- Dynamic Duo -

For 2 years and [almost] 10 months, we strolled through life as a family of three. We enjoyed so many laid-back outings with our sweet little firstborn. Harper was soft-spoken and shy around strangers; she was [and still is] the most nurturing, gentle little mama with her slew of baby dolls and stuffed animals. She was a rule-follower like no other, usually conforming and rarely rebellious. When Harper was a toddler, I never understood why other families had childproof contraptions on their cabinets/doors/toilets... "Just say, 'NO!' a couple of times, and your wild kid will learn to stay out of things!" I thought. "I have this whole parenting thing under control, and I'm actually pretty good at it!" I thought...

...
...
...and then, insert Scarlett!  

Oyyyyyy vey, Scarlett is the polar opposite of everything we'd grown accustomed to. Bold and brave with a little glimmer of "bad girl" mixed in, she has an unmatched confidence and isn't scared to let her presence be known.  This beautiful girl doesn't know a stranger, but it's always a tossup of whether she'll shoot you a smile or a scowl.  I've lost count of the things she's thrown into the toilet over the past several months [a thermometer, multiple TV remotes, several of Harper's L.O.L. dolls, a Baby Alive passport, bath toys, and a toothbrush -- just to name a few!].  If she isn't throwing something IN the toilet bowl, she is often found unraveling the toilet paper roll all the way down to the brown cardboard or throwing the contents of bathroom cabinets/drawers onto the floor. And then! When one of the three of us discovers the mess and swoops in to clean up, she sneaks off to the kitchen to dump the Tupperware drawer and empty the spice rack.  Last week, she opened the cabinet and flicked on the garbage disposal switch as I was rinsing Harper's long sudsy locks in the sink and the tips of her hair were hanging in the drain.  Between frequent fat lips and one terrible incident of ripping her frenulum on the corner of a dresser drawer, her teeth/gums are no stranger to blood [and I do NOT tolerate blood in the teeth/gums region and have already had to consult the dentist a time or two].  Her colon has passed so much Play-Doh that it probably doesn't even try to recognize or digest it as something nutritive anymore.  She colors on the floor [and her skin] with any writing utensil she can get her hands on, even eyeliner.....  And last night?  She jumped up and clapped furiously for fireworks as most of the other small kiddos were running towards the house for safe shelter.  This girl is fearless ...rough and tough ...and ALWAYS on the move!

But then! Add Thing 1 + Thing 2, and you'll find the most perfect pair of personalities.  Maybe I'm biased or maybe I'm not, but I've truly never seen two humans adore each other more than Harper and Scarlett do; and the feelings are mutual between the two!

Harper is the sugar to Scarlett's spice, and Scarlett is the twinkle to Harper's star.

One is the milk to the other's cookie, one is the peanut butter to the other's jelly. 

Harper is the blue to Scarlett's sky, Scarlett is the apple of Harper's eye. 

She is the milk to her shake, she is the icing on her cake. 

Harper is Scarlett's calm, and Scarlett is Harper's crazy.

...And BOTH of them are the beat to my heart and the smile to all of our faces! :D 

Because it really doesn't matter whether they're a) well-behaved and teaching me to be a confident mom or b) wilder than ever and teaching me not to judge other moms...  The truth of the matter is this: I've never been more thankful for both of these sweet babies and everything that their polar-opposite personalities bring to our family! 

So cheers to this dynamic duo! Keep on keepin' on, silly sisters... Sassy and sweet and everything in between, Daddy and I love doing life with you!!!