ToddlerS...Need I Say More?

I have two and a half year old twin boys.

I think I could end my post here and you'd totally get what I mean. Two two-year-old boys. Enough said.

The twins were born after our daughters, who are now eight and six, and I'm amazed at how different my boys are from my girls. I think this difference is accentuated by the fact that there are two of them - and one of them happens to be my "spirited" child.

Things are interesting around our house, to say the least.

I never thought I'd hear my high school sweetheart utter these "old" man, dad type sayings:

"Can't we have anything nice around here?"

"We're not buying anything new until these kids move out."

"Who broke this table - is nothing safe?"

One of the biggest differences I've noticed in the girl vs. boy comparison is that my boys are much more independent than my girls ever were - and that causes a lot more trouble. The girls used to whine until we'd fill up their sippy cups with milk - the boys just take it upon themselves to fill up (and spill out) the milk on their own. The girls used to cry until we'd help them change their clothes - the boys do it themselves, thus a dresser full of clothes on the floor every morning. The girls would ask for something to eat - the boys are constantly in the upper cabinets getting their own food (and this includes getting out the popcorn maker, filling THE WHOLE THING UP with kernels and turning it on).

I don't know if it's a boy thing - or a twin thing - but the boys are always doing things for themselves. It's a great character quality - independence - but it's very inconvenient for Mommy.

I thought I'd share some pictures (evidence) of what I'm talking about. Note that none of these things EVER happened with the girls (not that girls can't be "independent" - you may have one or two yourself).


I rarely take naps - so when I told my husband I needed
one this afternoon, he was happy to let me sleep. But - I
woke up to him saying: "Who clogged the toilet with
toilet paper?!?! The bathroom is flooded!!!"
Thus, the wet towels and rug...



My older twin has been walking around with blue,
sparkling nail polish in his hair all week because
 his "little" brother thought he'd look pretty...

 

There are three locations on our daughters' bedroom
floor that are now permanently pinkish-red (and crusty)
 from nail polish (and this happened five days after
I had them professionally cleaned) - yet another example of
my "spirited" child's activities... His "older" brother
was pink for a week after that episode, too.



Pink permanent marker on my living room couch (also
my "spirited" child's creation). We keep these destructive
things hidden from him (lest you think I have them
readily available!) - but he seems to find them...clearly.



As I was walking around the house taking pictures this
afternoon I caught the culprit red crayon-ded!

 

And here is my sitting room in it's unnatural state...clean.
(You can't see the hundreds of endearing fingerprints
on the windows...)



I value a clean, neat house...



My twins do not.

But for all the mess and destruction, I wouldn't change having twins for anything in the world. I know one day the mess will be long forgotten, and my children will grow up faster than I can imagine, but the experience and joy of having two little boys to fill our heart and home will last forever.

What about you? Have you noticed the girl vs. boy differences? Do you have a "spirited" child? What things have your children destroyed over the years - or, if you don't have children, what did you destroy growing up?