Most of the time, Eva and Amanda are one another’s favorite playmate and best friend, and I often think that the best gift we ever gave them was simply the gift of each other. Still, the natural sibling rivalry inevitably flares up here and there. Lately, everything has become contest. Who can get dressed the fastest? Who can finish putting their shoes and coat on first? Who can finish their dinner first? Who can get ready for bed the fastest? Someone yells, “I won!” followed by the other’s lament (usually Amanda’s) of “I wanted to win!” I’m pretty sure it got started when Dave told them that the first one to get into their pajamas and brush their teeth would get to pick out the bedtime story, but now nearly everything has been turned into a race. “It’s not a contest” has topped the charts this week for “Mom’s most repeated phrase.”
One area where rivalry is absent is ballet class. Amanda began taking classes this month, and was so excited to start that she didn’t want to take off her leotard and tutu. She kept twirling in circles in the lobby during Eva’s class, admiring her flowing pink skirt with a huge grin and saying, “I’m a ballerina, momma! Look! I’m a ballerina!” Though Eva enjoys the music and the challenge of the movements, Amanda is already much more passionate about ballet. She loves all things girly, and dancing makes her feel like a princess.
Amanda loves her princess dress-up clothes at home too, especially the “Tangled” one after seeing the movie last week. Dave and several of his buddies took all the kids, and for Eva and Amanda, it was their first theater experience. When they asked what it was going to be like, I told them they were going to watch a movie on a TV screen that was as big as the whole room, and their eyes grew wide. The experience didn’t disappoint, either: they talked of nothing else for days, and all their latest artwork has featured tall towers and a girl with extremely long hair.
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