The rest of the story...

Lately, several people have asked me how Caitlyn, Keegan, and Kelsey act at home and if they are the same as they seem. They short answer is that they act pretty much the same at home as they do when we are out somewhere. They generally get along and treat each other the same no matter where we are. The longer answer is below.

Caitlyn -

Caitlyn is very much as (I think) she seems - calm, sweet, intelligent, responsible, self-controlled, very into ballet and reading. What I think most people don't see is her silly, giggly side. She definitely has one, but only the people who know her well get to see it. She also makes jokes, mostly plays on words. Caitlyn talks more when we are home, but still has times when she is quiet.

Keegan -

With Keegan, it is almost exactly the opposite. Everyone sees her silly, giggly side, but I think people would be surprised at how tender, thoughtful, and truly sensitive Keegan is. One example is how she once came to me with tears in her eyes to confess that she had been reading in bed one night when she was not supposed to be. She was so sorry and ashamed (much more upset about it than I was.) She frequently makes sweet notes for her sisters or Daddy or me. Another thing that's not so obvious is that Keegan is very good at math and thinking games (like Sudoku.) Overall, she is very much the same as she seems - passionate, loving, fun, generous, playful, caring.

Kelsey -

Finally, Kelsey is also very much the same as people see her. I think the 2 most surprising things about Kelsey at home would be 1) unfortunately, she occasionally (ok, frequently) irritates Keegan just for the sake of doing it, and 2) the simple fact of how much she talks! This child generally wakes up (and wakes me up :) and goes to bed talking. She gives long monologues on about any subject. Some recent topics have been: what if someone ate pizza every day and what if there was a pickle on it (Bill is the only one in our family who likes pickles and this is evidently very interesting to Kelsey because she mentions pickles regularly :-), whether that was Daddy's plane we saw in the sky and what if it was, what if so many people came to a party that there were 2000 people there, what if somebody kept jumping and jumping and could jump so high, what if she (herself) was 26, why did the girl in the book disobey, why do I think she (herself) likes to dance a certain dance, and why do I think the dog keeps stealing the plastic Easter eggs off the table - I wish I knew the answer to that one myself! But I am honestly thankful that I have a daughter who wants to share her thoughts and feelings with me. I hope she keeps that trait forever. About #1, while Kelsey does sometimes provoke Keegan, she can also be extremely thoughtful and loving to her. Today Kelsey offered to drink juice since she and Keegan both wanted milk and there was only one glassful left. Most of the time they are the best of friends and very kind to one another. Kelsey is very snuggly and affectionate and still wants to be with Mommy most of the time. I hope she keeps that trait, too!