Nature vs. Nurture

With the exception of Ducky and Bunny (much loved comfort objects), Ryan and Lucie have had all the same toys since birth. It isn't until more recently that we've watched them gravitate towards different things. It's great to see, especially since it cuts down on toy conflicts which are no fun for anyone. While Ryan is into balls, wheels and trains, one of Lucie's first words is "baby" as she reads about them over and over again, and totes around her toy doll.

These interests seem so stereotypically boy and girl, something that surprises me. I wonder, is it because they're naturally drawn to such items, or are they drawn to them because one little spark of interest encourages us to keep offering them? Something to think about. In the meantime, the mini-stroller that came with Lucie's doll is a very popular item in our house. With the dual function of doll care and fun wheels to push around, it's well loved (a.k.a. often fought over). As with so many of our toys, we just may be buying a second identical one soon.

Starting the Summer off Right

As today is the first day of summer, it seems fitting to post photos of enormous sand pits, napping in a shaded stroller, and ice cream snacks. Ryan and Lucie enjoyed all these summer-time treats at their first trip to an amusement park with Uncle AJ, Aunt Rach, Gigi, Papa and Cousin Tate.

Ryan, Lucie and Tate all had a blast in the "Under 37 Inches" area of the park. In fact, so much fun was had that by the time we sat down for lunch, R & L were snoozing away. After the nap came ice cream and more fun in the sun. Could you ask for a better summer day?

Double Trouble at the Park

Twins families aren't known for traveling light. Our twins group (and a few other friends, who felt outnumbered by the twins!) got together for a BBQ a few Sundays ago. Once things got rolling, we counted six double strollers, two single strollers, four Radio Flyer wagons, oodles of toys and most importantly, fourteen twins toddling around. Wow.

The adults took part in our usual fragmented conversations - "Hey, how's it going? Uh, excuse me, my little guy is running right for the lit barbeque - ahhh!!!" Meanwhile, the little ones had fun on the swings, climbing in and out of each other's wagons, and sampling the potluck spread. For some reason, all Ryan wanted to eat was spoonfuls of chopped onions for the hot dogs, while Lucie was in heaven sampling from everyone's juice boxes.

Beachcombers

Life's a beach when you're almost two. Spending the morning building sandcastles has become one of our favorite weekend routines. As much as we liked to think of ourselves as beach people, the truth is, we've been there more times in the past few months than we have in many years. I guess it's Ryan and Lucie who are truly the beach people.

The beach is a perfect spot for curious toddlers - long expanses of sand to run around, an endless supply of water to fill up buckets and watering cans, and no restrictions on getting wet and dirty.

When it comes to getting wet and dirty, Ryan is the king. He'll go through three clean t-shirts by the time Lucie has merely dirtied her hands. And, you wonder, why do I keep changing him? Now that's a good question, and probably explains where Lucie got her penchant for cleanliness!