Yin and Yang

I love my boys, that's all there is to it.  Sure I often find myself on the verge of losing it, but I would be lost without them.  But there could not be two more different kids.  Other than the fact that they physically share many similarities, they are night and day.  And yet somehow their relationship works - they are such great buddies.  The other night the two of them were sitting on the counter eating chips. Dylan devoured chip after chip, but refused to even taste the salsa, while Preston used the same chip over and over to spoon the salsa into his mouth.  It's weird, but it made me start to think about just how different the two of them really are.  I think the Lord knew what He was doing when he sent us two such different personalities to raise. Our very own yin and yang seem to balance out our little family quite nicely.   

• Dylan is an achiever.  He is as competitive as a kid can be.  He walked early, he talked early, he wants to grow up so quickly.  He talks to me like an 8-year-old.  The things he says and does always amaze me. 
• Preston is content just to be.  He has his own pace and doesn't push himself.  He is fine to pick up a skill at his own rate and not when someone thinks he should learn something. 
• Dylan loves broccoli, but hates peas.  He likes chips, but not the salsa and will not touch cottage cheese.  He prefers oranges and orange juice and his favorite drink is chocolate milk. 
• Preston is the complete opposite.  He'll eat almost anything, but can taste the smallest piece of broccoli and pulls it out of everything.  He'll dunk his chip in the salsa and eat the salsa, but keep the chip as a spoon.  And the kid pulls the tub of cottage cheese out of the fridge for me to feed him almost daily.  He prefers apples and apple juice and would rather have plain milk than chocolate.
• Dylan generally gets angry when something goes wrong.  He takes everything personally and just gets mad.  His time outs require much more patience to follow through with because of his persistence and constant testing of boundaries.
• Preston gets sad.  His little lower lip curled under is a sight we know well and it's a tough one to ignore.  He gets a lot of leverage from his sensitive side.  He rarely needs a time out because telling him no usually is all the reminder he needs.  He is obedient by nature and doesn't feel a need to challenge authority.   
• Dylan is more of an instigator and has to win when something doesn't go his way.
• Preston even sensing tension will walk around the house hugging everyone and caressing our faces.  He's our own personal peacemaker sent to make our house more loving I suppose.
• I wouldn't say either of our children is shy, but Dylan loves to be the center of attention. He loves to be the helper chosen for everything.  He's got guts.  He has a shy moment here and there now that he's getting older, but he's more courageous than I am in front of a crowd most of the time.  He's definitely a performer by nature.
• Preston prefers one-on-one attention.  He'll go up to strangers and sit by them, but prefers the attention one at a time rather than in front of a big group.  
• Dylan loves animals and dinosaurs and setting up his own play situations.  
• Preston is content with a ball to throw, kick or roll on the ground.
• Everyone knows Dylan.  You can't not know this kid.  He makes himself known to all.  
• Preston is the one with the captivating smile that no one can quite remember.  The quiet one of the two boys that sometimes gets lost in the background.
• Dylan is way independent and does not want help figuring things out - even if he's struggling with something.
• Preston will still let my nephew feed him.  It's okay with him if someone tries to make his life a little easier.  He'll take the help.

I know there are probably a million more of these, but this gives you an idea of just how different my two little men really are.  They both challenge me differently and make me so grateful for them in different ways.  It's nice to have such differences to balance out the needs in our home.