two little boys. Usually, I could hear giggles, toys clanking, cries as one twin hit the other in the head with a toy block. Yup, something is definitely not right, I decided. I tiptoed out to the living area to peek at the boys. Click to read the rest of this entry