Stories from Hawaii

Well, I got to talk to my twin the other day since he is back from his trip and I thought I would share a picture he brought back. It is of a sailing trip he took around some of Hawaii. He said it was a blast and said he wishes I was there to experience it with him. He sounds like he had a blast and I am so excited to go to Scotland this summer to visit him. Meanwhile, he is also extremely behind in homework so he has been looking for reassurance that he will get it all done. For some reason he feels like he needs my approval and for me to tell him that it will all work out. It is weird, throughout my entire life I have looked to him to help me and reassure me but since college started we switched roles. Now I am much more independent and he looks up to me for approval. It is a weird role reversal but I guess its life. Sometimes he leans on me and sometimes I lean on him. Life is amazing as a twin. Here is the pic!

PIC

My brother is leaving Hawaii today but before he left he sent me this image of where he is staying and the view he has. Thought I would show everyone what hawaii is like! Sure looks like its an amazing place. Im sure he will have amazing stories when he gets home!

Monday

Well, Mondays are never exciting days. Starting the school week back up and realizing how much stuff that needs to be done that isn't. Lucky for my replica he is enjoying the beach on the coast. He said he went to dinner last night with his girlfriends family and the owner of the Hilton and the bill was $500! He also said that the owner of the Hilton there said he lost 100 million dollars when the economy took a downfall. It sounds like he is a cool guy and a fun guy to talk to. Meanwhile, I am sitting in my apartment doing homework and looking in my fridge to eat something and seeing absolutely nothing. Oh also it was our 21st birthday about 2 weeks ago and my brother and I got tattoos for it. Its really cool and they relate to each other. Mine is an alpha and omega symbol and my brothers is also that but with more around it. It symbolizes brothers from the beginning until the end. It was fun.

A call from 4000 miles away

Heard from my brother called from Hawaii today. He said it is 80 degrees out, completely sunny, and has a view of the ocean and the mountains. He also described his suite at the HIlton there and it sounds amazing. He said he would send a picture when he goes on his computer so hopefully I will get a picture of where he is or a picture of the view. He is on the 50th floor and said it is an amazing view. The ocean is less then 200 ft away and they have a massive balcony and a hot tube in the living room. So far he has called me 3 times and I have been texting him also and I am not even sure if our mother has heard from him yet. So its nice to know that he wants to share cool experiences like this with his brother. Im sure he is having a blast and brings some stories away from the trip. It will be really fun when we go to scotland this summer, I am really looking forward to it!

Leaving on an Airplane

Today my twin, Luke took off from Milwaukee International Airport to go to HAWAII. He is going there with his girlfriend and her family. It is his first big trip without our family and well without his twin. I have taken several trips without him so he has been itching to go and take a trip. He was planning on doing some kayaking and hiking while there so it should be a blast. Im sure he will keep in touch with me for the week while he is there but its weird to think how we have separate lives even though they have always been so tangled together.

Going to Scotland!

My identical twin just got chosen to go to Scotland for an independent research program for chemistry. This means I get to go to Scotland to visit him! Its awesome that when one of us gets something cool we get to share the experience with someone we care about. Congrats bro!

LOOK AT ALL THE PICTURES!

Ok, I was just looking at the blog and all the pictures I have of my brother and I and in almost every single picture I am on the rigght side of my brother and he on the left side of me. WOW! in any picture where we are standing up and can chooose where we stand I am on his right side! Even in baby pictures! Must be something we do without thinking.

Bonding

This picture is exactly the same as a picture of when we were kids. We had an obsession of pretending we were conjoined twins and walked around with our arms overlapping and our legs tied together!

Mix up

A week ago I went over to waukesha to hang out with my twin. He left to go get some food so I was hanging out at his apt with his roommates. Unexpectedly, his girlfriend came over and she said hey honey to me! i figured I would go along with it and see how long it takes her to realize I am Kyle. It took her about 3 minutes to figure out I was Kyle! haha she blamed it on me having a hat on! Oh the fun of having a double!

Moms always know!

Lately my twin and I have been trying to quiz my mom too see how well she knows her boys! So every time we call her at work she doesn't have caller id so we say hi mom... then directly after we say ok mom who is this... Believe it or not we did this to her randomly probably about 20 times and she went 20 for 20! I couldn't believe it! 1 word and she knew which boy she was talking to...My dad on the other hand still calls me Luke sometimes when he is looking right at me!

