You two have grown so much in the last 6 months.  We have conversations.  You can tell me what hurts when you’re sick. You can dance for the shear joy of it.  You hold hands and help each other out.

And, oh, how you make mommy and daddy laugh!

Aeralind Grace

You are still as detail oriented as ever.  You’ll sit and play with lacing beads or puzzles for hours at a time.  You find the the tiniest things in pictures and then exclaim “Wight dere!” with joy.

One of your favorite things of late (thanks to daddy I’m sure), has been sitting outside very still and waiting until you see it.  “Wobin!” you exclaim as a bird lands and starts digging up succulent morsels from our yard.  “Nother one!” When you spot his buddy.  You could watch birds at the feeder all day long.  You’ll take my face gently in your hands and point it toward the feeder to show me the Carolina Wren who dips into your handmade orange peel feeder.

So as not to make you both sound like perfect angels, I’ll toss in a paragraph about where your rough spots are.  Aerie you’re a whiner and a squealer.  If something doesn’t go your way… I know my ears need to be plugged.  You sister will antagonize you just to hear you make noise.  And when I rebuke you… You fall down flat on your stomach in a silent tantrum which makes me alternatively want to laugh or shake you. But you’re growing.  You’ve learned that tantrums are disrespectful.  You’re learning about self-control.

You take a long time to walk from place to place. It’s like you’re lost in your own world (kinda like a girl I once knew who would follow her mom around in a store reading a book).  The other day I turned around to beckon you to stay closer to me in the YMCA parking lot and I caught you doing the silliest thing.  Your were rolling your arms and swaying your hips and walking, just as focused as can be.  It cracked me up!

Bronwyn Hope

You were being a total cheese ball for these photos.  I couldn’t stop laughing at your mouth full of dinosaur sandwich and your goofy antics every time I told you to look at the camera.  But these photos are so uniquely you!

You’re a goofy little kid with no fear in new situations and a ridiculous sense of humor.  The other day I drew a snake on your doodle pad and then drew a kitty on top.  You thought it was the funniest joke ever.  “‘Nake!  Kitty!” You’d demand for me to draw it any time you saw the doodle pad and then laugh hysterically.  I just can’t express how often we bust a gut watching you try to do somersaults or when you’re up in a tree climbing with daddy and just take off.

Bronwyn, your little heart is often a mess. You want things your way and you want them “Wight now!”  You’ll do whatever you want until you’re met with a consequence that you don’t like and even then the consequence might have to be repeated a dozen or more times before you get the message.  You struggle to come when asked.  And you can be antagonistic and rude to your sister. Even Sedryn has been in the way of a well timed hit!  Your little heart softens a little in the moments after discipline and, overall, is learning to enjoy the structure and consistency of discipline.  I’ve even caught little smiles of relief when you’ve left the discipline area.

One of the advantages of your strong little will is that you always know what you want and you chase after it with gusto!  Potty training yourself is one of those areas.  Grabbing just the storybook you want is another.  Tugging daddy’s hand and asking for him to come is common.  I see you softening with each new vocabulary word; although you don’t take no easily, you satisfied to know that we know exactly what you want.