sweet moments

When Kara was a youngster and at that age where you discover you can get into things and make messes, well, she didn’t.  She really could’ve cared less about those kinds of things.  If a door was closed, then it was closed for a reason and she didn’t feel the need to open it.  She never got into kitchen cupboards and pulled things out just for the heck of it.  I never had to baby-proof the house (even though we did) because she didn’t mess with things that she knew she shouldn’t.  She didn’t try to grab precious centuries-old antiques (of which I have none), or try to put her finger/a fork/anything into electrical outlets.  If I said “no” to anything she was doing or about to do, she stopped and never tried it again.  Not out of fear of punishment, just because mom or dad said no.  I won’t get into how she is now, but back then, she was literally a perfect child.  By comparison, Sophie is the most stubborn and curious child—the complete OPPOSITE of what Kara was at the same age.  The last time we were in Texas, my mom had to baby-proof.  She never had to do that with Kara.  Any my mom has some expensive, precious, and beautiful treasures.  Kara never bothered to touch them.  Look at, yes.  But never touch.  Not even when no one was looking.  Sophie, on the other hand… ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It’s like a game to her.  Well, not even a game.  I don’t know what it is, because I don’t have any past experiences to compare her to.  She gets into EVERYTHING, pulls everything out, puts her finger/forks/anything into the sockets, pushes every button she can (including her sister’s), pushes me past the limits I never had to set for Kara, and drives us crazy!!!!  The second I stop her from doing one thing she runs off to play with something else she’s not supposed to. If the bathroom door is open, she shoots in there and opens the toilet lid and plays in the water.  Kara told me once that she caught Sophie drinking the toilet water.  Still don’t want to believe that’s true…  The scariest thing is that when we tell her firmly, “NO!” and flick her fingers (usually when she’s pushing buttons on the surround sound), she laughs at us and runs away.  None of our kitchen cupboards/drawers have latches on them, but believe me, as soon as I can get Evens to do it those latches are going on.  I can’t stand the stupid things, but I will deal with trying to pry my fingers into that little space to unhook the latch than put towels/dishes/pans/garbage bags/food away for the 100th time that day.  And you can forget about having a clean play room for the next 3+ years!  Every toy comes out of its basket whether it’s going to be used or not!  I gave up cleaning that daily months ago, and now it only gets cleaned for special occasions, like having a houseguest!  I understand that this is typical toddler fashion, and that most everyone with kids will probably think I’m complaining.  I suppose I am, but once again, remember that Kara was seriously the PERFECT toddler.  I asked Evens a few weeks ago how 2 children could be so different from each other when they have the exact same genes.  They might as well have been created from different people!  I love my girls, more than I ever thought my heart was capable of loving, but boy do they test my limits!

Here are some pictures to give you an example of how different my girls are:

This is how Evens set up these particular fall decorations. 

Everyday for about a week we would mysteriously find these guys moved around.  Evens thought for sure I was doing it just to tease him, and for some reason I thought he was switching them around… even though I couldn’t come up with a reason as to why he would do it. 

One night I switched them back and Kara was in the room and noticed me putting them back the…right… way.  She ran up to me and said “mom, put them back”.  Then the lightbulb turned on.  I asked Kara if she had been moving them and she said “yes”.  I asked her why and her response?  “Because they have to be right.  See, the girl has to be by the boy” she says as she points to them.  So Kara was the culprit all along!  My little OCD-decorator-in-training!

Meanwhile, while Kara is changing my decorations around and putting things where she feels they should be, Sophie is doing this:

Yup, she brought the game controller and her blanket with her, opened the pantry, plopped down, pulled everything out, opened the box of raisins, and ate them.