It amazes me how different each of my three children's personalities are. I mean you would think coming from the same parents and living in the same household they would be the half way the same. But, no, they each have their own unique way of dealing with the world around them. Annabelle, the oldest, is a little mommy to her younger siblings. She is very independent, which she's been since she was born. She never had time to sit on my lap for long because she had things to do and places to discover. She's still quiet and shy when around strangers, but at home she never hesitates to say what she thinks. Actually she's a bit bossy and very outspoken. She wears her heart on her sleeve. I believe she will be a leader some day, but she will also be very caring and nurturing to those around her.
Alivia, on the other hand, is my sweetheart. She is so loving and would just assume cuddle with me rather than play outside. She is a tiny girl with a loud voice. For as little as she is, I can't believe how much her voice carries. She pretty much does what Annabelle wants her to, even if she's suggested doing something else. But she does have a bratty streak to her (for lack of a better word). By that I mean she can get very mouthy and quite hard headed when she's made up her mind that she doesn't want to do something. Like with the pictures for example; I wanted her to smile nicely and she didn't want to so she pressed her lips together as tightly and she could and refused to smile no matter what I bribed or threatened her with! Someday this will come in handy for her because she's not going to let people push her around, she'll be able to stand her ground in something that she firmly believes in. But at the same time she will always be someone to turn to for comfort.
Now, there's Sammy! My first thought of him is class clown! I just know that someday I will be getting calls from school telling me that he is disrupting the classroom! A day never goes by that he doesn't crack me up. Even if he's being a stinker, he's still so darn cute! Of course he knows how cute he is so he thinks he can get away with whatever he's doing. His major thing right now is he has this really mean scowly look he gives when ever he doesn't get his way. And being the third child, he thinks he should always get his way. Might I remind you, he's only one and he already has this attitude. He is a lot like Annabelle; very outspoken (even though he doesn't say so many words yet) it's in his voice and actions. Like throwing fits. He's VERY strong willed. But he's also a lot like Alivia. He give kisses and hugs all the time, even in the middle of the night when I'm trying to sleep. He also gets very concerned when he hears another child crying, which tells me he will be a compassionate person when he gets older. He's the one that's going to keep things interesting in life and he will always see the brighter side of things.
When I sit back and look at all of my children I see SO much of myself in each of them that it's quite scary to say the least. In some ways I feel bad because so many of the traits they have I struggle with within myself, but some of them I know will make them better people in the end. Either way, God has truly blessed me with three beautiful and amazing children. And when I am frustrated with them because of the way they act, I have to remind myself just how special and unique God made each of them. It's my job to help them to be the best they can be with what God gave them.