Preschool Update

This post has raised a lot of eyebrows, not to mention blood pressure, so I decided to give you all an update on the situation.  Hudson finished out last two weeks of the school year at the preschool where he escaped.  I can't say that it went great or even good, but it was ok.  It was a bit unsettling dropping him off each day and I would hold my breath and say a lot of prayers until I picked him up. Every time I would drive close to the school I would see another hazardous scenario that could have happened when he escaped.  I have some serious doubts about him going back to the same preschool in the fall.  Not only is the safety issue a big factor, but a couple of other issues have come up:

1. If he stays at this preschool it is not likely that he will be in the same class as his brother.  The teacher informed me that the principal has some very strong feelings against twins being in the same class and if they do allow Nick to go to that preschool they boys will be there on alternating days.  I have very strong feelings about keeping them together, as does the school psychologist.  At some point I am sure that they will need or want to be in separate classes, but I am not about to start them out that way as three year olds because the principal had a bad experience with a set of twins being in the same class 25 years ago.

2. I have discovered that the same type of preschool that neighbors the boundries of the preschool that Hudson has been going to has an average of seven students each day. Occasionally there are ten students in the class with one teacher and two aides, but most days they have six or seven students.  Much better than 27 students with one teacher and three aides.

With all factors involved I am going to be doing a little bit of homework over the summer involving the school district and/or the state or federal department of Special Education and hopefully getting things ironed out before school starts in August.

All of these pictures were taken on the same block as the school where my little boy 

was wandering around by himself and missing for 40 minutes before it was noticed that he was gone.

Construction Site-when he escaped it was just a foundation that went down approx. 15 feet.

Creek #1-running very high & fast

Creek #2

Creek #3

Highway-Not real busy when this was taken.  The speed limit is

 50mph and it is a main thoroughfair into the city.

The school is the building toward the back.

Creepy looking trailer park

Another stream in the trees

Abandoned house

Behind the school

Twin Friars Die on same Day at age 92

This May 2003 photo provided by St. Bonaventure University shows Adrian, left, and Julian Riester, identical twins and brothers in the Order of Friars Minor , outside the St. Bonaventure Friary in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. The twins, born just seconds apart in Buffalo on March 27, 1919, died just hours apart on Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. Professed Franciscan friars for 65 years, they worked together at the St. Bonaventure Friary. 

(AP Photo/St. Bonaventure University, Beth Eberth)

By CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press – Fri Jun 3, 9:39 pm ET

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Identical twins Julian and Adrian Riester were born seconds apart 92 years ago. They died hours apart this week. The Buffalo-born brothers were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor. Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town.

"It was fun to see them, just quiet, gentle souls," Yvonne Peace, who worked at the St. Bonaventure Friary for nearly 21 years, said Friday.

They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.

Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008.

"It really is almost a poetic ending to the remarkable story of their lives," St. Bonaventure spokesman Tom Missel said. "Stunning when you hear it, but hardly surprising given that they did almost everything together."

Julian and Adrian Riester were born Jerome and Irving on March 27, 1919, to a couple who already had five daughters. They took the names of saints upon their ordination in the Catholic church.

"Dad was a doctor and he said a prayer for a boy," Adrian once said, according to St. Bonaventure. "The Lord fooled him and sent two."

After attending St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, the brothers were turned away by the military because of their eyesight, the university said. One had a bad left eye, the other a bad right eye.

Eventually they joined the friars of Holy Name Province in New York City. They received separate assignments before reuniting at the seminary at St. Bonaventure from 1951 to 1956. After serving parishes in Buffalo for 17 years, they returned to St. Bonaventure in 1973 and spent the next 35 years there.

They had separate rooms in the friary but one telephone extension that rang into both, Peace recalled. It was usually the more talkative Adrian who answered, though Julian possessed a quiet authority. They never said who was born first.

"Brother Julian was like the big brother. Brother Adrian would defer to him," Peace said. "They picked up one of our friars at the airport one time and the friar said, `Can I take you to dinner?'

"Brother Adrian looked at Brother Julian and said, `We aren't going to dinner?' `No, we'll go home,'" Peace said. "So that was it. No discussion, no contradicting. `No, we aren't going today.'"

Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg. Afterward, the brothers' bodies will be flown to Buffalo and buried Wednesday at St. Bonaventure Cemetery, across the street from the university.

One Grumpy, but Grateful Mama

My little Hudson is developmentally delayed.  In our state children with developmental delays receive services through a non profit agency until they turn three and then turned over to the local school district where they are required to start preschool on their Birthday or the first school day following their Birthday.  He recently turned three, which means that he also started preschool.  I usually comply with the things that I am asked to, as I have with this preschool thing, but I have not been all together happy with it for a couple of reasons. (1) There are only three weeks of school before summer break.  Why not just wait until school starts in the fall? (2) The program is 1/2 special needs and 1/2 "normal" kids.  I really like that idea, but the Federal Government has recently lifted the 15 person per class cap and there are now 25 kids in his class 25, 25!!!!  Not only is that an insane amount of children in the class room, but the class is full of three year olds with special needs.  Since the class is so big that means there is not room for his twin brother because they are only allowing the special needs kids that they are required to by law.  Even though I have been a little grumpy about it I have done what I am supposed to and taken my little guy, all by himself to preschool.  I have actually been enjoying the one on one time with Nick, Hudson has adjusted well and I have been very impressed with his teacher and the program.

