Sisters

I love to just sit and take it all in when it comes to my girls. Of course with Mikayla, there's not that much to take in yet. She smiles, she laughs, she sits, she rolls. Her personality is coming through, but it's not real evident yet, you know? But Alayna and Lilly, they constantly amaze me with their similarities and differences.

If you look at our two oldest girls, you can see a resemblance but you see the differences more. Alayna is blond-haired and blue-eyed, while Lilly has brown hair and brown eyes. In fact, her eyes are so dark you almost can't make out the pupils. But their differences are more than just physical. Just last night, for example, I pretended that I was going to sleep in Lilly's bed with her. She flipped. She did NOT want me sleeping with her, was trying to push me out of her bed, and kept insisting that Daddy needed me to sleep with him instead. If I had joked with Alayna that I was going to sleep with her, she would have gladly moved over to make room for me. She often asks if I can lay down with her or if she can sleep with us. This is a common trend in our house. Not the sleep with or not sleep with debate, but the independence. Alayna is independent, but cautiously so. She likes to do her thing, but she still wants to make sure that she has our supervision or permission. Make sure we are within arm's reach. Lilly does her own thing and could care less if anyone was watching, following or allowing her to do that thing. If we have to strongly discipline the girls, the difference is amazing. Alayna will get very upset and instantly want to apologize, try to figure out how to right her wrong. Lilly, on the other hand, will do her best not to smile while she's being punished (very infuriating at times, let me tell you). She will sit out her time-out in silence, then have to be told to apologize or right her wrong. Sometimes she does it, sometimes it takes another time out. Now I realize that Alayna is older than Lilly, but this was the same at all ages. When we have thunderstorms, a slight crash of thunder will make Alayna wide awake. The house was struck by lightning recently, causing Andy, Alayna and I to all jump out of bed. Lilly didn't even flinch. She could probably sleep through a jet-liner landing in our backyard.

While Alayna and Lilly are very different, they are both very similar, too. Both love horses, dolls, art, riding their bikes, helping Daddy. Puzzles of any kind are a huge hit in our house, as well as games. When it comes to doing their chores, each of them willingly participates and enjoys their small contributions to the household. They are both terrified of spiders and crickets, and hate having dirty hands. If they could pick the menu for our weekly meals, they'd easily agree on the 7 meals, as they love the same foods.

Another similarity? They are both the sweetest girls, with the most amazing personalities, however different they may be. I could not have asked for two more wonderful, beautiful, incredible children. I can't wait for Mikayla to get a little older to see where she fits into the mix. Andy and I are truly blessed with our three girls.