Boys and Girls

Just a quick note- this is a really long post. Sorry, my fingers just kept typing away!

It's so fun to watch the difference between boys and girls. God made males and females to be so distinctly different, it's amazing. I remember when Teda was a baby, and she was so into dollies even before she could walk or talk. She just seemed to have a little nurturing side built into her. She never really ventured very far from me when she was a baby, and even now she doesn't go too far without me knowing. She's always been dainty, and now that she's older, is totally into fashion. Not that that makes her more of a girl, I just think it's cute. She's very good at articulating her feelings, and will voice them (which I think is awesome, and I hope she always does). She seems to catch on to learning things quickly- she was potty trained fully by 2 1/2, and pretty much let us know when she was ready for that. She doesn't really like to get dirty. My mom has helped her with that a little by telling her that if she gets dirty or wet from playing, etc, then that is "signs of fun". She really has taken a hold of that, and it helps her not to worry so much when she gets messy. :) She loves her daddy, and told me today that when she gets bigger, she'd like to marry him. Awesome. She's always dressing up in her pretty dress up dresses, and will only wear skirts or twirly dresses when we go out. She is a princess, and she knows that. Not in a bad way, but she knows she's special and she's God's princess, and her daddy's princess. When she's singing or working on something, she doesn't beg for the attention of me and Zach, but you can tell she's hoping she'll get it. And when she does, she just beams.

Dane is totally different, and I feel bad in some ways because Zach and I tend to compare him to Teda. I remember when he was somewhere between 18 months and 2 years old, and Zach was wondering if he was a little "slow" because he wasn't talking as much and listening as well as Teda did at that age. And after talking with a few friends, they said that it seems to be a boy girl thing- boys just don't listen as well, and seem to mature slower than girls do. That helped a little, and then once he started talking better and stuff like that, it helped ease Zach's worries about that. :) But he still has more trouble focusing, listening (I sometimes even have to ask him to look in my eyes, so I know he's even paying attention to me), and obeying than Teda did at this age. I know he's not even 3, I'm just saying this is the difference I think between boys and girls. Or is it a birth order thing? Who knows. Anyways, Dane also doesn't really have much of a problem with getting dirty, loves to play in the dirt. And the first time we put him on a little tricycle to try it out, he knew that his feet were supposed to pedal. Crazy! We had to teach Teda that. It's a boy thing! He has always had a lower voice, even as a baby. We've noticed that Jett does too! And Dane has made lots of grunting noises since he was 2- lots of testosterone I guess. He's in constant motion. Which could be why he is so tiny. He's actually pretty good at sharing his emotions, and I hope we can help him continue to do that throughout his life as well. And he is always looking to save Teda or me from something. He jumps at the chance to save us from Zach when we're wrestling around, and loves to be called the hero. He believes that he is a superhero, and he's ready to fight the bad guys any time- day or night. He goes around with his little plastic sword, fighting the imaginary lions and spiders that are in our house.

Maybe it's a mixture of boy/girl, personality, and birth order that makes each of my three kids who they are. God is so awesome that He would create each of us with our own style, personality, quirks, looks. It's pretty cool that there's no one else like us in the whole world. And as we're made so different- we work together so well. Men and women together make such a beautiful couple. Where one is weak, the other is strong, and it's just so perfect. I do see why God calls us one when we marry- we truly are one, where I lack, Zach doesn't, and vice versa. It's so neat.

These differences go along so much with this book that Zach and I just started reading together, "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge- discovering the secret of a man's soul is what it says on the cover. Interesting- I'd love to discover that secret! Well so far from what we've read, he says that in the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. Wow, that's Dane to a tee. And Zach too if I really think about it. And he says that there are three desires that are essential to a woman's heart- she yearns to be fought for, she wants to be wanted; she wants an adenture to share; and she wants to have a beauty to unveil- to simply and truly be the beauty, and be delighted in. Wow, that's Teda too! And when I think about it, it's me too! I'm excited to be reading this book, and learn more about what the author has to say. And excited to be doing it with Zach- we've tried to read books together before, and I don't stay interested for too long. You'd think it would be the other way around. I'm not sure why. This time will be different. I'm really wanting to make our relationship closer, and figure out how I can better compliment him as his wife- be a better team mate, help him to be better, and allow him to be who God made him to be. I'm just so naturally selfish, that this tends to be a struggle. I'm ready for the battle though because there's not room for selfishness in a marriage. So here goes nothin- it's gonna be great.

Well anyways, here's a classic example of boy/girl differences. We got Dane a little wheelbarrel to play with, and he calls it his stroller. Teda has a little baby stroller that she pushes around and puts her little baby and puppy in, and takes care of them. Yesterday, Dane wheeled out his "stroller" into the kitchen, and said, "Look at my baby." It was a pot from their cooking toys! It was too cute, so I snapped a picture. Here's one of Dane with his "baby" and Teda with her baby. My babies with their babies!