This morning things have been a little different.  About an hour after I dropped Hudson off at preschool I received a call from his teacher informing me that he had "gotten away from them".  She said that he had gotten from the classroom, which is in a separate building behind the school, through the parking lot and across the street.  That is not even the worst part.  Someone found him (not sure if it was someone that stopped their car to keep from hitting him or someone came out of their house and just happened to notice him).  Whomever found him had enough time to go around to three or four daycare center/preschools nearby to see if he belonged at any of them and called the police all BEFORE the school noticed that he was missing.  His teacher said he had been missing for about 20 minutes  20 minutes!!!!  There is a busy highway less than 100 feet from the school where the speed limit is 50 mph, which could have been deadly, not to mention if the person that found him could have been a kidnapping pervert, he could have been attacked by a dog, etc...  As you can tell my mind has gone crazy with this one.  My husband was very skeptical of him ever even going to preschool in the first place.  He is young and does not talk well enough to tell us if someone is doing something to him that they shouldn't be or to even know if someone is doing something they shouldn't for that matter.  I assured my husband that the preschool is done through the school district, regulated, background check checks are in place, etc, etc..  It's pretty much as safe as we are going to get and I feel like we need to get our little boy all the help we possibly can.  With that in mind I convinced him that our little boy was going to be safe and we sent him off to preschool.  He was not a happy camper when I called him with the news this morning.  He made the drive from his office to the school in record time where we "hashed things out" with the principal and his teacher.   As for now we came up with a plan of items that are going to be done in order to prevent this type of thing from happening in the future and they are going to let us know when they are all taken care of, we will check it all out and then take him back to preschool.  I really don't blame the teacher.  I think she is doing things as well as she possibly can with the class size that she has.  I would really like to share my concerns with the state or federal government somehow without getting the teacher in trouble.  In the meantime we are very thankful that the situation turned out the way that it did and are certain that he was being watched over.

UPDATE:
I received the incident report from the teacher stating that I dropped him off at 9:00 AM and they discovered that he was missing at 9:40 AM.  They are assuming that he "escaped" shortly after I dropped him off as other parents were bringing their children into the classroom.  The 20 minutes just went to 40.  Not settling so well with me.  I also spoke with the police officer who said that a man driving by saw him and stopped his car.  I'm not sure if he had to stop suddenly to keep from hitting him or if they just noticed him wandering.  I will be forever grateful for this man.  Not only was he not texting or distracted in some other way while he was driving and actually saw my little boy rather than hitting him or just driving past him, but he took the time to get out of his car and take care of my helpless little boy.  I also have no doubt that my baby was being watched over from above.  I think we will be taking a break from preschool while we wrap our minds around this situation.

Study: Twin Moms Live Longer

www.harktheherald.com  May 10, 2011

Karen Ellingson got a couple of surprises when she found out she was pregnant with her second child.

One surprise was her third child.

The other was how healthy her second pregnancy was, even though she was pregnant with twins, which typically see more problems than single births.

"For whatever reason, my cravings were for things like vegetables and strawberries, whereas my first baby, it was like, give me a Big Mac and french fries or I will die," the Springville woman said.

Ellingson's twins didn't come early, as twins are prone to do; she actually was induced at 40 weeks and two days, which is about as full as a full-term pregnancy can be. She was never on bed rest; she said she walked consistently throughout her pregnancy.

She could be the poster mother for the results of a study from a University of Utah professor that found mothers of twins tend to live longer than mothers who only give birth to single babies.

It's not that having twins makes you healthier, family and consumer sciences professor Ken Smith said. It's that healthy women are more likely to naturally conceive twins and then continue to be healthy.

"Whatever the mystery ingredient is, that's what's leading to the association between twinning and longevity," he said.

Smith looked at almost 60,000 Utah mothers born in the 1800s, during a period without modern birth control or in vitro fertilization, who lived to at least 50 years old. About 4,600 of those women gave birth to twins, which is one of the largest samples available. Twin moms averaged about a 5 percent lower chance of dying each year after age 50 than single-birth mothers.

The significance today is that something made those women healthier and more robust, and it's possible that something is still floating around in Utah families.

"If it's this innate healthiness that is what the mother of that twin had, that's the ingredient that we're kind of circling around, that could be and probably is being passed on to her descendants," he said.

The study does not extrapolate toward women who have undergone fertility treatments. It also didn't take into account those mothers who died young; the researchers looked at those who made it past menopause.

