A Sister Comparison

Abigail is all girl. She loves performing, dressing up, singing, playing house, cooking and pretending. She has recently really been into cooking shows. She gets things from our kitchen and garden and talks through her preparation of her salads. If you ask her what she wants to wear, a majority of the time, it will be a dress or skirt. Kenzie likes her dresses just fine, but she'll definitely prefer the pants...especially her elephant pants right now (the jeans with little elephants on the bottom). Kenzie also likes pretending, singing and performing, but she is drawn a bit more to physical activities.

Adventure: Kenzie is, generally, the first one to jump into adventure. When it comes to getting into the water, Abigail is a bit more comfortable right now. However, Abby had to watch Kenzie go on the jet ski before she was willing to get on. Kenzie said, "This fun!" the whole ride and wanted to go fast. Abby wanted it slower and was a lot more hesitant. In the same manner, Kenzie was the one who wanted to go behind the tube while Abby wanted to stay on the boat the first time.

Physical Activities: When I asked Abby if she wanted to play basketball one day after we watched a basketball game, she responded, "I could be a cheerleader." Kenzie has been faster to learn to jump and has never fallen down the stairs...Abby has a quite a bit. We play a game where if you get the answer right, you can throw a bean bag in the bucket. Abby seems more interested in getting the answers correct, while Kenzie will often win the game because she has been able to get the bean bags in the bucket. Kenzie definitely bounces up and says, "I'm OK!" most of the time when she falls. She's a tough kid.

Helping: Abby has been quicker to obey. Kenzie is a more spirited child with her own agenda. However, both have a heart for helping and demonstrate this in different ways at different times. When Kenzie helps, she stays very focused and is very good at organizing and cleaning up. Abby gets a bit distracted by play when she is suppose to be helping. When I ask for help, I often see the competitive nature rise up in both.

Kenzie is goofy. I love her personality. A struggle we have with her right now is her having her own agenda, which often includes trouble. She has learned to open doors, and we have had to be much more diligent about keeping doors locked and alarms on. Jer found her at the mail box at the end of our long driveway the other day. She's the kid who would ignore our teachings and walk out the door to the street or the lake. We have to keep a watchful eye on her at all times or soap would be spread all over the counter, things will be torn apart, she'll disappear to a place she shouldn't, the toilet paper will be unravelled or candy will be devoured. Some of that definitely comes with age, but she does seem sneakier.

On a side note, they say that age 4 is the magic age where kids start getting easier. We are seeing that with Abby, and it is a joy to see. Gives us hope! Abby loves make believe right now - pretending to be a baby, going to Lake Chelan, watching fake movies in the car, putting on shows, pretending like I'm grandma or someone else, pretending like she's someone else and has been more into playing with her doll house and dolls.

Both girls seem smart, articulate, emotionally driven (although Abby seems to be more so), fun, interactive, have a lot of interests and both have so much to offer this world. They both have an opinion and know themselves well. They love each other. Kenzie will often go along with Abby's agenda because Abby is kind of a cruise ship activity coordinator around here. However, Kenzie also has her own opinion and will not go along with the agenda if it's not what she wants to do at the moment.

I love watching their personalities develop. It is a celebration to watch their similarities and a joy to see their differences.