2012 Twins Days Festival!!!

Just booked our rooms for the 2012 Twins Days Festival! I am so incredibly excited! The festival is such an amazingly fun weekend. I have to admit, its kinda like entering the Twilight Zone! There are two of everyone and everyone is dressed the same... young and old, identical from head to toe. Shoes, belts, jewelry, nail polish... all identical! It is just wild to see!

We took our boys to their first festival in 2010 when they were just 11 months old. We had absolutely no idea what to expect- we just knew that it was a pretty big deal and it wasn't too far from home! So off we went to Twinsburg, Ohio and three hours later we arrived in the friendliest place on earth! If there is just one thing I can share about the Twins Days Festival, its how nice everyone is! Its quite unbelievable, you really need to experience it for yourself. Just by virtue of being a twin (or a parent of one!), you have this unspoken bond with each and every other person there. Strangers run up to hug you and take pictures with you. That first year as soon as we were checked into our hotel room we took the boys downstairs to the giant outdoor swimming pool and within minutes, a set of older twins from New York - Denise and Diane- had taken our boys from us and swam them over to introduce them to the rest of their group as the new youngest members! They then introduced us to the "old" youngest members- 21 year old identical boys that they have met with every year since the boys were 1 year old :) Within moments, the boys were making friendships that would last a lifetime.

That first year, the theme was "Western", so Jon threw together some adorably cute cowboy outfits for the boys and built a Conestoga wagon to pull them in the parade. Cute as buttons, they were HUGE hits all weekend!!! They even won the "Most Alike Twins ages 0-12 months" contest! I breathed a sigh of relief... at least no one could blame me for not being able to tell them apart! We had such a blast, but the entire time, I could see Jon's wheels spinning... he was soaking it all in and secretly making plans for our return the next year :)

2011- Our boys 2nd festival and the theme was "Circus". With one year under our belts, we were ready!!! Jon decided that we were going to enter with a bang, and he meant that quite literally!!! For the parade, he built a giant double decker human cannon and we dressed the boys up as human cannon balls... Cannonball Cal and Matty the Magnificent!! We decided that going shirtless was their "thing", so we stuck with it :) The Friday night wienie roast (a must!) was a total blast... the boys danced the night away with friends young and old. But Saturday morning was their big entrance and boy oh boy did they blow it away! (Pun intended- Bazinga!) Jon and the boys won the prestigious "Mayor's Award" for the best costume/float in the entire parade!!! When we returned to the festival that afternoon, everyone was hootin' and hollerin' as the boys walked by... they were famous! They also won the best kids costume contest, and took 3rd place in the Most Alike Twins age 1-2 category :)

Cannonball Cal and Matty the Magnificent!

Cruisin' the parade route!

Mayor's Choice Trophy and their medals for Best Costume (1st) and Most Alike Twins (3rd)

But best of all, we got to see all of our friends again. It was truly amazing how nearly everyone we had met the year before remembered our boys and how they were so excited to see them again. And of course we made new friends... 2 week old twin friends, fraternal twin friends born 8 days apart, another set of human cannonball friends, 94 year old twin friends, and many many more. After only two years, it truly felt like our boys were making friends for a lifetime. With this year's festival quickly approaching, we can't wait to go back and spend another twin-riffic weekend with all of our friends. This year's theme is "Super Heros" and Jon is in full-on planning mode! Although he's got it narrowed down to two choices, he hasn't made a final decision yet... but I can guarantee it is going to knock your socks off!!!!! You don't wanna miss it!!!

If you are a twin, or if you have twins, you just HAVE to come to the festival this year! Come and experience it at least once, but I promise that by the end of the weekend you'll be wanting to come back again and again!!!