The good news is, most mothers did make it past 50 years old, and from there those who gave birth to twins had an edge on moms of singles.

In some ways that seems counter intuitive, since having a newborn is stressful and having two newborns increases that stress exponentially. Smith admitted he was surprised, especially since these pioneer women were likely to see their longevity decrease as the number of children they bore increased.

"That was probably the most stressful time of my entire life because I was so sleep deprived," Ellingson said. "There's always somebody who needs you."

Springville resident Janette Weakley, a mother of 3-year-old twin girls, found the conclusions interesting, although not exactly surprising. She spent the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy in bed, and the twins came five weeks early, but mother and babies were fine. Weakley said she actually recovered more quickly after that pregnancy than the two before it or the one after it.

Part of that, she suspects, is in addition to two newborns she had two toddlers to chase. But she also started running sooner. She also, however, considers herself fairly healthy; she runs frequently, which both serves to keep her fit and helps to relieve pent-up frustration, and she and her family eat healthy foods.

But she also could see a correlation between wrestling twins and longevity.

"It's definitely a lot of work, and I believe hard work can you make live longer," Weakley said.

She's 31 -- "who knows if I'm really going to live longer?" -- but said she constantly talks to people when she takes the twins out who have a twin or know twins or are related to twins; she's intrigued by the variety of people who experience double birth.

Smith would like to look into whether this trend is still continuing, but the numbers are much harder to see today than they were 100 years ago. He suspects the natural robustness and the tendency toward twinning is there, but the rate of women having twins has dropped as fewer women have children and those who do don't have seven, eight or in one woman's case, 22 live births.

It certainly poses a number of questions about life span and health, he said.

"People age different, people survive at different ages and there's lots of variation," Smith said. "What are the contributing factors?"

Types of Twins

During my pregnancy I felt like we were educated a little more than I ever cared to be regarding different types of twins.  For some reason I was fascinated when I read all of this:

www.wikipedia.com
Zygosity is the degree of identity in the genome of twins. There are five common variations of twinning. The three most common variations are all fraternal (dizygotic):

• Male–female twins are the most common result, 50 percent of fraternal twins and the most common grouping of twins.
• Female–female fraternal twins (sometimes called "sororal twins")
• Male–male fraternal twins

The other two variations are identical (monozygotic) twins:

• Female–female identical twins
• Male–male identical twins (least common)

Among non-twin births, male singletons are slightly (about five percent) more common than female singletons. The rates for singletons vary slightly by country. For example, the sex ratio of birth in the US is 1.05 males/female,^[9] while it is 1.07 males/female in Italy.^[10] However, males are also more susceptible than females to death in utero, and since the death rate in utero is higher for twins, it leads to female twins being more common than male twins.

 Fraternal (dizygotic) twins

Eight month old fraternal twin girls napping

Fraternal or dizygotic (DZ) twins (also referred to as "non-identical twins", "dissimilar twins", "biovular twins", and, in cases of females, occasionally sororal twins) usually occur when two fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterus wall at the same time. When two eggs are independently fertilized by two different sperm cells, fraternal twins result. The two eggs, or ova, form two zygotes, hence the terms dizygotic and biovular.
Fraternal twins, like any other siblings, have an extremely small chance of having the same chromosome profile. Like any other siblings, fraternal twins may look similar, particularly given that they are the same age. However, fraternal twins may also look very different from each other. They may be of different sexes or the same sex. The same holds true for brothers and sisters from the same parents, meaning that fraternal twins are simply brothers and/or sisters who happen to be the same age.
Studies show that there is a genetic basis for fraternal twinning. However, it is only their mother that has any effect on the chances of having fraternal twins; there is no known mechanism for a father to cause the release of more than one ovum. Dizygotic twinning ranges from six per thousand births in Japan (similar to the rate of monozygotic twins) to 14 and more per thousand in some African countries.^[6]
Fraternal twins are also more common for older mothers, with twinning rates doubling in mothers over the age of 35.^[11] With the advent of technologies and techniques to assist women in getting pregnant, the rate of fraternals has increased markedly.

Identical (monozygotic) twins

Comparison of zygote development in identical and fraternal twins. In the uterus, a majority of identical twins (60–70%) share the same placenta but have separate amniotic sacs. In 18–30% of identical twins each fetus has a separate placenta and a separate amniotic sac. A small number (1–2%) of identical twins share the same placenta and amniotic sac. Fraternal twins each have their own placenta and own amniotic sac.

Identical or monozygotic (MZ) twins occur when a single egg is fertilized to form one zygote (hence, "monozygotic") which then divides into two separate embryos.
There are an estimated 11 million sets of identical twins and triplets in the world today.

