And so it begins...

I took Madison to her first "practice" last night. I have it in parentheses because it wasn't really a practice but an introduction to soccer class. She had a blast. There were only 4 students in the class, 2 girls and 2 boys. They learned how to dribble the ball and play a little defense. They even played a little scrimmage with everyone scoring a goal. And not because they let everyone score, it just happened that way. Naturally. Imagine that.

This was a fine place to do some observing. I don't care what anyone says boys and girls are different. Sure you may get a few exceptions but as the old saying goes they just prove the rule. The observation behind this keen psychological perception happened when the ball dropped for the scrimmage. The boys took off running, kicking, grabbing; doing what boys do. The girls stood statue still and watched the boys run like wild men. With a little encouragement from the coach, they decided to participate. They eventually got into it and had fun. It's the initial response that tickled me. Boys jump right in with both feet. Girls wait to see if the boys get hurt then make up their minds. I have always said, and Kelly will attest to this, I think girls on average are smarter than boys. I don't think that changes much when they become ladies and gentlemen either.

I see the difference everyday in Madison and Ian. At least once a day, Madison will come to us and tell us Ian is hitting her. We will tell Ian to stop hitting her and they will continue to play. Of course, he doesn't and we eventually begin to take away privileges or separate them. I always think to myself, if Madison, who is twice as big as Ian, just hauled off and belted him one I'll bet it would discourage him from hitting her in the future. She doesn't do it. The demure takes back seat to the delinquent.

See she's smarter than I already.

Reagan continues to be the perfect baby. Honestly. She rarely gets sick. (Knocking on wood) She eats very well. She is happy most of the time. She sleeps through the night. Her one flaw is that she wants to be held all of the time, if you can call that a flaw. I'm guessing in about 13 years I will be looking back on this time and the flaw I so nonchalantly call it will become my most endearing memory of my little missy.

That and her smile. And her eyes. And her laugh. And the way she rolls on the floor. And the way she smells after a bath. And the way she grabs my beard when I feed her. And the way she smiles at me when I get home from work. And her babbling. And her drooling. And her hand when it squeezes my finger. And her little feet. And her crazy hair. There's more but you get the idea.