Twelve year old twins

Unbelievable! Time is really flying by these days. Not just because it’s the end of the school year. Not just because we’re moving in a few months. Not just because we’ve had away sports events every weekend in May. While life has been getting busy, so have the twins. Busy growing up. The twins, long ago called the babies, are now twelve. It’s hard to believe but the teenage years are almost here.  Before then, we’re savoring all remaining bits of childhood, including biggish birthday parties!

Royce had her party a week early, planning it around not only her sports but her siblings sports and her friends sports. In Germany, May is filled with numerous religious holidays. I think every week in May was a 4 day school week due to the holidays. We took advantage of one of those holidays to have Royce’s friends over for a Madagscar themed party. Royce wanted a scavenger hunt and she got one. Nothing says party like a pack of girls running around the house. Afterwards, we had a talent show and ate a five layer rainbow cake. We made balloon animals and rearranged furniture so all the girls could sleep in one room, together and giggly. It was Royce’s fourth birthday party at our house in Germany, with one friend from the 9 year old party coming to the 12 year old party, including the in between ones. A reminder that the twins really did grow up in Germany.

Adam’s party this year was a day of go karting and BBQ, including a few close friends and two high school juniors he knows and admires through swim team and boy scouts. Both older boys came and helped explain the go karts to the younger boys, basically adding a layer of coolness to the event that Phil and I could not produce. The go karts were pretty fast. The kids wore helmets and all sorts of safety belts but they did get knocked about from time to time, particularly then they missed a curve! Royce and Tori were cautious drivers, moving to the right when faster people wanted to pass. Not all the sixth grade boys followed these rules of the road so politely! After the twenty five minute race was done, the track provides everyone with stats; who went fastest on what lap. Clearly, the discussion of the stats was almost as fun as the driving.   

On the twins’ actual birthday, we had our morning rituals of balloons and candles in the breakfast. Then the ritual of me bringing in over fifty cupcakes to school! The kids had sports after school and Adam had a volleyball game at BIS, the other international school, north of Munich. Royce went to track practice and then came home to wait for Adam to have her birthday dinner and cake and family hoopla at about 9 pm. A busy day, a busy May. Time waits for no one but it’s good to know your twin sister waits for you, at least on your birthday.