Mechanism

Regarding spontaneous or natural monozygotic twinning, a recent theory posits that identical twins are formed after a blastocyst essentially collapses, splitting the progenitor cells (those that contain the body's fundamental genetic material) in half, leaving the same genetic material divided in two on opposite sides of the embryo. Eventually, two separate fetuses develop.^[12] Spontaneous division of the zygote into two embryos is not considered to be a hereditary trait, but rather a spontaneous or random event.^[11][13]
Identical twins may also be created artificially by embryo splitting. It can be used as an expansion of IVF to increase the number of available embryos for embryo transfer.^[14]

Incidence

Monozygotic twinning occurs in birthing at a rate of about three in every 1000 deliveries worldwide.^[13]
The likelihood of a single fertilization resulting in identical twins is uniformly distributed in all populations around the world.^[11] This is in marked contrast to fraternal twinning, which ranges from about six per thousand births in Japan (almost similar to the rate of identical twins, which is around 4–5) to 15 and more per thousand in some parts of India^[15] and up to 24 in the US,^{[citation needed]} which might mainly be due to IVF (in vitro fertilization). The exact cause for the splitting of a zygote or embryo is unknown.
In-vitro fertilization techniques are more likely to create twins. Only about three pairs of twins per 1,000 deliveries occur as a result of natural conception, while for IVF deliveries, there are nearly 21 pairs of twins for every 1,000.^[16]

Genetic and epigenetic similarity

Identical twins are genetically identical (unless there has been a mutation during development) and they are always the same sex. On rare occasions, identical twins may express different phenotypes (normally due to an environmental factor or the deactivation of different X chromosomes in female identical twins), and in some extremely rare cases, due to aneuploidy, twins may express different sexual phenotypes, normally due to an XXY Klinefelter's syndrome zygote splitting unevenly.^[17][18]
Identical twins actually have only nearly identical DNA, and differing environmental influences throughout their lives affect which genes are switched on or off. This is called epigenetic modification. A study of 80 pairs of human twins ranging in age from three to 74 showed that the youngest twins have relatively few epigenetic differences. The number of epigenetic differences between identical twins increases with age. Fifty-year-old twins had over three times the epigenetic difference of three-year-old twins. Twins who had spent their lives apart (such as those adopted by two different sets of parents at birth) had the greatest difference.^[19] However, certain characteristics become more alike as twins age, such as IQ and personality.^[20][21] This phenomenon illustrates the influence of genetics in many aspects of human characteristics and behavior.^{[citation needed]}

Phenotype similarity

Contrary to common opinion, identical twins are not always of the same phenotypical sex. There have been described cases where monozygocity resulted in 46,XO (i.e. female with Turner syndrome) and 46,XY (i.e. male). This is thought to be due to unequal distribution of zygotic protoplasm. However, as a rule, traits and physical appearances of MZ twins are very similar.
Identical twins look alike, although they do not have the same fingerprints (which are environmental as well as genetic). As they mature, identical twins often become less alike because of lifestyle choices or external influences. The children of identical twins would test genetically as half-siblings rather than first cousins.

Half-identical twins

Half-identical or semi-identical twins (also referred to as "half twins") are the result of a very rare form of twinning in which the twins inherit exactly the same genes from their mother but different genes from their father. Although examples of half-identical twins have been found, the exact mechanism of their conception is not well-understood, but could theoretically occur in polar body twinning where sperm cells fertilize both the ovum and the second polar body.
This situation is not the same as the common form of fraternal twinning, in which two genetically different ova are fertilized by two genetically different sperm. In this case, the ova are genetically identical.

Types

There are two mechanisms by which this might happen:

• Polar twins (or "polar body twins"), where two sperm fertilize an ovum, one of the two fertilizing a polar body;^[22] or where an ovum splits into identical copies, one containing a polar body, prior to fertilization, allowing it to be fertilized by two different sperm.^[23][24]
• Sesquizygotic twins, where two sperm fertilize the one ovum, forming a triploid, and then splitting.^[25]

Incidence

A 1981 study of a dead triploid XXX twin fetus without a heart showed that although its fetal development suggested that it was an identical twin, as it shared a placenta with its healthy twin, tests revealed that it was likely a polar body twin. The authors were unable to predict whether a healthy fetus could result from a polar body twinning.^[26] In 2003 a study argued that many cases of triploidity arise from semi-identical twinning.^[27] In 2007, a study reported a case of a pair of living twins, one a hermaphrodite and one a phenotypical male. The twins were both found to be chimeras and to share all of their maternal DNA but only half of their father's DNA. The exact mechanism of fertilization could not be determined but the study stated that it was unlikely to be a case of polar body twinning.^[28]

Degree of separation

Various types of chorionicity and amniosity (how the baby's sac looks) in monozygotic (one egg/identical) twins as a result of when the fertilized egg divides

The degree of separation of the twins in utero depends on if and when they split into two zygotes. Dizygotic twins were always two zygotes. Monozygotic twins split into two zygotes at some time very early in the pregnancy. The timing of this separation determines the chorionicity and amniocity (the number of sacs) of the pregnancy. Dichorionic twins either never divided (i.e.: were dizygotic) or they divided within the first 4 days. Monoamnionic twins divide after the first week.
In very rare cases, twins become conjoined twins. Furthermore, there can be various degrees of shared environment of twins in the womb, potentially leading to pregnancy complications.
It is a common misconception that two placentas means twins are dizygotic (non-identical). But if monozygotic twins separate early enough, the arrangement of sacs and placentas in utero is indistinguishable from dizygotic twins.

