Seven and three quarters

Our girls are seven and three quarters. In just four short months, they'll be eight years old. In just eight very short days, they'll be out of school, having successfully rocked first grade in a brand new school. They made so many new friends this year and did so incredibly well in school. We got their progress reports and they've far surpassed the benchmark for where they are supposed to be. Such smart little girls we have. 

Where does the time go? I say that all the time but really time has just flown right by. I get misty eyed as I remember them as wee little babies and as darn funny toddlers. Now-a-days we're dealing with some strong-willed seven-and-three-quarter-year-old sassy business, but they are also very sweet, too. At times, super grown up, they don't need us one bit; at other times, they remind us of when they were babies, getting their blankets and wanting to cuddle.

Our little peanut Arlene, ever the jokster, ever the funny girl. She cracks us up all the time. She's quick witted and knows she's being funny so that makes her even more hilarious. She's also quite the air-head, which we've all just embraced. Little girl is super flighty one minute then the next minute inquisitively asking us, 'what is the capital of Texas?' She's got an eye for the arts and crafts and especially fashion. She studies things with an eye for detail and you can tell her little brain is just working away. This past weekend she found a little sparkly blue fascinator hat at a flea market and wore than thing everywhere with admirable confidence. Her forgetfulness and not-completely-listening gets her into trouble sometimes, but she just takes it in stride, as she does with most things. 

Our big girl Lydia, always the first one to offer to help, to offer to fetch something for you. She's always been a bit bigger than her twin sister and therefore has the "older sister" thing going on, although she's technically only 30 seconds older. She protects Arlene and refuses to yell at her or be mean to her even when Arlene deserves it. She's such a sweetie. She's into music, too: she got a ukulele this weekend (another flea market find!) and made up happy songs, strumming away on her little guitar. She is into sports and wants to play baseball this summer whereas Arlene wants nothing to do with it. She always wants to be active yet when she gets tired we all pay the price. Dear Lydia doesn't know when to call it quits and will push herself to the point of pouty, huge nasty tears and works herself up into a frenzy then ends up sleeping it off after a good cry. 

The girls, being seven and three quarters, are trying to figure out limits, and limits are pushed, quite frequently. They are good girls, good sweet girls who are rarely in trouble. And when I say 'trouble' I mean they get into 'trouble' for not picking up their socks. They don't do really bad things. (yet) (I hope never, but it's inevitable, right?) They're sweet to each other, most of the time. Sometimes it's a challenge to wrangle them into listening, into doing what they're told, the first time they're told. They distract each other and we're left wanting to pull our hair out after asking five times for them to do something. They get told to quiet down a LOT because they can work themselves up into a whole mess of singing, laughing, screaming girly girl loudness. We've always said things are in stereo all the time. Double the noise level, all the time. While the noise level is really annoying now, we'll miss it when it's no longer filling the house, I know we will!!  

Our sweet, sassy girls. We love them so. It's a joy, every day, to be able to giggle and laugh with them and at them and their antics.