“Between the two of us, we now have nine š¤š©šŖšš„ren age 5 and under,” Kerri Bunker tells PEOPLE
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KERRI BUNKER
Family gatherings just became a little more confusing for Kerri Bunker and Kelli Wall of Wallsburg, Utah. For the second time in five years, the 36-year-old identical twin sisters have each given šš¢š«šš” to twins, instantly doubling the size of their families and their sleepless nights.
First profiled inĀ PEOPLEĀ last October, after they learned they were expecting twins two weeks apart, the sisters, who married best friends, teach at the same elementary school and live on the same street, went into labor and gave šš¢š«šš” early ā Kelli on Jan. 11, and Kerri on Feb. 13.
Kelliās twins, Kyler (4 pounds, 5 ounces) and Kenadee (4 pounds, 2 ounces) recently went home fromĀ Timpanogos Regional Hospitalās newššØš«š§ intensive care unit, while Kerriās twins, Kash (4 pounds, 12 ounces) and Jace (5 pounds, 10 ounces), are likely go home within a week or two after theyāve gained a few more ounces.
āFor one week, we were together in the NICU ā they set us up with our own little section,ā Kerri tells PEOPLE. āIt was fun for us to share that together, just like weāve always shared everything else in our lives.ā
Best friends who rarely spend a day apart, the sisters have done double duty with diapers and bottles before. Although they were both initially told by doctors that they wouldnāt be able to have š¤š©šŖšš„ren, they quickly made up for lost time, becoming pregnant with their first sets of twins six years ago through in vitro fertilization. Kelliās daughters, Madison and McKell, are now 5, while Kerriās twins, Kole and Hallie, are 4. She also has a daughter, Sadie, 2.
For their second pregnancies with twins, Kelli conceived again through in vitro, while Kerri conceived naturally and discovered she was pregnant after buying a home pregnancy test on a whim.
āSo between the two of us, we now have nine š¤š©šŖšš„ren age 5 and under,ā says Kelli. To keep the noise level down, weāre thinking that every get-together we have from now on will probably have to be outside. Chaos will reign, she tells PEOPLE.
Since Kelliās twins were in the NICU for more than five weeks, she had time to catch up on sleep before bringing them home.
āIt gave me a chance to recover and rest up,ā she says, ābut now, Iām back to those sleepless nights again. I tell Kerri, āEnjoy it. Because you wonāt get another chance for a while.ā ā
The sistersā husbands, Dustin Wall, 30, a diesel mechanic, and Robert Bunker, 30, a special education teacher, are also working double time, along with their mother-in-law, Ranae Park.
Dustin and Robert are best friends, āmaking us all a love square, not a love triangle,ā says Kerri. āThey understand the closeness of our relationship and know all about twin intuition. Itās unavoidable, with so many twins in the house.ā
Kelli is getting extra help with her newššØš«š§s from Madison and McKell, āwho would hold the babies all day long if I let them,ā she says. āThey adore them. When I caught McKell peeking over Kenadeeās basinette, she told me, āMom, I think she loves us.ā Iām really looking forward to watching these new relationships bloom.ā
Both sisters plan to return to their jobs this spring atĀ Timpanogos AcademyĀ in Lindon, where Kerri teaches third grade and Kelli teaches fifth.
āWe drive to work together, we end up wearing the same thing a lot of times, and we still call each other every night to say āgoodnight,ā ā Kerri tells PEOPLE. With little doubt that their twins will also have that unbreakable bond, she says, āwherever they end up, we know theyāll always have a best friend for life.ā