Type	Description	Day
Dichorionic-Diamniotic	Normally, twins have two separate (di- being a numerical prefix for two) chorions and amniotic sacs, termed Dichorionic-Diamniotic or "DiDi". It occurs in almost all cases of dizygotic twins (except in very rare cases of fusion between their blastocysts[29] ), in 99.7% of all pregnancies,[30] and in 18–36%[31] (or around 25%[29]) of monozygotic (identical) twins. DiDi twins have the lowest mortality risk at about 9 percent, although that is still significantly higher than that of singletons.[32]	Dichorionic-Diamniotic twins form when splitting takes place by the third day after fertilization.[29]
Monochorionic-Diamniotic	Monochorionic twins share the same placenta. Monochorionic twins generally have two amniotic sacs (called Monochorionic-Diamniotic "MoDi"), which occurs in 60–70% of the pregnancies with monozygotic twins.[31] Monochorionic-Diamniotic twins are almost always monozygotic, with a few exceptions where the blastocysts have fused.[29]	Days 4-8
Monochorionic-Monoamniotic	Sometimes, monochorionic twins also share the same amnion. This situation occurs in 1–2% of monozygotic twin pregnancies.[31] Monoamniotic twins are always monozygotic (identical twins).[33] The survival rate for monoamniotic twins is somewhere between 50%[33] to 60%.[34] Consequently, if twins are monoamniotic that means that the two babies will be sharing a placenta and as a result, due to the small capacity of sharing a sac, the umbilical cord has an increased chance of being tangled around the babies. Because of this, there is an increased chance that the newborns may be miscarried or suffer from cerebral palsy due to the lack of oxygen.	Monoamniotic twins occur when the split takes place after the ninth day after fertilization.[29]
Conjoined twins	When the division of the developing zygote into 2 embryos occurs, 99% of the time it is within 8 days of fertilization. Mortality is highest for conjoined twins due to the many complications resulting from shared organs.	If the division of the zygote occurs later than the 12 days then conjoined twins are usually the result.

When did it get "easier"?

One of my good friends had five kids within three years (a set of twins in the middle) and I remember asking her when it would get easier. Her reply was, "It doesn't get easier, it just changes."  In many ways I agree with her, but as I am sure she would agree there are as many things to love and enjoy about each phase as there is chaos.  For me things have gotten a lot easier since my boys turned two.  The first year I am pretty sure we were at the pediatricians office at least once a week many times more along with several specialists, therapists, and the childrens hospital.  The fun and joys of prematurity!  The second year was a little easier, but not much.  When they turned two it seemed like we were still swimming up stream, but could come up for air from time to time.  In the past few months life has seemed that much easier.  I think both of them walking makes things a lot easier.  Now we are having lots of fun chasing them!  Honestly, I have to say that twins hasn't been the hard part for me.  My boys have been such easy babies.  Both of them together have been easier than one of my girls were.  I love my girls just as much as my boys, but they both very VERY hard babies.  I think the thing that has been so overwhelming for me has been having four kids within five years and working through all of the prematurity issues.

Yes, they were both sufficiently scrubbed down and sanitized immediately after this picture was taken!

Two of a kind: Twins share love of aviation

www.harktheherald.com  April 4, 2011

By Andrew Van Wagenen

It was a classic twin moment. Located hundreds of miles apart, two twin brothers thinking the same thing at the same time, yet completely independent of each other.

It happened 11 years ago, while Mike Patey attended an air show with his father-in-law. Mike's brother Mark, who didn't know Mike was attending an air show, called to tell Mike he found a good deal on a plane and wanted to know if Mike would be interested in learning to fly, which of course he was.

"By the time I got back, Mark was already learning to fly in it," said Mike Patey. "We both got into it and never looked back."

Since the Patey brothers bought their first plane, a Cessna 172, they have custom built five planes, flown to over 350 airports around the country and acquired just about every type of aviation license from commercial plane to sea plane to helicopter.

"We do everything aviation. If it goes up we can pretty much fly it," Mike said.

Their latest creations are two Lancair Legacy single-prop planes built from kits. Mike has a twin-turbo, 550-cubic-inch, six-cylinder engine and Mark has a twin-turbo, 580-inch, six-cylinder engine.

"It's kind of stupid big," Mike says, referring to the plane's engine.

Both brothers work in pharmaceuticals and travel constantly all over the country for their business. Rather than fly on commercial jets, the twins use their personal aircraft to commute between appointments.

"This is why we've built them to be so fast," Mark explains.

Originally the goal was to build planes that would get them home from work faster, but as they got halfway through the project they realized they could break a few speed records.

