They might look alike...

but they definitely have their own little personalities!

I have been wanting to do a post about my girls for the past little while. They have such fun personalities and I love watching them grow up and learn new things and become little people. I decided to put a couple of their coloring pictures up because it helps describe them well! We do a lot of coloring and crafts around our house. Everyday the girls love to do stamping, painting, drawing or whatever. I have caught them more than once up in my craft room in the attic going through my stuff and covering everything in stickers!

Below are Bella's pictures. Most of the time she only wants to color with pink markers or crayons. She still wears her pink dress constantly. She wears it over her pajamas every night and immediately puts it on when we get home from outings. She is very detail oriented (as you can see from the coloring!) She holds her pencil just right and wants to stay in the lines. She actually threw the bear picture below away because she was so distraught that Maddie had gotten it and colored some yellow on it! Her whole pink craze is really something! She announces everyday that she wants to put on her pink dress and pink bear socks and whatever other pink thing she finds around so that she can "be so bootiful."

She has finally figured out how to ask for things in a "nice" way because for a long time she would just tell me to do things or give her what she wanted. Now she gets a high little voice and a look on her face and sweetly says, "Mom, can you help me get some fruit snacks please?" It is hard to turn her down when she asks so nicely!

She certainly has a stubborn side and is very adamant about doing things in a certain way. When she wants something she is set on it and it can be tricky to distract her or change her mind. It is funny because it seems like we go through phases every couple months of which of the girls is giving us the hardest time! Luckily they trade off and don't usually give us fits and things at the same time. The last month or so our "troublemaker" has switched from Maddie to Bella! For a bit Maddie was so emotional and sensitive about everything that she was literally crying about something half the day. Bella was generally really easy during that phase. Now they have switched and Maddie is better in control of her emotions and Bella has started pushing us a bit! She wants mom to help her with everything and has temper tantrums that will come out of nowhere! Yes, we live with two 2 year olds and I have to say that life isn't always peaceful bliss! We really do adore them though, and are grateful that the little trials come and go in stages and that they are both really sweet and good little girls.

On to Maddie-

Maddie loves to color as well, but she uses both hands-whichever one she feels like- and couldn't care less about staying in the lines or holding her pen right. She loves all the colors. She is REALLY into pretending lately and she is constantly "someone else" besides Maddie. Throughout the day she is usually cinderella, mickey mouse, strawberry shortcake (or one of the characters from that show), some sort of animal, pooh bear, etc etc. The list is ever growing and has started included inatimate objects. For example, today she was a volcano for about 10 minutes, and then a burrito the next few minutes. She always tells me what she wants me to say. She'll repeat things like, "Good night Orange Blossom" over and over until I say it. It really is funny and a little out of control. I'm glad she has such a good imagination though! (Bella is usually always Piglet- of course because he is pink- or occasionally Sleeping Beauty-because she has a pink dress.)

Maddie is also way into dressing up and we change outfits about 10 times a day. She is really into carrying around "things." Lately her obsession is with Valentine cards or birthday invitations. She finds random papers all over and carries them all day pretending they are her "imbitations." She wants to sleep holding ten different things and they are usually different everyday. (Bella always only wants her bear, pink dress, and blanky.) Maddie has been a really good sister lately and is always telling Bella, "There is no reason to cry, Bella." She shares with Bella pretty easily and has a sweet little heart.

If these pictures are any indication of personality then Bella takes after her dad when it comes to being clean and detail oriented. Maddie takes after her mom who is a little less tidy but still good in her own way! :) Put us together and it works out to be a nice compromising mixture right?

Both the girls are great little helpers. They love to help me cook in the kitchen and always want to add more spices to everything. They help load the dishwasher and make their beds. They are darling little dancers and performers. They are constantly singing something and LOVE playing together 24/7. One day they'll realize how lucky they are to have each other. They truly are the best little friends and really watch out for each other. Bella usually wakes up from naps first and always wants to go get Maddie immediately! Maddie always finds the pink plate or pink whatever to give to Bella because she knows Bella loves pink. They are beautiful, smart, and sweet. Watch out as these two get older. They've got a lot going for them! (of course, I am their mother so I think most parents think that about their kids!) They sure have been the greatest blessings to us though.

Anyway, I wanted to do this before the baby comes because I know life will be a little crazy for a while. I'm getting anxious to have him and a little nervous about how the girls will adjust and how hard it will be going back to the newborn and no sleeping stage! I know that I will just fall in love with him immediately, but it is kind of a crazy thought that we'll soon have another little person in our family. I have loved being "just the four of us" and especially enjoyed the last year as the girls have been older and we have had so many fun experiences as a family. We have had tons of fun trips, dates with dad, playdates, museum and shopping outings etc. etc. Maddie and Bella are my favorite little people to be around.

The parents are about to be outnumbered by the kiddos, so we're in for some fun, but I am excited about it. I saw my friend Brittany's brand new baby boy the other day and it got me excited. You forget how tiny and sweet and helpless new babies are! Everyone asks how I feel these days and I feel pretty much HUGE! I keep getting comments like, "Wow, that is a big baby!" or "You look like that baby is about to fall out!" (Both comments I got yesterday at the store, but I honestly get similar ones every single day!) It was great when I was pregnant with twins because if I ever got comments like that I'd tell people there were two babies and they immediately said how good I looked and all that. Now I just smile and head on my way thinking, "Hello! Don't you realize that is the LAST thing a pregnant girl wants to hear right now!" Overall though, I'm grateful everything has gone smoothly with this pregnancy and as far as we know Nathan is healthy and good. I'm praying I don't go into labor in the night, because the twins complicate things- but people do this all the time so I'm sure we can handle it all right? It is different this time around because I know what I'm getting into a little better. I've always been a wimp about pain and IVs and all that. Hopefully I'll get through this labor and all this adjustment time. I still have a couple weeks- but am hoping it might be sooner. We'll keep you all posted!