Portraits

Here are some random snippets about the kids. I was trying to update their journals tonight and here are a few of the things I wrote.

I love both my children to the fullest capacity possible. Both of them are sinners. Both of them have their extremely endearing moments. AND ... It just so happens that one of them is a little bit more challenging to parent at this present time. Can you tell which?

Portrait of Clara

You love to lick things. Your dad is always trying to teach you, “Clara, what are you supposed to lick?” You reply, “Food and drink.” The other day I was at the pediatrician’s office with you and your sister. I was engrossed in filling out a form. Suddenly I hear Meredith yell, “No Clara, don’t lick the toy table.” I look up to see several other parents with mortified expressions on their faces, and you taking your full tongue and sliding it up and down the top surface of the toy table. Could there be anything more germ infested than that? We went to the doctor because you had a common cold and chest congestion. I hated to see what you would come away with after our visit.

Clara, you are SO independent. The other day you went number-two in the toilet and decided that, rather than tell me so I could wipe you, you would just do the job yourself. A while later you must have noticed in your panties that you didn’t exactly do a stellar job. So you went upstairs to your bathroom, removed all your clothing including your socks, and proceeded to rinse everything out in the sink. All by yourself. When I found you, in the drenched bathroom, I quickly deduced what had happened. I said, “Let’s go get you some clean underwear.” I led my naked Clara to her underwear drawer. When I opened the drawer, all your underwear, socks, and jammies had been completely cleared out. The drawer was empty. You had decided—on your own—that you didn’t want your stuff in that drawer in anymore. You moved everything to one of Meredith’s empty drawers. What am I going to do with you, sweetheart? I can barely keep up!


Portrait of Meredith

You had been begging for an American Girl doll but your dad and I decided that this is not the year for it and you need to wait a few more years until you are older. They are expensive and we want to make sure you fully appreciate the doll and will take proper care of it. Your aunt Christy, however, found a little miniature “Felicity” doll and you LOVE it. You have been carrying it around nonstop since you received it in the mail two weeks ago. It is your current favorite toy.

We have been learning a new character trait each week in our homeschool. This week we learned about “generosity.” I could tell you were listening very carefully when we talked about it. Five minutes later I saw that you let Clara hold and play with your miniature Felicity American Girl doll. Until that point, you had carefully guarded this doll and not let her touch it. I told you that when something is unimportant to us, it’s easy to share it. It’s a lot harder to share the things that are really valuable to us. But that’s exactly what you did. I was SO proud of you.