Pros and Cons of a twin?!?

Cons:
people get you mixed up
only one b-day party
sharing a lot of stuff
always compared to eachother
no individualism

Pros:
having a best friend for life
never be bored
have double the clothes
trick people

Results of Twin and Adoption Studies updated

Over the years, a number of twin studies have been conducted. One twin study, known as the Minnesota twin study, examined a set of identical twins that were raised in separate environments. Although the twins did not meet until they were almost 40, they shared many similar characteristics. The only explanation for the similarities was that the twins' genes had strongly guided their development.

In fact, the Minnesota twin study led the researcher to conclude: "[On] multiple measures of personality and temperament, occupational and leisure-time interests and social attitudes, [identical] twins reared apart are about as similar as [identical] twins reared together."


Interestingly, adoption studies have also shown the strong influence of genes (or nature). For instance, the Texas Adoption Project found "little similarity between adopted children and their siblings and greater similarity between adopted children and their biological parents."

Nature vs Nurture

After doing some recent research I found that there a lot of studies done on identical twins and they are separated at birth when they go into an adoption agency. They then are reunited after years and years to compare their lives and any similarities and differences. This is outlawed since 1985 and twins must remain together so it is now illegal but personally I think that nature is more powerful then nurture. What are your thoughts?

Twins Separated at Birth

Follow this link for an interview on twins reunited! Really cool!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gwnzW4jOMI&feature=fvw

What are the Odds?

What are the chances? Odds are, if you're already a parent of multiples, you may find yourself marveling at your unusual family dynamics and think "Why did this happen to me? How did I get so lucky?" (or unlucky, depending on the moment!)

If you're not yet a parent of multiples, you may be wondering what it takes to become one. Are you a candidate for twins, triplets or more?

Among general populations, the chances of having twins in the 21st century are about 3 in 100, or about 3%. Your chances are better than ever; researchers have recorded an increase of nearly 60% since the early 1980s. The most recent statistics, part of a 2004 study by the National Center for Health Statistics show that twins represented 32.21 of every 1,000 births. Keep in mind this is merely twins, not identical twins.

Money, Money, Money

Those who are raising children know the importance of establishing a budget. Children are expensive – no one will deny this. In addition, the more children a couple have, the more money it takes to feed and clothe them. Couples who are expecting their first child may have arranged their expenses to accommodate a baby. However, couples who learn that they are expecting twins may experience of wave of panic. Two babies mean double of everything, which cancels out a seemingly perfect budget. I asked my mom what some the best advice she could give someone about how not to wast money when raising twins and she responded with a simple answer........

Avoid Buying Two of Everything!!!!

"Parents who have twins enjoy dressing the babies in matching clothes. Buying two of every outfit may quickly become a financial mistake. Instead of matching outfits, parents should allow the babies to share clothing." Thus, it will be as if they were shopping for only one baby. Additionally, parents should consider only purchasing one swing, playpen, bouncer, and let the babies alternate. Of course, babies will need their own car seat and crib.

So there it is... I never would have though of such a small thing as to save money on clothes!

Longing for a lost twin

My friend told me this about a girl both of us went to school with.

Apparently this girl really felt all her life that she'd love to have a twin. Most people who don't have a twin would think sometimes how great it would be to have a twin - but this girl had a real longing for a twin that went beyond the normal "gee it'd be nice to have a twin" kind of attitude.

One day she said to her mum, "You know, I've always really wanted a twin." And her mom told her that she actually had been a twin but her sister had died at birth! It just goes to show that twins really do have something powerful that connects them.

Another Set of Twins in the Family.

My Aunt just had a set of twins last week and I am happy to say they are healthy and a bundle full of trouble! She updates us continuously saying she almost never sleeps and is already completely worn out! She is lucky she doesn't have to worry about money or anything like that. I honestly don't know how my mother did it at age 22 while being broke in California! Mom is getting a huge hug next time I see her!

The Presurfer: Identical Twins Reunited After 35 Years

The Presurfer: Identical Twins Reunited After 35 Years