In March, the twins decided to put their super planes to the test by challenging the transcontinental world air speed record for fastest single engine internal combustion aircraft.

In their separate planes the twins took off from San Diego hoping to break the record on two routes. After flying side by side to Texas, where they stopped to refuel, Mike flew the northern route to Charleston, S.C., beating the record by 19 minutes. Mark flew the southern route to Jacksonville, Fla., also setting a record.

Afterwards Mike flew down to Jacksonville to meet up with Mark and the next day turned around and broke the east to west transcontinental record flying from Jacksonville, Fla. to San Diego.

Currently the twins are designing a new, one-of-a-kind, two-seat jet from scratch.

"We want to be the first civilians to go supersonic," Mike explains with a large grin on his face. "We want to go after some military world records next."

For those who know Mark and Mike, these kind of projects come as no surprise. Jim Robinson owns an air hanger next to the Patey's at the Spanish Fork Airport.

"They are very entrepreneurial-type people," Robinson said. "They create things and they get out and do things."

Robinson, the twins, and other pilots at the airport spend a lot of time trying to solve problems by bouncing ideas off each other.

Six years ago the twins began volunteering for Utah County's search and rescue team. Mark flies a helicopter, co-owned by his brother, Mike, and their friend Dr. Bryan Trapnell, during search and rescue missions.

Lieutenant Dave Bennett, of Utah County Sheriff's Search and Rescue, flies with Mark on most of the missions as a spotter.

"There has been a number of times where someone's life was saved because of him," Bennett said.

Raised in Utah County, the twins had 11 brothers and sisters in their family.

"We grew up really, really poor," Mike said, "but my dad and mom are the greatest people on the planet. They always told us we could accomplish anything, and that we didn't need money to do it. You just had to have a drive and a willingness to go out and try."

Together, the twins started building go-karts at age 9 and rebuilding cars, boats, motorcycles and ATVs before they even had their driver's licenses. They had a small business by the time they graduated high school.

"Always having someone who is like-minded and excited with you no matter what is awesome," Mike said about having a twin brother. "I don't know how much we would consider doing something without the other one involved."

Copyright 2011 Daily Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Nap with a side of popcorn

,

It gets a bit challenging when one twin still needs a nap while is in the in between stage and most of the time does not.  Usually I put Hudson in his bed and let Nick watch a movie with a snack in hopes that will be more exciting than waking up his brother, but some days it doesn't work.  I have tried the childproof door knob things and those keep him out, but it doesn't do much good when he sits outside of the door knocking, crying for his little buddy.  Yesterday I proceeded with the routine and started putting my groceries away.  After a few minutes I noticed that things were a little too quiet.  Nick didn't want his brother to miss out on anything, so he had dumped his popcorn all over him and was knocking on his blanket to wake him up.  Wish me luck for tomorrow!

Twin Shock!

I know there are a few out there that dream of having a set of twins.  That was not me!  Parenting did not come as naturally to me as I thought it should have.  I literally almost fainted when the ultrasound man (or whatever he is called) said that I was going to be having two babies.  I walked around in a foggy shock having anxiety driven chest pains for a few days until I called a good friend.  She has had much more experience than I have in life and has a set of twins that are now grown.  She told me that she had always considered herself to be special because not everyone gets to have twins and that in spite of many crazy moments she had greatly enjoyed her twins.  She also told me that there is nothing sweeter than seeing them asleep next to each other.  Anyone that is in the same panic that I was in-she was right!  For some reason that was all I needed.  I was still nervous at times, but for some reason considering myself to be one of the special few twin moms made it easier.

Multiples Discounts & Freebies

I had been working forever on putting together a list similar to this one, but stopped as soon as I saw this.  It has everything that I had found and MORE!  Please send me an email or leave a comment if you know of any others.

http://www.raising-twins.com/free-stuff-for-twins.html
Having twins is expensive so we love freebies and good deals! From double the car seats, highchairs, clothes , formula, bottles, DIAPERS, and baby food , it all really adds up fast. I've compiled a list of free stuff and deals here for you.

Planning in advance and saving all those coupons can really help. Here is a list of companies that have special offers available for twin families.

Free Stuff for Twins - magazine subscription American Baby Magazine

Babies "R" Us - they do have a discount for multiples - they offer 10% off two or more of the same item purchased in the same order - 2 cribs, 2 strollers etc. Babies R Us deals for twins

Beechnut Baby Foods You can call 1-800-BEECHNUT ( 1-800-233-2468) to request a freebies new parents pack for your twins. They will include double the normal amount of coupons for products and and you'll get ongoing newsletters with additional coupons. You can also sign up for an online email newsletter. Beechnut newsletter for more coupons

Get a freebies gift here for breastfeeding moms

Newsletter, product information and coupons 1-800-442-4221 Earth's Best Baby Foods

Enfamil( Mead Johnson) - talk to your pediatrician after your babies are born and ask them to contact their local Enfamil representative who can issue a recommendation that free products be sent to the parents. You can also call 1-800-BABY-123 ( 1-800-222-9123) to join the Enfamil Family Beginnings Program for ongoing coupons through the mail.

