Myrtle Beach Trip

Last Wednesday, we packed the car and picked up the boys from daycare right at 1:30 just in time to get in the car for their afternoon nap. We were headed to Myrtle Beach for four nights with Granna and Grandpa. We stayed in a four bedroom condo at Dunes Village Resort. Mommy and Daddy loved having four bedrooms...we typically share our bedroom with one of the boys when we go out of town. It was so nice not to have to get ready for bed before the boys went to bed. It was so nice to not have to tip toe into the room to go to bed when we were ready! We rented a crib for Mark, since Mark doesn't really care for sleeping in the pack-n-play. So, three nights the boys slept excellent! One night, neither of them slept well. We were just glad they didn't take turns and cause two bad nights for us. And, one morning they decided to wake up at 5:45am!!! Whew...that is way too early for us! Granna and Grandpa were very nice and offered to take the boys outside to play for awhile and let Mommy and Daddy catch another hour of sleep!!!

We love Dunes Village Resort. The accommodations are pretty nice for such a family oriented resort. There are SO many activities for the kids. They have two indoor waterparks with lots of water activities including: water basketball, spraying fountains to walk through, indoor and outdoor lazy rivers, indoor and outdoor hot water tubs, several pools, and lots of water slides. They also have a nine hole putt-putt course, corn hole, a playground, a sandbox, beach volleyball.

The weather didn't cooperate very well for us. On Thursday, we had a really big storm in the afternoon. Luckily, it was during the boys afternoon nap and right after Daddy and Grandpa had finished their round of golf. So, the timing of that one was pretty good. On Saturday, we had lovely weather until about 4pm. We enjoyed the good weather while we could. Of course, it rained every night around dinner time! So, Mommy's plans of getting some good family pictures on the beach didn't happen. We were all very bummed about not having any family pictures, so we'll just have to get some good ones this fall here in Raleigh! Also, on the picture topic, a lot of our pictures did not turn out good due to a camera setting getting changed accidentally. Mommy has been very sad about the quality of the pictures. So, please understand why the quality of some isn't the greatest!

So, here are some pictures of all of our fun activities:

Enjoying the Merry Go Round at Barefoot Landing one night....trying to stay dry as it was sprinkling rain!

Mark and Daddy enjoying the lazy river!

The whole family enjoying the lazy river in the "race care" float!

Daddy and Jack shooting baskets!

Mark would raise his golf club and say, "Yeah, Mark!" when he would get the ball in the hole! - so cute!

Jack getting ready to put his ball near the hole to start hitting it. Who would try from behind the yellow obstacle...that would be crazy!

Mark making the shot!

Golfing buddies!

Loving the beach and playing in the water!

Jack, Grandpa, Mark, and Granna - the four of them certainly enjoyed their time together at the beach!

Our family enjoying the ocean. Jack and Mark would say, "Get back water" every time the waves would come! It took them a little while, but they got used to the water and liked it!

PRECIOUS!!! I have no words for this picture!

Best buds!

These boys loved playing with the chess set. They acted like they were really concentrating when they moved the chess pieces around. It was really funny to watch!

Mommy and Jack enjoying the lazy river.

Granna, Mark, Jack and Mommy on yet another lap around the lazy river!

Dancing to the music outside the Flying Fish Market Restaurant at Barefoot Landing. These boys entertained so many people after dinner one night as we were all standing under the overhang to stay dry from the rain. And, I have to mention these outfits - the belts just made the outfit!! Melt my heart!

Jack, Mommy, Daddy and Mark enjoying a vacation at the beach!

One night when it was raining, we went to the mall and found this train to ride. The boys LOVED it so much that they rode it twice....once with Mommy and Daddy and then once with Granna and Grandpa. Luckily, we have a train like this at the Cary mall, so we will have to try it out one day too!

With the train conductor -- he even came around and punched our tickets before we departed and announce "All aboard!" before we took off for our adventure!

Endocrinologist appointment

As you probably remember from our post a couple of months ago, Mark was referred to an endocrinologist at his 2 year well check. This appointment was set for September 12th. We were very pleased with what we heard at the appointment. Here is what we heard:

· Either the measurement for Mark’s length was incorrect or he has had a growth spurt in the last 2 months, because he had grown about 1 to 1.5 inches and was back to following the curve for just below the 3% line as he has been doing ever since birth.


· The doctor indicated that his small size is not due to a growth hormone deficiency(GHD), because that typically shows up between 6-9 months. A child with a GHD typically grows normally until after about 9 months and then their growth starts to trail off or level off more. For instance, if Mark had been in the 30 or 40th % and then fell to where he is now, that would be a sign of a GHD. He has very consistently followed just below the 3% line on the growth chart.

· The doctor was also very impressed with his weight to height ratio which is perfect. This indicates that there is no nutrition / diet concerns.

· The doctor thinks that his small size is related to the conditions in utero. You probably remember, but Mark was always smaller…even before they were born. That’s why we did the C-section when we did -- because Mark’s growth was not progressing as it should have been due to his really small umbilical cord. It was very obvious when compared to Jack’s umbilical cord size. So, the doctor thinks that since he wasn’t given enough nutrients, etc. early on, it has caused him to be smaller still now. He said that typically in cases like this, where in utero conditions lead to a small child, the child catches up to close to the 50th percentile by the time he is 3 years old.

