Having four children “firsts” come at a blinding speed. First words, first steps, first time with out floaties, etc… And having twins sometimes what should be joyous times can be filled with some anxiety. For example Joshua seems to be having a lot of firsts lately. He has lost four teeth now, and Caleb has lost none so far (not even a loose one). Joshua is beginning to read quite well and Caleb is struggling a little bit. Homework time with Joshua is pleasant and takes about five minutes. Homework time with Caleb is like pulling teeth (not the loose kind).

Well today I was straightening the garage and Joshua said, “Dad, can you take the training wheels off my bike?” So I went about taking them off and we pushed the bike to the sidewalk. Well when Caleb saw what we were doing, he wanted to try it too. We took turns back and forth, Caleb and Joshua, going back and forth up and down the sidewalk. Well, you guessed it, Joshua got it pretty fast, Caleb hasn’t yet. After it became apparent that Joshua was getting it, Caleb went inside. After some time I went in and found him on the couch watching tv. I could tell he was a little bummed out. I tickled him and spent some time just playing and he brightened up. What should have been a jubilant event was weighted with some complexity.

The joy I find in the whole thing is that I was there when the training wheels came off and they tried their best to defy gravity. There will always be someone better than you, and sometimes you come in second. I guess it’s cool if it’s to your brother and together they can take risks side by side. I want to be there for as many of the firsts as I can, and I will try my best to make them all special.

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Yesterday the Boswell clan made our annual trip to the Frederick County Fair. We took advantage of the “Car load special” that was for a low special rate of $50. Thank goodness of the special, imagine how much money we saved! We were shuttled from Lot D to the back of the fairground, I think this was my favorite ride of the night. We passed through the animal exhibits and talked with the 4-H kids who were diligently watching over their animals. Several of them told us it was ok for the kids to pet their animals (cows, sheep, horses, piglets, etc..), and we did. I also went through a forestry service exhibit that talked about collecting rain water runoff into a barrel for landscaping; I might look into this next summer as I am considering starting a hydroponic garden. I’m not sure how “green” our HOA is however.

Then it was time for the rides. I tried to ride as many of the rides as I could. Most of the “carnies” were cool with me doing that, but even I had to say no to the motorcycles. We rode just about every age appropriate ride and ended with chomping down on some deep fried Oreos (yeah I said Oreos, and how does a person invent this?) and a strawberry slurpie.

Isaac (our 16 month old) spent most of his time in a red wagon we took along for hauling “stuff.” I have noticed that the older the kids get the less stuff we have to haul – so this year we are down to a wagon full (half full of child, half full of stuff). Does this mean that eventually they will carry me around in a red wagon hauling my stuff?

I must say the most harrowing (fair themed word) time was the Ferris wheel. I get nervous when I think about how many times this thing has been taken apart and put back together, over who knows how many years. Then we take our whole family and load up into this thing. Then you consider a four year old, two six year olds, and a (what did I say earlier? Oh yeah) 16 month year old and their parents going hundreds of feet off the ground with no seat belts! It moves painfully slow, and the ride is forever long. But during our time Caleb said he could see California from it’s vantage point and Hannah-Grace said she could see the whole universe. I guess her seat was slightly higher than Caleb’s.

We got back to our urban assault vehicle (aka the minivan) covered in dust, some change in our pockets, and the kids were unconscious before we got out of the back 40 where we parked. It was a great experience, and next year I’m getting my own order of fried Oreos.

Friday and Saturday was our annual Children’s Retreat. The theme for the weekend was “Double Vision,” and we were encouraged to “throw off anything that entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1-2), and to keep our focus on Christ.

While this was our fourth annual retreat, it was a first for Joshua and Caleb. We had a wonderful time and the weekend was a huge success. I got about four hours sleep last night, so I’m off to bed.