Evenflo Call 1-800-233-5921 for information on receiving a freebies gift basket for twins. You'll need to send them proof of your babies by mail but call first to get registered.

The First Years Write to them to request being a part of their Multiple Birth Program ( you'll need to send copies of the birth certificates) and get a free gift basket of rattles/toys. The mailing address is The First Years Attention Multiples , 100 Technology Center Dr, Ste 2A Stoughton, MA 02072

Gerber Call 1-800-4-GERBER ( 1-800-443-7237) to sign up for the Gerber Supertwins program. You'll get coupons for free Gerber products- double the amount sent to parents of singletons.

Halo Sleep Sac - These are the BEST way to get your babies to sleep !!! Call 1-888-999-4256 - they offer buy one full price ( $24.95) get one for half price - ask for the twin discount! Get your babies to sleep

Heinz - Call 1-800-872-2229 to receive free stuff for twins - welcome packets for each of your twins - coupons for Heinz baby products and informational literature.

Huggies-they will give you a one time gift of much higher-value coupons for parents of twins and you'll receive ongoing coupons through the mail after signing up for their program. Mail proof of birth to Kimberly Clark Corp. Dept. QMB PO Box 2020 Neenah, WI 54957-2020

JC Penney Portraits There's an online form on the JC Penney website to sign up for their Multiple Birth Program. You can get a pair of portrait sitting coupons for your twins ( offers can vary)- Complete the online form here

Johnson and Johnson - Call 1-800-526-3967 to receive free stuff for twins- a twins pack that includes great coupons and informational literature on their baby products.

McNeal Consumer Products The makers of Tylenol will send you free welcome packs for your twins if you call 1-800-962-5357 ( option #5) and make sure you tell them you have twins !

Mom and Baby Works they offer deals for parents and multiples through their Multiple Births Program. They have buy one, get one free on selected products purchased directly through our 1-866-477-5144 Check them out here!

Nestle Infant Nutrition-Call 1-800-782-7766 to request the address and a registration code number so that you can mail them proof of your twins ( doctor's letter, crib cards, birth certificates), to get coupons for 2 free cans of Nestle Good Start DNA and RNA formula. Take all the freebies offers on formula that you can - it really adds up and you don't know at first which one you'll be using long term! You can also sign up for their free magazine online ( more coupons in here !) Nestle

Oceanspray - Parents of twins can receive a special deal on Oceanspray product coupons in the Multiple Birth Program. Send a copy of proof of your twins birth to Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. One Ocean Spray Drive, Lakeville-Middleboro, MA 02349

OshKosh B'Gosh- they will give you 10% off on all products sold in their stores if you are a parent of twins - ask at the cashier for the discount

Pampers or Luvs - Call 1-800-726-7377 to request a freebie package as part of their Pampers Multiples Birth program or call 1-800-665-3257 for a freebies package from the Luvs Multiple Birth program. You'll get coupons for diapers and wipes and product samples. Sign up for both !

Playtex Diaper Genie - to be part of their Multiple Birth Program and get a coupon for $7.00 off a Diaper Genie and other coupons send your name and address and proof of your twins birth to Playtex Diaper Genie, 20 Troy Road, Whittany, NJ, 07981

Preschoolian Shoes- Fax copies of the birth certificates to 1-866-681-1081 ( toll free) and include your email addy. They will email you back a code which will reduce the price of your by 50% - shoes must be purchased in multiples of 2 ( 2, 4 6) - For more information you can go here

Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus - you can get free stuff for twins circus certificates for your twins if you sign up online before they turn one - they don't have an expiration date and kids usually appreciate the circus more when they're a little older - after you're registered send a copy of your twins birth certificates to Baby's First Circus Program , Feld Entertainment, Inc, 8607 Westwood Center Drive, VA, 22182 Fill out the online form here

Similac - Call 1-800-232-7677 for information on their Welcome Additions Club and to receive a welcome kit of coupons and samples. It's too confusing to sign up online for twins so call them and tell them your good news!

White House Greetings - not twin specific but a fun thing to do - send your twins names, birthdate and your address to the White House to receive an official congratulations from the President - nice keepsake! Write to The White House Greeting Office Room 39, Washington D.C. 20500


Sassy , Inc 1-800-633-9111 Buy one, get one free, offer for a feeding utensil set or training cup. Spencers 1-800-633-9111 Growth chart, product booklet and coupons.
Stride Rite Stores - have discounts for multiples - ask for details in store.
Make sure you bookmark this freebies page
and send over any twin mommies you meet - we all need all the help we can get! You can always pass along any coupons that don't apply to you and your family.

