MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – They say twins have a special bond. 

“I like to do what she likes, and she likes to do what I like,” said Hartlyn Perez. 

That holds especially true for Hartlyn and Everlee Perez. 

“I used to say, you know, ‘You shared a lot more than that toy,’” said Khalie Perez, the twin’s mother. “’You can share that toy.’”

They were literally bonded together. The twins shared their colon, bladder and one main artery. 

“For the longest time, it was just so many unknowns and such a scary time,” said David Perez, their father. 

Conjoined twins are rare, occurring only once in every 50,000 pregnancies, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

For the Perez twins, the chances they would survive were small. The Cleveland Clinic says up to 60 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn or die shortly after delivery. 

“The doctor… stated he had only seen this one other time in 20 years and they didn’t live past 25 weeks in utero,” said Khalie. 

Against the odds, in July of 2015, the family’s prayers were answered. Hartlyn and Everlee were born side by side, successfully separated at two days old in a complicated, four-hour long surgery.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” said Khalie. “For the longest time we would celebrate their birthday and then their separation day, you know, and every month we would celebrate just because that was so monumental to me.”

It’s been more than seven years since KFOR checked in with the Perez family. 

While the monthly parties have stopped, there’s a lot to celebrate. 

When they were two and a half, the twins went through another successful surgery, reconstructing their pelvises. 

“To make sure that things would sit where they were supposed to sit,” said Khalie. 

There’s one more surgery scheduled for this summer to enlarge the girl’s bladders. Khalie says it’s the last procedure for the foreseeable future. 

Everlee and Hartlyn are now 8 years old. 

“I’m taller, she’s shorter. My glasses are pink. Hers are blue,” said Everlee. “I like to play softball, and I like to go to school.”

They’re thriving, living an incredibly normal life. 

“They’re your typical sassy, sweet, but sassy girls,” said Khalie. 

They go to 12 Academy for school, just a few minutes away from their home in Midwest City. 

“I get to play with friends,” said Everlee. 

“And she doesn’t have to get onto us about it,” Hartlyn said while pointing at their mom. 

The twins love playing outside, being big sisters to baby Georgia and in typical twin fashion, they’ve got each other’s backs. 

When KFOR asked what Everlee would do if someone was mean to her sister, she responded, “I’d probably punch them in the face.” 

Everlee dreams of being a painter one day, and Hartlyn, a geologist. 

“It’s been amazing to see them grow…to see all the things that they’re capable of doing that I didn’t think we’d get to see,” said Khalie. 

David and Khalie know whatever their little girls end up doing in life they’ll succeed, no matter how high the odds are stacked against them. 

“They’ve been given a hand, which most people couldn’t even consider and they attack everything, every surgery, every little rehab or anything that’s thrown at them,” said David. “They have this attitude where nothing is going to stop them.”

Khalie said the girls are “living miracles.” 

“We’re just so grateful that everything turned out the way that it did,” said Khalie. 

Khalie wrote a book, called “enTWINed – A Story of Wavering Faith and Beautiful Miracles,” about their family’s journey. She’s hoping to sell copies to help pay for the twins’ college. 

The girl’s softball coach, James Scott, co-hosts a podcast called “Feral Minds.” One episode dives into in the Perez family’s story and another is a half-hour conversation with Hartlyn and Everlee.