The Twins are FIVE Years Old!

I can't even handle it. Gavin Charles and Vivian Grace are FIVE years old. I know, I say this every year. But really, five is BIG. Holy moly.

So just as I've done in previous years, I'm going to give the top five fun facts about each of them. Here we go...

Vivian Grace

Dramatic, Intuitive, Eager 

#5: Vivian is still a singer. And in the last year, she's gotten rather good. She can easily carry a tune now and remember words to songs. Actually, she only has to hear a song 2-3 times and she gets it. She's very motivated to learn the words to her favorite songs and perform them for us. Many afternoons are spent listening to a song play on iTunes over and over and over again so that she can learn it. She sings actual songs and she sings while she does stuff. For instance, she'll sing, "I'm brushing my doll's hair! Her hair is lo-ong!"

#4: Vivian is a Drama Queen. At times, she can be very easily upset and she can be extremely difficult to calm down. She also overreacts often (i.e. scratches her knee and acts as if her leg has been sawed off with a nail file). And she is one of the whiniest kids I've ever met. Lots of hugs and kisses usually does the trick.

#3: Vivian has gotten very good at writing, drawing, and coloring. She's mildly obsessed with it all. She can write (unassisted) her own name (in all caps and in title case), each of her brother's names, and her BFF's name (Olivia). She is constantly asking us to spell words so that she can write them down to create cards, pictures, or letters for people. She's very eager to learn. She colors in the lines and is very purposeful when choosing colors. She's also getting really good at drawing things (i.e. the things that she draws are actually discernable). Give her some paper and a pen/marker/pencil and she's a happy girl!

#2: Vivian is friendly. She likes talking to strangers and is generally not very shy around new people (believe me, she has her days). And, she has really begun honing her conversation-starting skills. In fact, she's learned rather quickly that (1) people think she's adorable, (2) people typically love her name when they hear it, and (3) that complimenting people is a great way to get them to talk to you. For instance, when in line at the grocery store and if the clerk is a female, Vivian will compliment the cashier on something (like her hair, jewelry, or clothing) to get a conversation going. Then, if the clerk does not automatically ask her what her name is, Vivian will say (I'm not kidding), "I bet you don't know what my name is!" It's actually very smart. She knows that if she tells the woman her name, then the clerk will shower her with compliments. She loves doing this song-and-dance when we go places. It's her thing.

#1: Vivian is a pincher. Cross her and she will pinch the shit out of you.

Gavin Charles

Ornery, Inventive, Talkative

#5: Gavin cannot stop talking. Especially when it's just you and him. He needs to comment on and ask questions about every single thing that is happening in his little world (we've always called him our little sportscaster). What does he like to talk about? Everything. Every topic you could think of. In fact, it would be much easier to list the things he DOESN'T talk about (because the list would be quite short). He just talks and talks and talks and talks.

#4: If he's not talking, Gavin is likely building, creating, or inventing something. Whenever he's being quiet, we can pretty much guarantee that some major thinking is taking place wherever he is. And he doesn't just build stuff. He also takes things apart. Everything. He thinks of putting things together that I would have never considered. If he sees a problem, he typically tries to fix it by inventing something.

#3: Gavin remembers EVERYTHING (and, according to him, he knows everything as well). We are constantly surprised by what he can remember. From knowing how to get home to remembering the last time we ate at a certain restaurant to recalling the name of someone he met one time, Gavin's memory is incredible.

#2: Gavin likes to do jobs. If you want to keep Gavin busy, give him a job. But it can't be just any job. He has to think it's important and/or a job that adults do. If he believes one of those things about the job, then he's good to go. In fact, if he's feeling uneasy at drop off in the morning (at school), all one of his teacher's has to do is offer him a job and he's totally fine with me leaving. He's a hard worker.

#1: If Gavin had it his way, he would live outside with a body of water nearby. The boy loves being outside. All. Day. Long. If he's outside, he's happy. And if he's inside, he's asking to go outside.

By the way, if you're interested in seeing what they were up to on their 4th birthday, click HERE.