100 and Creative Clara

First, I would like to begin this post by letting you all know this is our 100th post! It has taken us over a year to get here, but we have stuck with blogging! Thanks for going on our adventures with us.

Now on to our little topic. Clara is developing quite the personality that is uniquely her own. At this same age Heidi was barely talking but by pointing and gestures she knew all of her shapes clear to octagon and her colors to turquoise - Clara has no interest at all in this but is talking a lot with new words daily (this has me worried as Heidi talks non stop now, would it be possible for Clara to talk more?) Clara's imagination has also developed much sooner than Heidi's did. She loves to make pretend food, take care of babies, pretend sleep, play pirates, and make me think I have a sheep in the back of the van (when asked what to do about that she told me to tickle it!)

There are two stories I would like to share about our creative little one. The first is last weekend the neighbors had quite the party with a live band in their back yard. We were sitting in our yard enjoying the music and Clara was hauling my fruit buckets all over. At some point I turned to check her and she has turned 2 buckets over, sat on the shorter one and played the taller one like a bongo drum with the band next door. I was shocked!

Story 2 is, a few days later she was at the dinner table being very naughty after she was done eating. While I was trying to discipline her, she was trying her darn hardest to ignore me by taking her dinner plate and steering it and saying "vrooom, vrooom". I can guarantee she has never seen her sister do this as Heidi has very little interest in cars. Heidi was laughing hysterically and had to eat in the living room so Clara could finally be disciplined. Never the less, we were still impressed that she could turn a plate into a steering wheel.

Maybe this imagination thing is just because she has an older sister to follow, but the things they play are so different.

It is always interesting to watch the differences in my girls. After having a very concrete thinking, interested in all the facts, loves to learn (essentially a mini Jeff) I think God thought it would be funny to give us the complete opposite in girl #2 who is more interested in being creative, music, has no desire for learning facts and loves making people laugh.

From the first moments we had with each girl we know they were different - Heidi screamed a scream that rivaled a hound dog Banshee the first hour of her life, Clara had her eyes open and was looking around cooing. Heidi likes pink, pink, and more pink while Clare tends to choose green, red and black - unfortunately she is stuck in a lot of pink as hand-me-downs fit the budget nicely. Heidi likes dolls, dress up and tea; Clara likes cars, balls and rocks to the head. Heidi loves vegetables and baths, Clara doesn't at all. There are definitely areas they are alike in - they are both very social, neither ever went through the "I need only mommy" stage, they are both independent, love to cook, have their hair done (the finished product not the process) and they are both very much daddies girl.

Our girls are reminders everyday about how creative and loving our God is. I wouldn't trade them for the world, but the world is what I hope to give them. (Does that sound cheesy?) (note from Jeff...my main goal is to protect them from the world.)