Two Rainbows

While Tessa and Annie are pretty darn identical in appearance, they are different in just about every other way.  They are becoming quite the individuals lately.  These pictures illustrate some of their differences.  Just a few days ago, I left them coloring in the kitchen while I was nursing Mary in the other room.  Suddenly, Tessa came running in, asking what color came first in the rainbow.  When she learned it was red, she bounded back into the kitchen, yelling, "It's red, Annie! I knew it! It's red!!"  We repeated this routine for the remaining colors of the rainbow.  A few minutes later, I came back into the kitchen to find two very different versions of the rainbow.

by Annie, AKA Annie Banan, Annie Grace, or Annie Belle

Annie's rainbow is full of broad, free-flowing strokes.  I'm sure she was done before Tessa, and ready to move on to the next activity.  She only added her name after I asked her to try to write it.  I thought it was really cute that she chose to make each letter a different color, and very confidently made each "N" without a care for how they should actually look, and continued to embellish the "E" until I stopped her.  If I hadn't snagged this from her when I did, I'm sure she would have then scribbled over the entire page, like she did with this picture:

She's a crazy artist that doesn't know when to stop.  And, she's pretty crazy and care-free in general.  She is more friendly and open with strangers than Tessa, and even refers to Megan's classmates as her friends.  She's very confident --- almost overly so! Currently, her favorite article of clothing is her "woggly skirt," a layered number that bounces around her a little as she walks.  She likes to pair this with pants and a striped sweater.  Ideally, nothing will match.  She doesn't let much bother her, and is usually very confident, except when she's feeling slighted or excluded by her sisters, or if she's been reprimanded.  Then, the waterworks come out.  Lately, her dramatics rival Bridget's, but she incorporates everything she sees from Megan as well.  It's a fun combination...with a generous helping of stubborness mixed in.  I would not be surprised at all if Annie became an actress when she grows up.  She and Bridget can move to Hollywood together :)

Meanwhile, Tessa's rainbow could not have been more different if she had tried! 

by Tessa, AKA Tessa Bo, or Tessa Bo Bessa

The colors are reversed, for one thing, and the shape is so deliberate and careful compared to Annie's rainbow.  This is pretty typical of her personality.  She's very methodical, a rule-follower and most of what she does is very planned out.  She didn't write her name here, but she was writing her name well before Annie, and will spell it for anyone who will listen.  And, she would be really upset if she messed up her letters the way Annie did above.  Also, every day it's becoming more apparent that she'll be a lefty.  She alternates a lot between her hands right now, but seems to favor her left.   Tessa also knows the directions to any of our usual haunts, and even our unusual haunts, like the location of the piano lessons the girls took one time, months ago.  Tessa loves to obey traffic laws, too.  It's pretty crazy to hear a 3-year-old pipe up from the "way back" of the van with, "Mommy, you can turn right on a red light, but you can't turn left.  Right??"  And, she's really good at notifying me if she sees any cops, (I can use all the help I can get there!) or if it's "just a regular man on a motorcycle." As for her clothing choices, she's latched on to some basic matching principles, and sticks by these "rules" pretty religiously.  Although, her multi-colored, sequined Snow White shoes apparently match everything! 

She's really not as OCD as I make her out to be, though.  The good news is that she's extremely cuddly and silly, too.  She's off the charts silly and continues to be our snuggliest kid.  She is the one who cuddled best as a baby, and she will still sit in my lap and just snuggle for as long as I will allow it. Sometimes, I wonder how her life would be different if she were an only child.  She'd certainly get all of the hugs and kisses she wanted, and I would get nothing done because I'd be snuggling her all day!  She is always the first to greet Matt when he comes home from work, and practically knocks him down to give him a giant hug.  If I had to guess what Tessa will be when she grows up, I would say an accountant --- a silly, snuggly, by-the-book accountant!

There you have it -- identical girls who are so unidentical in every way.  I hope they stay such good buddies for a very long time, celebrating their twinhood and embracing their cute differences along the way!