Cryin' over spilled milk

No such thing as a relaxing Saturday morning at this house!  As I was finishing a conversation with my five year old to decide what her discipline should be for her disaster of the day when her sister came in to let me know that the boys had spilled the milk on the living room floor and were now sucking it out of the carpet with their mouths.  I  quickly moved the little milk licking kittens up to the couch, threw a towel on the mini milk pond and attempted to stomp the milk out of the carpet all the while my boys were squealing with excitement as "mommy was jumping on the milk".  Unfortunately I was not in the right frame of mind to think of pulling out my camera.  If this is any indication of how this day is going to be I may be nicely tucked in my closet consuming large amounts of chocolate by the time my husband gets home.:)

10 Reasons Why Parenting Twins is the Best

www.squidoo.com

(Not in any particular order)

#10I Get Much More Exercise Than I Used to Get


I counted one day the number of times that I ran up and down the stairs between naps, diaper changes, outfit changes and things I forgot. It came to 49 times up and down.

Then as the twins get older, you have the joy of chasing them around. Chasing them around the kitchen, chasing them around the mall, chasing them around the playground. Well, I think you see the idea here.

And, I haven't even talked about carrying around two babies at the same time all the time. My biceps were almost like Linda Hamilton's in The Terminator when my twins were little. I have yet to meet an overweight twins mom and now I know why.




#9 I Get to Do Everything Twice. I Get to Do Everything Twice.

People will say to me "raising twins must be so hard" and I always reply with "no, not really. I just do for one what I do for the other one." If I change a diaper, I do it for each of them. If I prepare food, I do it twice. If I put one to bed, the other goes to bed too.

I also get to repeat myself twice. So, just in case I didn't hear myself the first time or I've forgotten what I've said, it won't be long before I have the chance to say it again to the other twin.



#8 I Get to Shop Often


I'm constantly at Target either because I forgot something on my last trip or I ran run out of diapers. I usually would buy enough diapers to last me to the next millenium, but somehow we constantly run out of them.

The twice a year shopping for clothes can be a little overwhelming since I have to buy for both a boy and a girl, but I'm getting better at organizing my shopping trips.




#7I Get the Best Deals


There are a ton of product deals and discounts created just for parents of multiples, you just have to find them and sometimes ask for them. Did you know that Babies R Us will give you a 10% discount when you buy two of the same item over $100?

Over the years, I've received discounts on these types of items from certain stores and companies.

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Baby Formula
• Cribs
• Car Seats
• Preschool Tuition
• Zoo Admission Fee

For a list of more discounts, here are two sites that I like to recommend About.com Free Stuff for Twins and Twin Pregnancy and Beyond Twin Discounts.




#6 I Feel Like a Superstar Everytime I Go Out


I've learned that people are fascinated by twins, especially senior citizens who have the time to stop and chat. It used to bother me that I couldn't go somewhere without someone stopping me and asking about my twins, but now I love it and am proud that I have twins.

I don't mind answering questions that people have about my twins as long as they aren't intrusive. But, luckily most people just want to take a look at them and reminisce about having young children.




#5Sometimes I Get to Discuss Intimate Details with Strangers

Okay, so this isn't really fun, but I'm always amazed at some of the questions people think they have a right to know about a total stranger.

My favorite questions range from just plain, old rude like "Are your twins natural?" to just silly when you think about it "Are your boy-girl twins identical?" But, like I said most of the people that I encounter while we are out are friendly and just say "looks like you've got your hands full."




#4People Don't Ask Me When I'm Having Another Child


I think people pretty much assume that things are busy enough with twins...and, they'd be right.




#3They Entertain Each Other

I spend a lot of time with my twins since I'm able to work from home. But, because I work from home I also need them to entertain themselves during the day so that I can get work stuff or house stuff done. They have an instant friend in each other and enjoy playing with each other. I think I do have to watch them closer though than if I just had 2 kids of different ages. They come up with the craziest games sometimes and work together to be "tricky monsters" as my husband calls them. They tag-team and can empty a kitchen cabinet in 2 seconds flat.




#2I'm A Part of the Twins Community


Every day, more and more people officially join the "twins community" when they find out that they are pregnant with twins. It is a special group of moms, dads, and children that all look out for each other, share advice, tell stories, and support one another through happy and hard times.

The National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs (NOMOTC) operates through a national chapter and through local chapters. Every state has their own chapter of NOMOTC that meets in-person on a regular basis.

Many other countries have their own multiples group as well. If you are pregnant with twins and would like to connect with other twin families in your area, the NOMOTC is a great place to start.




#1Double the Love, Double the Hugs and Kisses


After the initial shock that I was having twins, I realized that I wouldn't want it any other way. It has been my greatest accomplishment in my life to be pregnant with twins, deliver healthy babies, and to raise twins.

It is challenging at times, but it brings me great joy to watch them grow simultaneously. The most amazing feeling in the world is to be able to hold both your children and get two wet kisses on each cheek at the same time.

Hope you liked the list! Now that you feel all warm and fuzzy, you can head over and read Part 2 - The 5 Most Horrible Things about Raising Twins.