· So, we are scheduled to see the endocrinologist every 4 months until Mark is 3 years old and then will reassess.

· The doctor ordered an x-ray of Mark’s hand to test his “bone age.” The doctor was expecting that his “bone age” would be about 6 months or so behind his actual age. This would further support that this is related to his in utero conditions and that he will probably catch up with his growth with some time. We have received the results from the x-ray and it showed exactly what the doctor expected. So, from looking at the bones, the doctor confirmed that Mark still has maximum growth potential which is calculated based on Craig and Heather's heights.

We were very pleased with these results and will continue to pray that Mark will grow to be a healthy young man!

All Boys

Two weeks ago, on a Saturday, we enjoyed spending time with some friends and their sons! We spent some time with Diane, Heather's college roommate, her sons Scott and Keith and Diane's sister, Sarah, and her sons Tasman and Edmund. All six boys are within 34 months of each other in age! It was so much fun to see Sarah's boys as we don't see them very often. They live in Denver, but were in town visiting family for a few weeks. This past weekend, we were able to get all the boys together again on Saturday to celebrate Scott's third birthday and then again on Sunday to celebrate Keith's baby dedication. We have had so much with Diane and Sarah's sons!

Scott, Diane, Keith, Edmund, Sarah, Tasman, Mark, Heather, Jack

3 girls + their 6 boys = so much fun!

Late Birthday Presents Arrive

Just wanted to post pictures of the beautiful painted canvases and stools that Granna and Grandpa gave Jack and Mark for their birthday. Mommy was late getting the verses and pictures of the boys' bathroom decor emailed to Granna's friend who painted the canvases and stools. The canvases have the verses that we used for each boy at his baby dedication service, which is so meaningful to have hanging in their rooms.  Thanks Granna and Grandpa for these birthday gifts!

Painted canvases to hang in J&M's rooms.

Sport stool for the downstairs bathroom and the hippo for J&M's bathroom upstairs.

Trip to Gastonia to Visit Great-Grandparents

On Thursday, Mommy, Jack, Mark, Granna and Grandpa took a day trip to Gastonia to visit Mama and Papa, Uncle Roger, Terri, Rachel and Evi. We had a great day and really enjoyed getting to see family and spend some time with them. We left Raleigh around 9am and got to Gastonia right around noon just in time for lunch. The boys slept for the last 45 minutes of the ride, which was good, since Mommy was going to let them skip an afternoon nap. Then, we had a lot of fun playing at Mama and Papa's house for the afternoon before we had dinner and then had to leave. Mommy took Jack and Mark's pajamas with us and we changed into them after dinner right before we got back in the car to head back to Raleigh. We left Gastonia right aroun 7pm and arrived back home at 10pm. Jack and Mark were asleep before we got out of Gaston County and they slept the whole way back. They were two tired little guys!  Here are some pictures from our fun day with family!

2 sets of brothers - Jack, Grandpa, Uncle Roger, Mark

With Great-grandparents - Mark, Mommy, Papa, Mama, Jack and Grandpa

Mark, Granna, Jack and Grandpa

Jack enjoyed the "big" rocking chair at Mama and Papa's.

Papa and Mark having quite the conversation....not sure what they were talking about.

Mark cuddling with Papa. Mark loves to scoot up as close as he can to "cuddle." It's so cute!

Mama and Mark reading a book.

Trip to Kingsport

This past weekend, the DeVault clan piled up in the family roadster and hopped onto I-40 and drove to go see Mimi and Poppy.  We had a pretty uneventful drive up, although we did listen to "The Wheels on the Bus" several times less than expected.  That song and book is Mark's favorite.

After dinner, Dad and Poppy went to the Dobyns-Bennett High School football game.  D-B beat Sevier County in a thriller 42-41.  Mom and Mimi stayed at the house and played with the boys.  The boys got to stay up late and really enjoyed it.

Saturday morning, we went to the park at the Warrior's Path State Park.  They have a beautiful park for the kids to play with.  They went on the swings, the slides, the steps, the see-saw, whatever they wanted to do, they really enjoyed.

After their nap, we played in the den while both Tennessee and NC State were playing football on TV.  Unfortunately, both teams did not win.  The Vols blasted Cincinnati while the Wolfpack played rather poorly against Wake Forest.

We went out to O'Charley's for dinner.  Mark was eating everything he could off of Mimi's salad.  He had done the same thing two nights earlier with Granna's salad.  He seems to want to eat anything one of his grandmother's orders.  Sounds good to us.

We went to church on Sunday and the boys had a great time.  We had a great sermon, focused on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and what lessons Christians should take away from that horrible day.

We went to lunch with several of Mimi and Poppy's friends.  Everyone enjoyed the boys being there.

We had a great time on the trip and look forward to the next trip.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Are we ready for our debut yet?

Look at all of the fun things to do at the park.

Ready! Set! Go!

OK, who can go the highest?  I say Daddy!

