Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Thanksgiving.  It was a busy day that had me leaving the house at 9am for trumpet practice at church and getting home around 7:30pm after a long, great day of family festivities.
This year was the first in a long time that ALL of the VanderLugt's were there on Thanksgiving.  As we gathered around the 2 1/2 tables with all 21 of us (11 grandbabies 8 and under as of right now), I was reminded how ridiculously blessed we are.  Granted, at the time, Ashley was trying to read something Thanksgiving-ish, my dad was trying to pray, and I was just trying to keep all three of my boys seated and quiet (and I'm quite certain variations of this was happening around the table).  We are healthy (enough), we love each other, we all can provide for our families, and we have beautiful children.  Beautiful, healthy children. What a blessing!  And you know what else was great?  My kids played really well with their cousins and are starting to need less "mommy" all the time.  I actually got to sit and chat with my sisters for a little while!
After the VLugt's, we headed over to the Ploeg's for time our other very blessed family.  My three nephews have grown up ... not just in age, but vertically and in maturity.  They love my boys and don't mind a few blindside tackles from my three.  But what may have made the night was putting up the Polar Express train that goes around the Christmas tree with Grandpa Ploeg.  Sam and Tyler LOVED it.  The first thing they noticed, after the tree being up, was that the train was missing.  They ran that train and blew that whistle for about two straight hours.
It was a great day, but a long day, with family.  And we are so very thankful.

Brothers

I'm not sure why, but when Sam and Tyler tell people (generally when asked) they are twins, I just think it is super cute.  They are such buddies.  They love to do things together, they love to know what the other is doing, they love egg each other on, they are the best of brothers.  Oddly enough, though, they are opposites in a lot of ways.  Not only is Tyler 2 inches and 10 pounds heavier than Sam (Ty is 45 lbs, Sam is 35 lbs, Lucas is also 35 lbs), but he is a better eater, needs more sleep / naps more, loves to color pictures and draw, loves to play with superheros and act out imaginary things with his little people and cars / trucks.  Sam has always been a little ahead on things physical -- despite his size (or maybe because of it), he is more coordinated and is a little ahead of Tyler with all things sports - baseball, hoops, football (although Ty too throws down a mean tackle), ping pong - and he's always been a little more into trains and is more of the leader, if I had to pick one.  It's quite the amazing social experiment to parent twins.

What I find so fascinating is that Lucas is very much like Tyler and not only in build.  Lucas and Tyler both LOVE to swim and simply play in the tub -- Sam, not so much.  They both have similar play styles, if that makes any sense, and interests.  As evidenced in the clip below, they are both total goof-balls (and so is Sam, but he was doing something else at the time).  This one is pure Tyler lately: