Orators and Artists Emerging

One of the most enjoyable things about raising twins is seeing their different personalities and skills develop. Sarah is very strong verbally. She’s already reading small words and her spoken conversations are very advanced, and often a good reminder that parents must always be mindful of what they say around the children. A recent example (here with an adorable picture of the girls and Logan, my friend Wyanne’s daughter), the girls and I are getting in the van to go to Logan’s birthday party when Sarah and I have this conversation:

Sarah: Mommy, Daddy isn’t going with us? (as we are sitting at the end of the driveway waiting to pull out)

Mommy: No, honey. Daddy’s going to stay home and do some things around the house.

Sarah, in a very serious tone: Oh, okay, and then he’s going to drive nails in his feet? (you’ll understand that in a minute, just try not to flinch from the pain right now)

Mommy: Oh, my, I don’t know! Let’s ask him! (trying not to laugh out loud as I put the Chevy in reverse and call to DH). Daddy, Sarah has something she’d like to ask you before we leave!

Sarah: Daddy, are you staying home because you have to drive nails in your feet?

Daddy: (like me, trying not to laugh). Um, well yes, Sarah, I guess I am.

Sarah: Well, be careful Daddy. That’s probably going to hurt and it might bleed so you better go get some bandaids first.

From the mouths of babes….see, whenever DH doesn’t want to go somewhere--i.e. the mall, the movies to see a chick flick, or (totally beyond me) the Trace Adkins concert--his stock reply is “I’d rather stay home and drive a nail in my foot.” Where he got this phrase, I have no clue, but he’s used it at least monthly in the sixteen years we’ve been together. I suspect it comes from the same place as “wrapped up tighter than Dick’s hatband” and “curl my tail and call me a pig!”, both phrases Sarah now uses regularly, along with “dip me in axle grease and call me slick!”, the immortal words of Tow Mater.

Olivia, on the other hand, is definitely my little budding artist. She is particularly partial to watercolors. Though she’ll take a bucket of markers to a coloring book and have several fully colored masterpieces in no time flat. Of all her recent paintings, I like this one the most. I love how she did the little squiggles coming out from the heart. Inspiring, isn’t it? Wyanne's been using some of Logan’s art and writings in her pieces and they are coming out very cool. I have a milk crate in my workshop where I deposit my girls’ art every day (a very full milk crate, now that I think about it); I may need to start going back through that stack looking for more inspiration!

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