Rich,

I have great respect for parents of multiples.....they have you out numbered already.....2 against 2 is advantage kids....LOL

great post..I am a twin and it is great..your boys will always have a special bond with each other.

Rich, I loved reading this post about you and your family. I had no idea you had twins and that is how you got into real estate. Happy Fathers Day to you!!

I have 5 kids, but my sister has 5 kids including twins.  She says the first 3 years its way more dificult, but afterwards it's ten times easier as they entertain and help each other out.  I guess it's a matter of perspective.

I loved the story and the video...family is a joy, and birth is a miracle...you had two at one time!  Happy Father's Day Rich!

Happy Fathers Day to you!  I have all the respect in the world for you taking the full time challenging job of being the boys primary care taker...I don't know many men that would be willing to do that and it seems like you are doing a great job! 

Dan -- being "outnumbered" is not so bad  -- I get double the hugs and kisses!

Michael -- I know you are speaking from experience, and my experience has been that that special bond is already evident, even at their young age.

Missy -- Not only are they the reason I got into real estate, but they are the reason I am staying in real estate (despite the tough market we are in)  The rewards (freedom to spend time with my sons) far outweigh the obstacles (sometimes going months between paychecks!)  Thanks for the father's day wishes, too!

Larry -- I actually think that raising twins is easier that an only child, for that very reason -- they have a constant playmate, so my time can be spent working (online, or in the kitchen, for example) while they occupy each other.  Even when they were infants, I could put them in their playroom, turn the monitor on, and listen in to them playing peacefully for an hour or more while I got some laundry done, or wrote a blog post.  A parent of a single child doesn't have that luxury, having to "entertain" the child nearly every waking minute.  I don't know if I could handle that, and my hat is off to parents that do!

Sally -- Thanks for the Fathers' Day wishes, and thanks for prompting me to write about this.

Naoma -- Thanks.  I think my decision to be a stay at home dad was a great one.  I truly think the only reason that more men don't do it, is because they have never tried it.  It is rewarding, challenging, and exciting, far beyond any other job I can think of.

I have run into more stay at home dad's recently than I ever did before.  I think you made a great decision.

My parents tried to have kids for 19 years before they adopted me at the age of 17 months.  My mom quit a good paying job to stay home with me. 

Father's Day is a bittersweet holiday.  My father passed away in 2004. 

Thanks for sharing a part of your life with us.  Happy Father's Day!

Thanks for sharing Rich! Great Video-beautiful place to splash around! Treasure these moments-it goes by so quick. I am also the father of twin boys and I couldn't be prouder of them. They are graduating from college this year and starting their own lives and families.

Trace Adkins song "You're Gonna Miss This" almost brings me to tears everytime I hear it. As all of my children get older (My wife & I have a blended family of 10 children) and I see some of the choices they make, I look back and question both the choices I made as a youth and the "wisdom" that I imparted on them growing up.

It is our responsibility to teach and train our children in the way they should grow, but you will find that you too will learn and grow from their unintended teachings!

Jennifer -- It sounds like you were blessed with a loving family.  I used to work for an adoption agency, and I know that the process of adopting is highly emotional, and very stressful.  It takes a very special type of family, truly dedicated to loving and providing for a child, to even be willing to go through that process.  I am sorry for the recent loss of your father.  I lost my mother in 1992.  The saddest thing to me, sometimes, is not in the loss itself, but in knowing that she never got to meet my sons.

Stephen -- There are a lot of songs that bring tears to my eyes, now that I am a father.  I think I will dedicate another post to that topic, but here is a brief list af some of them:

• Christmas Shoes
• Tears In Heaven
• The Living Years
• Butterfly Kisses
• Concrete Angel

Rich- Happy Fathers Day.....doubly :)  Thank you for entering this in the Positive Experience Contest...wantingthe flexibility to spend time with our kids is certainly one of the reasons many got into this business...... Thank you for sharing your experience.

I had to follow the link from Sally's post when I saw you had twins. I have twin brothers. I personally could NOT have handled it! My one and only child just turned 18, graduated Magna Cum Laude from high school and has a full scholarship to a Bible College in the fall =)  I only had one child, by choice. I'm not cut out for anything more. But my daughter will probably have about a dozen kids. LOL  And I'm sure she'll love it.

Rich: I LOVE your story. I am a sucker for Mr. Mom's.... I hope you had a super Father's Day (but how could you not, right?).

My twins are 26.  Along with their brother and two sister's my five kids have filled my life with love, joy and no dull moments.

Kathy -- I am pleased that you enjoyed it.  Talking about my twins is one of my favorite things to do.  I have been told that if I talked about houses the way I talk about the twins, I might sell a lot more homes!  Now that I think of it, all of my closings have been with clients I have at some point introduced my kids to...hmmm...maybe I need to incorporate them into my marketing plan somehow...

Lisa -- Congratulations!  College graduation is a big deal.  Believe me, we are not looking forward to the double hit that tuition is going to be, but we are positioning ourselves now so that we will be able to afford it down the road.  My wife works at Swarthmore College, and they have a great employee benefit:  The will pay half of the tuition for dependents, no matter what college they attend, so that will make the load on us a bit more manageable, to be certain!

Kat -- We had a great Fathers' Day.  One of my twins made me a promise, that from now on, no matter where we are on fathers' day, if we can't be together, we will each go bowling, and think of each other.  (We have only gone bowling once, as a family, but it seems to have struck a chord for him...do you think I can reserve a lane a year in advance?)

Fran -- Congrats on raising your family.  But your job is not done yet...do either (or both) of your twins want to buy a home?  If so, I know where they can find a Realtor! 

Rich, I enjoyed reading about your twins.  As you know, I have twin daughters (26) and a son (29).  One of the daughters got married a couple of years ago and the other is getting married on August 24th.   :)    

Congratulations, Judi!  Does this mean that Randy is back from Iraq?

Rich, Randy is back from Iraq!!!   :)    Whew!!!

HI!  Double blessing, double joy and double trouble!!  How fun!!  I have a 3 yr old grandson and their brothers are twins..my twin grandsons are 15 months old so it is a very busy household.  I do not work one day a week and drive 90 miles to watch them, then 90 miles home .  It is my favorite day of the week!!!  Enjoyed your story!!  Thanks for sharing your life with us!!   

Cathy -- Thanks.  I am sure your grandsons love having you come on those days!.  I am additionally blessed to have my mother-in-law living right next door.  She gets to see the twins whenver she wants, and I have a ready and willing (and loving!) sitter on standby almost 24-7.  The boys love spending time with "Nana" too!

Rich, what a great post.  Many people think my boys are twins, they are just 21 months apart.  My husband stayed home for the first year of parenthood and it made him such an incredible dad and husband.  when my friends moan and groan about their husbands, I get to secretly smile that my honey has been there, done that, and is waaay better.  :)

Elena -- Thanks.  That is certainly another perk to being a stay-at-home-dad:  A greater sense of partnership with my wife.  Don't "secretly smile" though -- go ahead and grin from ear to ear, and brag about your wonderful husband.  I bet he deserves it.