As Emily and Avery grow in age it is easier to see the differences they have in personality and also in creative interests. We encourage the girls in their interests and try to introduce new ones, sometimes with failure but most of the time with success.
In these recent months I have noticed that Avery has a better attention span and interest in puzzles and intricate games. I didn't think she could put a puzzle together by herself until I saw her do it with my own eyes. When I noticed her enjoyment in puzzles I bought a couple more of them and she completed them in one sitting, so I have resorted to downloading puzzles on our iPad, which Avery calls her "padio". Avery also loves role playing as does Emily, but Avery is better at role playing with her dolls and dinosaurs. She loves to talk for them as well as play with her Animal Farm that Santa bought her last year. This past Thanksgiving Avery was front and center when we were preparing food and wanted to help. While mommy cut the potatoes Avery's task was to place them in the pot of water before they went on the stove. Once she was included in the process she enjoyed eating the finished product more than before her involvement. She also helped me bake cookies for fun and was enthusiastic about rolling out the dough, using the cookie cutters and decorating the cookies. Avery still loves her dinosaurs although we aren't watching "The Land Before Time" every day. She is popular among her classmates which is really cute to see when I drop her off in the morning. The only problem is that she is not a morning person and hates when her friends yell "Avery" and then run up to her. Animals are a love of Avery's, she is not afraid to go up to animals and pet them and she especially likes reptiles. During book week at school she made me buy her a book about the animals in a swamp. The book has a big alligator on the cover which hooked her as soon as she saw it.
Emily has always loved music. Since she was a baby she has loved moving to music and even now although shy I still catch her getting up and dancing to songs on Nick Jr. I have noticed that she likes more rhythmic music as the slow music makes her sad. There was a version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" on YouTube that I would play for her and every time she heard it she would cry as if she was depressed. Emily has always had a great memory and she uses it to remember songs she hears. The girls love to watch Netflix and most of the shows that Emily enjoys have theme songs that are very lively. Avery just discovered the classic Scooby Doo episodes which I thought would be too scary for them. I was right in that Emily hates to watch Scooby Doo but she happened to watch one episode where the characters were investigating a phantom in a rock concert hall. Of course the episode has music and because of it, that is the only episode that Emily will watch. She picked up on the song that was playing and she sings it around the house. We thought it was something she made up until I heard it while she was watching the show. Amazing seeing as how she had only seen the show once. Aside from music Emily has become interested in art. Now she isn't a great drawer, she can only draw stick figures but she loves to color with crayons and markers and use paints. Coloring inside the lines is still in the works but she likes to be abstract about her art. She doesn't exactly draw or paint anything but she loves the colors going everywhere. Using scissors to cut paper is also a task she likes but again not for anything completely constructive, she just likes to cut paper. Unlike her sister, Emily does not like all animals. I have noticed that she likes big animals but is afraid of small animals. Every time her dad takes our parakeets out of the cage Emily will run to her room, shut the door and will not come out until they are put up in their cage.
I am curious to see as they grow and develop how their interests will change or stay the same. I am waiting for the right time to place the girls in a dance class or gymnastics. I can't wait to see what the future holds!
