Theodore is quite literally always a mess. His long hair tangled around and on top of his head, saturated with maple syrup, apple sauce, and chalk powder. His face is usually covered in peanut butter, his teeth covered in cheese, with cuts and scrapes and bruises across his perfect creamy complexion. And he smiles with his whole face. And loves with his whole being. He is intense and passionate, and doesn't care what people think, and doesn't take "no" for an answer (much to my chagrin.) He's a magical pixie from a far off fantasy land with no rules and no worries, and most days I long to live just like he does. Drawn to every small thing that excites my interest, driven to deconstruct things to their basic elements in an effort to learn as much as I can about them, wild and free like an animal.
Oliver is such a different sort of animal. He's usually quite clean, and bothered by cuts and scrapes and tears in his clothing. He can't stick his stickers anywhere, but rather must place them carefully in their designated spots in the sticker book. He carefully tracks rules in his mind in order to make sure he is following them, but more importantly that his little brother is as well, including consequences for rule breaking. Oliver loves gently and movingly, but just as intensely. His love isn't wild and crazy, but it is generous and does not pick and choose. He loves every kid at the playground with the same ferocity, regardless of whether he knows them well or is just meeting them for the first time. He loves every animal, every flower, every pebble on the driveway equally and immensely. He is cautious, but in many ways utterly fearless, as he puts himself out there without any worry that he won't be accepted, with no notion that he may be rejected. And if he is rejected, he barely notices at all, and goes about his adventure which is surely, at that moment, the pinnacle of fun, with a big beautiful smile on his face.
My heroes.
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