Kiddie Acres

I took the girls to this place called Kiddie Acres. It's a 1970's amusement park for kids under 6. The park itself consists of 5 old carnival rides that are still running only because of how simple their construction is. "Acres" is a bit of an overstatement too. The entire park is maybe a quarter of an acre, but perhaps "Kiddie Quarter of an Acre" isn't very catchy.

In addition to the rides, there's a little train and a couple of furry old ponies that will take the kids for a slow bridle-led walk around a worn path. Both girls were very excited to ride the pony and insisted on riding the larger of the two.

We met up with my friend Lisa and her little boy Sammy. He's younger than the girls, but enjoyed it all just as much. I believe their favorite ride was the Ferris wheel that had little cages that could sit two or three children in each one. I think our second floor balcony is higher than the top of the Ferris wheel and it circles around in a slow smooth motion. Each time it reached the bottom Rowan would say, "hello mommy," to me as I was standing at the gate, and as it passed upward she would say, "goodbye mommy," and giggle.






The girls had a great time at Kiddie Acres. And I imagine that for a 3 year old, it was pretty grand. They had a soft carnival tune playing and teenagers operated all of the rides in between talking to each other. Evelyn and Rowan rode every ride together. The park was small enough they could have chosen different rides, but as soon as they finished one they were in agreement on the next ride to go on. They are so funny that way. They sat together on every ride except for the airplanes and the cars. You can see Rowan's stuffed animal pig is her co-pilot. Rowan had to have a purple car and Evelyn chose the yellow. Evelyn wanted everything to be yellow today.

I enjoyed the park too, yet for some reason it made me really miss my dad. His birthday is in February so he's been on my mind, and combined with the old 70s rides, I kept thinking of myself as a child. I remember rides just like these. I know I have a picture somewhere of my sister and I in a boat that is just like the one with Evelyn and Rowan. Except, the one I remember had a bell you could ring right on the top of the boat. I would ring it the whole ride, even after my arm got tired. That was the whole point of the ride, I am sure. So often when I saw my dad he took me to fun little places to play, like the zoo or the park.

Those were good times that mean a lot to me now. I think you can't fully understand how important those memories are until you're older and your brain has filled up with a lot of memories you'd rather not have. It's funny how something so simple can be so valuable.

I hope the girls will one day look back and remember all the fun we have had and how much we have loved them.

Sisters

I was in the car the other day with my friend Pete and the girls. They were singing some sweet melodic song. Pete said, "Listen to them, isn't that beautiful." I hadn't been paying attention to the song, so I really listened to them. Evelyn was singing, "Sometimes...I no like you...Sometimes, I want to be alone..." then Rowan would begin her duet in a slightly higher tone, "Sometimes, I no like youuu...Sometimes I want to be alone."

It was so hilarious. These two sweet little voices, like angels and they're talking about how sick of each other they are. Yet, to their credit, the duet was a joint effort.

As twins, they are always together and always have been. There has never been a moment in which one existed without the other. At least not for very long. It's not quite this way with singletons, even those born very close together. The mother of a twin gazes lovingly at her newborn and then turns her gaze to look at the other. This is a constant, repeating occurrence.

It's not to say they don't want to be together. They are extremely attached and are very upset when they are a part. They play really well together too and already understand the value in joining forces. It's not uncommon to hear things like, "We don't like that, right Rowan." And after spending all day in school together, on the playground together, in ballet and swim lesson, and in the same room together, you can understand they'd periodically need "time alone."

After witnessing a few brawls that could put any saloon room brawl to shame, we began encouraging them to vocalize, "I need to be alone." And when I see they are getting on each others nerves, I try to find an activity they can each do on their own in separate rooms. It seems at this age, a puzzle or a game and they're ready to play again.

They spend hours playing barbie or dolls. If one wakes up early then she'll be sure to wake up the other. And there are moments of extreme kindness that is almost odd for a kid this age. For example, the other day Rowan wanted purple pants and Evelyn was already wearing them. I was telling Rowan she had to pick something else, when without even asking her, Evelyn took her pants off and gave them to Rowan.

And Rowan does this kind of thing too. At the Botanical Gardens yesterday, Rowan recognized that Evelyn was really tired and pushed her doll stroller for her to the car. There was no communication, she just did it and she didn't look for a thank you or a "pay you back." She just knew to take over because Evey needed her to.

Their preschool teacher separated them the other day in class and put one twin in a different classroom. "How'd that go?" "Not good." Yeah, I could have told her that. She said they cried the whole time and just missed each other too much

I know a lot of parents of twins worry about their twins becoming individuals. Separating classes is one step many parents make. But I am glad they have each other. I think at this age, they really need the comfort of the other. There may be a time later on to separate classes, or bedrooms, or whatever. But not now.

And more than that, I hope that they are able to maintain love for one another. I think of how much my own sister has meant to my life and I can only wish the same for them.