Hmm.  Wonder where this takes me?  - Mark

Mark and Daddy vs. Jack and Mommy on the see-saw.

This is my step and no one can come near it.  - Mark

Mark, to clean the lawn mower, you need to swing the broom like this.  - Jack

The boys are kings of the hill.

Jack and Daddy come down the hill.

Mark and Jack clean the driveway with their brooms.

First Football Game

This past Saturday, we went to the first football game of the year.  State was hosting the Liberty Flames.  After a morning of breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, going to a park and then visiting the home of some friends, it was nap time.  After the nap, it was tailgating time.  We put the food, chairs, table, cornhole, and toys for the boys in the car and went over to Carter-Finley Stadium.  There we tailgated with friends and discussed the upcoming game.

The boys had a blast.  Our parking spots are up next to an island so we had extra room for the boys to walk around and explore.  They watched the Liberty cheerleaders warm up (they loved when the boys threw the girls in the air...they kept shouting more, more).  They really enjoyed playing with the red mulch.  They would pick it up and move it from one bucket to the other.

We walked into the game right at kickoff.  The boys had a blast.  They just sat there and took it all in.  They really enjoyed looking for and letting us know when they saw Mr. Wolf.  We made it to halftime as Heather was not feeling well from the heat, so we went home (Heather was fine after a good night's sleep).  It was bed time anyway for Jack and Mark.

The boys enjoyed pulling the Wolfpack across to victory, as they beat Liberty 43-21.

Next up, at Wake Forest.  Next home game is in two weeks against South Alabama.

Here are some pictures of the day:

The boys show off their new red football shirts. 

Touchdowns are the operative word of the day.

Jack enjoys some milk in his new Wolfpack sippy cup.

The boys eat a healthy dinner before we go into the game.

10th Annual Kickoff Party

Friday night, we hosted our 10th annual Kickoff Party.  This year, the viewing of choice was the Florida State game from last year, a 28-24 victory when Russell Wilson threw a 1 yard TD pass to George Bryan on 4th down with 3 minutes to go.

A couple of our friends were unable to be there, but everyone who showed up had a good time.  We all had laughs watching the kids play with each other.  It is crazy to think that we have had this party for 10 years now.  It certainly is different than it was at the beginning.  The basic party outline is still there:

1.  Good friends
2.  Good food
3.  Good football (the best victory from the previous season)

Now the party starts earlier, ends earlier, and has almost doubled in size (with kids).   It keeps getting better and better every year.  Wonder what next year will bring (one thing for sure, hopefully a plethora of big Wolfpack victories to choose from).

Here are a couple of pictures from the event.

Kenley and Izzy both have a strawberry stuck in their mouth. 

Mark hugs Delaney.

Not to be outdone, Jack gets in a hug.

Rock and Fall

Here is a video showing what one of the boys' favorite activities is nowadays.  They like to rock, either in their rocking chairs or the la-z-boy, and then "fall down."  It is hysterical.  Watch and enjoy!

To Separate or Keep Together....

To separate or keep together, that is the question of a twin parent! Well, every year when the boys advance to a new class at daycare, we are faced with the question as to whether we want to keep them together in the same class or separate between classes. For the first two years, we decided to definitely keep them together. We knew that making the decision this year for the 2 year old classroom would be the last time it was our choice. Wake County public schools require that twins be separated in different classes. So, to help prepare for that, the policy at the SAS daycare is that twins must be separated in different classes by the time they are in the 3 year old classroom. So, all year, we had been trying to decide what to do. It's such a tough choice for parents. On one hand, you want to keep them together, because they really do love being together, they look out for each other, they find comfort in each other and they just have fun and enjoy being together! On the other hand, you want them to be able to function independently and you want them to have their own identity. At the end of May, we went to Hilton Head for a week long vacation. This was the first time that Craig and I had spent an entire week, day and night, with the boys since Christmas vacation. On our way home, Craig and I were talking about how much we noticed during the week that the boys were really getting dependent on each other. They were really getting attached! So, we started to seriously think about separating them when they move to the two year old class at daycare.

Well, that time has come. We have mixed feelings about it. We feel like we are making the right decision to separate them. But, at the same time, it is such a hard decision. It is so sad to think that they will never again be in the same class at daycare or school. These little guys look out for each other in such sweet ways. They help each other out, they get the other's favorite toy to bring them when they are crying. We've seen them get a kleenex for the other when they sneeze and take it to them. We've seen them get a kleenex and wipe the other's tear when he is crying. We've heard stories from their daycare teachers and Sunday school teachers about how one will grab the hand of the other and walk them over to play with something. SO. SWEET.  I mean it takes a brother to look out for you like this!

Brotherly love in pictures:

So, on Tuesday, September 6th, the boys will for the first time ever go to two different classrooms at daycare. Mark will go to Ms. Cindy and Ms. Linda's class and Jack will go to Ms. Maria and Ms. Dana's class. We are sure hoping for a good day for them both! It will for sure be a long day for Mommy, but I do feel like it is the right thing to do for both of them in the long run. But, that doesn't mean it's any easy decision. A tough decision for a twin parent nonetheless! We hope the separation doesn't effect their relationship, but will instead make their time together even more special!