Aeralind

3 years (and 36 weeks).  It seems too short to have known you.  Too short to fully love your quirky selves. Too short to feel your little bodies pressed tightly up against mine.  Not enough time to stroke that hay blond hair or chase you as you shriek joy.

Aeralind and Bronwyn, I’m not sure if our lives would be full enough without you.  Nearly everyday your daddy and I just bust out laughing at one thing or another and whispering, “It would have been so boring with just one.”

Aeralind Grace

There are moments in each day where you get on such a talking spurt that I can hardly keep up with you.  You’ll tell me about rain or about how joeys ride in momma kangaroo’s pouch or how your sister is doing something you don’t think to be right or how you want to do this or that.  It’s some of the sweetest time with you, if I sit and listen when you get on a talking spree.

But most of the time, you are quiet.  Resolute.  Purposeful about doing the thing you have set before you.  Like laying out your comforter perfectly as you make your bed.  Or reading a full book.  Or stacking things just so high.

You struggle mightily with lying.  Sometimes in a manipulative way.  Sometimes in a “I don’t want to face the consequences” way.  Sometimes just because.  You’re beginning to grow in that area, but it’s an everyday battle for you.

You laugh with your whole face.  You are easily embarrassed or frustrated when you think you should be able to do something the right way. You love to wear mismatched clothing.  And tights.  But no shoes.  You snuggle on your own terms… but they are mighty fierce snuggles when they occur.  You’re enjoying learning to sing and are constantly singing little songs about alligators and Zaccheus and Pete the Cat. I hope to enjoy your quirkiness even more over the next year.

Bronwyn Hope

You love to create.  With stamps or playdoh or imagination or stuffed animals.   You will create and imagine little worlds and invite us all to play in them.  I really love drawing with you.  Or exploring new art with you.

You are a ball of energy.  When someone shows up to play at your house, you pretend to be shy while at the same time running crazily about showing off in whatever way you can.  You love to be chased (except when you’re scared… you hate to be scared).  You love to climb things.  To jump.  To twirl.  To play Simon Says.

You struggle with obeying right away.  Not because you don’t want to obey.  No, your struggle right now is stopping what you are doing to obey right away.  You want to obey… but after you finish a book or after you fold everything just so or after I do… You’re making some improvements.  I have to lay out my hands and ask you to put your hands on mine.  Once your hands aren’t busy, you hear and obey better.

You wear every emotion on your face.  Sometimes I shoot water out of my nose while drinking and watching your crazy expressions.  It’s all there.  All the time.  There is no doubt of how you feel: excited, confused, scared, joyful, apprehensive, sugar high… you have a face for it all.  I hope you remain tender and unveiled.

Folks, we have full sentences!  And quirky use of language.  And oh, the personality of 2.75!  I don’t know if I can even really express it to you all.  But I’ll give it a try 😉

Aeralind Grace

You have grown into a fiercely independent little girl.  At least 20 times a day, I hear you say “I do it, momma!” Whether over your shoes, your pants, getting your fork, or filling your water cup… you just want to do it!

But you’ve also grown in the area of independent play.  You’ve sat for an hour just making up a “train track” of blocks in a row.  You’ll grab that silly penguin pillow and sit up on top of our block train calling out the animals you see.  You’ll rock your doll, nurse her, and tuck her into bed.  I love seeing the things your little mind comes up with.

You’ve also grown in the area of selfishness… and I don’t mean this is a good way!  We are working daily with you on self-control issues.  You shriek when a toy in dispute is not in your hands.  You’ll take things right out of my hand.  You will do something you want right after I said we weren’t going to do that.  It’s been a long couple of weeks and unlike your sister, you do not break as quickly during discipline sessions.  Whew!

My sweetest times with you are always while reading books.  It’s the only time you snuggle right up.  But you’ll sit there and ask questions for hours if I let it go on that long.   We went on a date the other night to pick out Pooh Fabric for a dress and you are such a fire cracker!  Ha!  We had so much fun chatting and struggling through your opinion vs. mine.  🙂 I loved that special time with you so much.

Bronwyn Hope

Oh, Bronwyn, you still thrive on physical touch and lots of praise.  Your most recent thing is to ask me to clap for your accomplishments: mundane stuff like finishing the next pasta noodle from your plate.  And you clap and say “Yay!”  I love it so much!

Your biggest area of growth is in appreciation for the written word.  You can recite and sing almost every word in your two favoritePete the Cat books.  You nearly loose your mind when a chapter from Winnie the Pooh is finished and we have to put it up.

Obviously waiting is not your thing.  Especially in matters of justice.  I’m almost always training you once a day in the principle of going to your sister first before coming to me.  Teaching you to say, “Sister, it makes me feel sad when you take things from me.  Will you please give it back.”  Oh, it seems like such an endless task right now!

You had a huge and sweet moment of growth in these last 3 months.  We were at the edge of the pool deck and since the water was freezing, you and a few friends were busy chasing lizards on the deck.  You suddenly decided that you wanted back in the water.  I saw you across the deck head down two steps of the ladder and told you “NO!”  You gave me your “Watch me” defiance look and took that third step under. You didn’t know that you weren’t wearing your Puddle Jumper.  I dove in and fished you out and the first words uttered from your quivering lips were:  “No spank, Momma!  I disobeyed!”  It was a lightbulb moment for you.  Your will has been softened to understand that I ask for obedience because I love and want to protect you.

My sweetest times with you are while you create.  You artwork is becoming so wonderful.  Little circle heads with squid-like limbs are sprouting up all over your paper.  You patiently tell me what each little squiggle is and what they are doing.  I love hearing you voice stories in this way.