Twins - 8th Birthday

 E-I-G-H-T!?  How is this possible?  Two second graders? Happy, happy birthday Lauren and Caleb.  Fall is always a favorite time of year for me, and even though I know your birthday is technically still in summer, it is close enough to fall that I round up to the next season. As always we are incredibly busy with activities that it is a good thing Justin and I have a combined calendar on our phones to keep track of where we are going each night. We are basically taxiing kids from activity to activity nightly.  During this time it is so difficult to also plan two separate birthday parties, (which has been a necessity for the last couple years).  With COVID in the mix this year, we decided to just have the 11 neighbor kids over for cookie cake and ice cream. It was a simple, but perfect celebration with friends we have been around with the most over the last 6 months.  They have become our neighborhood cousins!  

Caleb: 

You are excelling in second grade and enjoying school.  As always, you continue to love numbers and I remain so impressed with your math skills. You argue with me every day about having to complete your daily reading but I do know that years from now you will thank me :).  You are an excellent reader as well and especially love reading non-fiction books about certain topics; most recently sharks and anything sport related.  Your personality is very laid back, easy going, a friend to all, a nuisance to your sisters, and an occasional frustration to your parents when you lack motivation to do something independently even when we know you have the brains to do it!  As you always have you make friends easily and people want to be around you.  I remember watching you at your first soccer practice this fall. You only knew one person on the team but by the end of the practice, you were laughing and talking to everyone and some kid I didn't know came up to you at the end asking to race you to the playground and talking about a playdate in the future.  

I know I have said this before, but a few years ago we didn't know if you would be interested in playing sports and we would have been completely fine with this.  Then you decided to try a couple different sports and haven't looked back since.  Now you are involved in 4 sports and love every one of them.  You also excel in each of them. No matter what season it is, you entertain yourself doing something related to baseball, football, basketball, or soccer, and many days two, three, or all 4 of these sports are played. I have watched you from the living room all summer, throwing a football or baseball to yourself, playing your own little game in your head. Or shooting baskets by yourself outside, not wanting anyone to rebound for you.  Or occasionally kicking the soccer ball around with your older sister.  Although it makes for some crazy schedules, we let you participate in all and every sport you want to.  You love them all; we love watching you compete; and you have a natural athletic ability that allows you to play and excel in whatever you do.  

You grew almost 3 inches over the last year and weigh 70 pounds! I have no idea where this weight is as you don't appear to weigh that much but you are just solid.  We think you are built more like your Uncle James or Uncle Jerod and are so curious to see how tall you will end up.  I would say that over the year you have become a pickier eater and I often hear your complaints about the evening meal on a nightly basis. Regardless you usually eat fairly well.  I am trying to teach you to eat slower-we have no idea where this trait came from as both Justin and I are the slowest eaters on the planet. 

Happy Birthday to my son!  We love you and are so proud of you.  You are so fun to be around and we love watching you do what you love the best! 

What is your favorite color? Red 

What is your favorite toy?  A football

What is your favorite fruit?   Cantaloupe

What is your favorite movie? Diary of a Whimpy Kid
What is your favorite TV show?  Fuller House
What is your favorite thing to wear? Iowa Hawkeye shirts
What is your favorite animal?  Lion
What is your favorite song? Dynamite
What is your favorite book? Shark Books
Who is your favorite friend?  Kellen Velky
What is your favorite snack?  Gummy bears
What is your favorite drink?  Diet Coke
What is your favorite breakfast food?  Doughnuts
What is your favorite dinner?  Cheeseburgers
What is your favorite place to go?  Florida
What is your favorite game?  Ga Ga Ball
What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Play Football
What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas
What do you sleep with? Bears blanket
What do you want to be when you grow up?  A football player

Lauren:

What a little personality you have now.  We have FINALLY made it through the whining stage into the fun, love to be around stage of Lauren Wray Schaack.  You are hilarious. Justin and I say this daily.  You have the best comments and they are absolutely appropriate and timely on most occasions.  What is even better, is you are not trying to be funny.  I still need to keep a list of the amazing "laurenisms" you say as one day I want to look back and remember these.  You remain spunky and a bit sassy. You are occasionally bossy with some of your friends, (as they are with you at times). You are still my emotional one and I wouldn't want that to change.  On many occasions, at bedtime, you become sad about Papa being gone or Milo being in heaven. The other day right after your birthday, you brought up that Papa had missed two of your birthdays. You write him letters and place them in the pocket of the pillow made from one of his shirts.  These moments are so hard and make me sad as well but I love the extra hugs and cuddles on these evenings.  You have many friends and like to do whatever your friends are doing or wear what you are wearing. I am trying to teach you the importance of being an individual. You LOVE to talk and remain the loudest person in our house. 

You have remained active in dance and gymnastics. You also do volleyball and softball and have a talent for both of these sports as well.  You are not as competitive as your siblings but you enjoy being with your friends.  You also excel in school, both math and reading and you especially love art class. You were so disappointed when I told you that you would be in the same class with Caleb with this year, (due to COVID), and would be sharing the same locker.  However, I think you have enjoyed being in the same class together because you are learning the same things and can talk about events from the day together.  

I didn't think you would be as tall as your sister but I may be wrong. You seem to be sprouting up however, but you are a skinny minnie!  You lost 4 pounds over the last 6 months. Eating food at mealtime has been a challenge for you and you would prefer to snack your way through the day.  

Thank you for keeping us on our toes every day, and making us laugh, sigh and occasionally shrug our shoulders.  We love your personality and hope you never change!  

We are so thankful that the two of you came into your lives 8 years ago.  We cannot imagine life without you!  Having twins has been the most amazing experience and we love how similar and different you two are. 

What is your favorite color?  Teal
What is your favorite toy?  Slime
What is your favorite fruit?   Watermelon
What is your favorite movie? Descendents 3
What is your favorite TV show?  Fuller House
What is your favorite thing to wear?  Shorts
What is your favorite animal? Cheetah
What is your favorite song? Watermelon Sugar
What is your favorite book? Diary of a Whimpy Kid
Who is your favorite friend?  Emersen Rauterkus, Kyla Vekly, Jules Modracek
What is your favorite snack?  Goldfish
What is your favorite drink?  Sprite
What is your favorite breakfast food?  Waffles
What is your favorite dinner?  Steak
What is your favorite place to go?  Disney Cruise
What is your favorite game?  Monopoly
What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Jump on the Trampoline
What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas
What do you sleep with?  Lots of blankets and pillows and many stuffies
What do you want to be when you grow up? A veterinarian