Different, but the Same

I looked over at Hadley today and had a flashback. Hadley was standing in an outfit by our couch just like a picture I have of Makenna when she was two. So, I pulled out the camera and shot a few pictures and then, pulled out the old picture. The funny thing is that I thought to myself, "Hadley looks just like Makenna right now." And then I compared the pictures and realized how different they actually look. They definitely look like sisters to us, but at the same time look so totally different. (And both in my opinion, completely adorable.)

MAKENNA (exactly 2 yrs old)

3 years ago

HADLEY (2 years, 4 months old)

So, the question is-  who do they look like? 

Travis or Heather?

Okay, who are we kidding? They have their dad's eyes, which is their most distinguished feature. And they both get told all of the time that they look like Travis. But... every now and then, someone says they look just like me. So, I'm going with it since I gave birth to them and all. 

Makenna and Hadley really are so different. As a parent, it's fun to have the differences. It makes it all fun and new. But on the other hand, all of the parenting we thought we had figured out goes out the window with such a different child. Nobody warns you about that- that you have to refigure everything out with each child. Well, good thing they both have us wrapped around their finger. :)

Here are some of their differences: 

    

Makenna       vs.         Hadley

is so tiny and dainty   VS.                                 has the cutest budha-belly ever

timid with anyone/thing new  VS.            friendly and adventurous

a VERY picky eater    VS.                                  will eat anything

has such teeny tiny feet       VS.                       chubby feet in every direction

has very little and fine hair  VS.                      has thick hair that grows quick

always had a long attention span   VS.        has to change activities OFTEN

graceful, but not so coordinated    VS.         coordinated, but not so graceful
  
never wants to go to bed             VS.             tells us when it's bed time

takes time to wake up                    VS.            wakes up soooo happy

likes her alone time                  VS.               loves to always be around people

loves anything sweet                   VS.              loves fruits or vegetables


didn't crawl until 11 months       VS.            was walking at 10 months


But, at the same time like any sisters, they have their similarities too.
They both:
love to be outside, have their dad's eyes, like to snack, LOVE books, enjoy watching movies, want popcorn all of the time, are cuddlers, have dark hair, prefer to wear dresses and skirts, were quick to potty train, love playing house and using their imagination, are perfectly content staying at home, are big "helpers" with cleaning, were early talkers, enjoy coloring or drawing, want to be "big", lately think they can "fly", and they LOVE EACH OTHER

The Big Day

Well, the dreaded exciting day finally came. Makenna had her first day of school today. Sniff, sniff. This year, kindergarten is all day every other day. So, the first day was 8 to 3, which seemed so long to me. Makenna is always so full of surprises. I thought for sure she would be nervous and timid for her first day of kindergarten. Wrong. She was so excited! There was a little bit of a misunderstanding of when school started, so I didn't have a lot of time to get her settled in and procrastinate leaving, which ended up being a good thing for the both of us. We got her backpack hung up (on the hooks that she can't reach) and got her settled into her tiny desk. She immediately started coloring and getting to know the girl next to her. I gave her my motherly instructions on how to open her lunch and where I would be after school and to ask for help if she needed it. And then I thought she would get sad when she knew I was leaving, so I asked if she was okay and she stopped what she was doing and looked at me with an annoyed look and said, "Mom, I'm okay". So it turns out that I was the one that was not okay with my baby starting school. I remember the first time she was placed in my arms like it was yesterday and I have watched over, worried, loved, taught, and pampered her non-stop for the past five years. And now it was time to let her go for a few hours to someone else. Sigh. After dropping her off, I wasn't necessarily sad- there were no tears or depressed feelings. I just felt somber. Just knowing that she is growing up way too fast.

One of the perks of Travis' job (being one building over) is that he can poke his head in whenever he wants. So, he sat by her for a few minutes at lunch as she carefully (and proudly) laid out all of her lunch items. He said she looked so cute walking in with her lunch box. He pried out details about her day and decided that she was having a great time.

Hadley definitely missed her sister. Last night, she came up to me and said "I want to go to school with Kenna". I told her she had to wait until she was five. So she said, "But I can play with her when she comes back?" :)

So finally, Hadley and I waited (with bated breath) outside her door at the end of the day. And out she came with a huge smile on her face and looking so big. And man, was I proud! Other kids looked tired or frazzled, but not our Makenna. I could just tell right away how much she had loved her first day of school and how excited and confident she was for the rest of the year. Makenna just seems so sure of herself and is so kind to everyone around her. It's fun to see this little person she is going to be. She is going to do so great in school. And her mom and dad are beaming with pride. Knock em' dead Makenna! We adore you.

COUSINS

We got to have our adorable niece and twin nephews stay with us for three days while Stacy finally got some time to herself at Education Week. Makenna and Hadley were ELATED to have their cousins come. Makenna even made a paper chain so that she would know when they were coming and we had to make a list of fun things we could do. Once they finally got here, we kept busy and had so much fun. It was definitely a change to go from 2 kids to 5, but the kids all played so well together and Maddy was such a big help.

So, what do you do with cousins for three full days?...

• Put the sprinkler under the tramp and have a picnic in your swimsuit, 
• Make homemade pizzas, 
• Have a popcorn and movie party, 
• Play school, 
• Go to the park, 
• Have a glow stick party, 
• Have lots of slumber parties, and
• GO SWIMMING!

The perfect week...

I am finally getting around to posting pictures from my family's annual week on the lake. We head to Alturus Lake in the Sawtooths for a full week of lounging on the beach, great food, sitting around the fire, LOTS of play time for the kids, and plenty of time for relaxing and reading. Makenna and Hailey even went tubing by themselves, even if they did go painfully slow and talk about things starting with the letter "f" while there were out there. :) We also had many evening wiffle ball games, which was very entertaining. Pretty much the perfect week.