appreciating their personalities

I am big on understanding. I love coming to understand ideas and also people. And I find the more I understand a person, the more I love them for who they are instead of being frustrated by who they aren't. I came across a website:

www.personalitytype.com/quizkids.html

This helped me see my girls in a whole new light.

Ansley is a warm-hearted, reliable, and realistic angel. She is every teachers dream because she gets along well with others yet also sits quietly and stays on task. I can almost always count on her to be patient and loving with her little sisters, and guide them through some rules of life that Ansley has come to know so well. In fact, Ansley is the rule expert. She is always aware of what she is supposed to be doing, and gently persuades others around her to follow along. Ansley figures out the finer details of rules by asking "When?" if we say "Not Now," or "How Much?" if we need the house clean. For the most part, she now remembers to first ask permission, instead of jumping straight to when and how much. Ansley is always considerate of others feelings and loves to share. She independently and carefully plans little tokens of love to give to people who are important to her, like cards and crafts. When she was little, she used to give away toys to other toddlers in play group, and as she got older, she would say goodbye to visitors with a toy of her own she had picked out of her toy box as a gift for them. Sometimes disappointing details in her life can get her down, but recently she has started conquering those moments by actively deciding within herself to be a happy person even when the chips are down. She has come a long way in conquering her perfectionism, and realizes more and more often that making people happy (including herself) is more important than making sure everything goes just right.

Hailey is a charismatic, sweet, and joyful surprise. She asks why all the time, and in so doing, is starting to figure out things like chores are important because they help out the family, and eating healthy foods gives you a healthy body. She is growing past her tendency to blurt out "I don't want to" as she begins to see that every choice has a consequence, even abstaining from green peas at dinner. She has an amazing imagination and can create a multi-character play in her head, then act out all the parts in different voices for hours by herself. When she was smaller, she used to pretend she was the chicken nugget and say in a squeaky voice, "No! Don't eat me! Help!" and even sometimes there were mommy and baby chicken nuggets, and her little enactments just got more complicated from there. She is spontaneous and energetic. If she is upset, it might be a loud and sudden outburst, but it only takes a very small distraction and she is happy as a clam again. I used to joke that I could handle any of her toddler tantrums with a single cookie. We lovingly call her our space cadet because she is not always down to earth, but the things she brings back from outer space always put a smile on our face. Her bizarre and quirky humor makes us laugh every time, like her jokes about eyeballs, and especially her more serious attempts like thanking God that we can eat eggs (when she doesn't even like eggs). My favorite part of Hailey is the spontaneous and random acts of love. She runs up to me for no apparent reason and tells me she loves me with a sudden and frantic hug. It feels very genuine to me because of her spontaneous and quirky nature. It catches me by surprise and opens up my heart every time.

It is hard to say much about the intricacies of Emberly before she is able to talk, but there is so much about her style that makes me smile. Like her determination. She is the bulldozer, the tank, Emberly the destroyer. She plows her way through life, and not much will stop her. If she is foiled, she'll give out a pterodactyl shriek that is hilarious when viewed in the right light. She gets into the no-no areas with a smile on her face, looking back at you, the mischievous imp that she is. She is a dance-a-holic, and will hum to herself or push musical buttons on toys just so she can do a baby jig. She loves to play the monster and chase her big sisters while growling and roaring. She does this adorable little wiggle with her torso when she wants Michael to play "ride the horsie." She loves "Bat baby" and wants to be hung upside down all the time. She is a little bit of a thrill seeker and is fearless on slides and swings. And when we even mention the word prayer, she folds her chubby little baby arms and stands very still. It's so sweet it makes me want to cry sometimes. Of course, five minutes later, I am trying to change her diaper and she squirms out of my grasp and runs across the house naked and giggling. Oh, that girl.