Eli + Maddie :: 3 Years

Happy 3rd Birthday to my favorite twins! :)

E L I J A H      W I N N

Sweet Boy,

You are my little Type A, firstborn child :) You like things a certain way, and you definitely let me know if/when we deviate from the routine. In your mind, things should be just so...the books should be stacked in a specific way. Your blanket should be "bigger," covering your feet, and with your "hood on" {covering your head}. You have to wear pajamas and socks to sleep, every single time. And while things can be very frustrating for you when things are not just so, it is amazing to watch your little mind work, organize, and figure things out. 

The last couple of months, you have really struggled with sleep. You started waking up in the middle of the night, upset that your blanket had come off, wanting us to put it back on for you. We have progressed to you taking your own blanket off, placing it on your dresser, and then screaming for us to come put it back on for you. Or you want a different blanket. Or different socks. Or your pajama button came undone. And somehow you are just absolutely helpless to fix any of these things yourself, and the whole world is ending because of it. So we're currently trying to figure that out. Because everybody is exhausted, Buddy. We know it's a developmental issue, and your little brain gets overwhelmed pretty quickly. But we are definitely praying this phase passes SOON.

You still love your Daddy the best and love to just sit in his lap or close to him. Most of the time you are pretty serious, but when you get bit by a silly bug, you can get pretty goofy pretty quickly. It has been so fun to see you start playing with Maddie and Aiden more, though you are still our little independent one, preferring to play solo.

Buddy, we love you SO much, and we are so excited to watch you grow and learn! 

Stats :: 30 pounds, 37.75 inches tall

Eli-Phrases to Remember :: 

• don't change your mind! I tell him this often, to help reinforce confidence in the decision he makes {and so I'm not putting socks on, taking socks off, putting socks back on, etc.}
• kiss it! The instant he hurts himself. I am clinging to the days that a mommy kiss heals all and makes everything all better instantly.
• that's silly. This is obvious, it's just so funny to hear it come from his little voice :)
• that's a BIG truck! Anytime we see a truck. Every time we see a truck. The boy LOVES trucks!
• I still poopin'. He likes to inform us that he's not quite done {whether we ask him or not}.
• I went poo poo, change my diaper. But the instant he's done, he's ready for that diaper change. I'm hoping it's signs of potty-training readiness, but I don't think he's quite there yet.

M A D E L I N E      G R A C E

My Sweet Maddie Girl,

You are still my little wild and free child :) You have a big, feisty personality, but you are just about the best little snuggler there is! I often think of you as my little sour patch kid {like the candy}...first you can be sour {hello opinions and strong will!}, but then you can be oh-so-sweet {I want to snuggle, Mama}. You drive your twin brother crazy, because you bring chaos and change and messy to his orderly little world haha! And I really think it's going to be really good for both of you as you grow up together.

You and I tend to go head to head A LOT, little sister. You know how to push my buttons, and you definitely test those boundaries like no other. You can be pretty defiant and disobedient, often spending long periods of time in time-out, because when I ask you if you're ready to listen and obey, you adamantly tell me "no!" and really mean it. But I know that your passion could be one of your greatest strengths one day, and I pray for the wisdom and strength to help guide you to use it for the Lord and for good. 

While we struggle sometimes to understand your stubbornness and strong will, you have the most tender of hearts. You freely give hugs and want to snuggle, and you can be such a nurturer. You are the absolute BEST sister. You take such good care of both of your brothers. You love and take such good care of your baby doll Lucy. You can be such an amazing little helper. And your sweetness can come out of nowhere, and it just melts my Mama heart. In those sweet moments, I know we're going to survive this crazy toddlerhood :)

Lady Bug, we love you SO much, and we are so thankful for you!

Stats :: 40 pounds, 40.25 inches tall

Maddie-Phrases to Remember :: 

• cray be the Lord! Haha, she loves singing "Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!" and she says this instead of "praise be the Lord!" and I love it.
• Jamammies. This is my favorite mispronunciation of "pajamas."
• See? Look at this! She gets so excited about something and this is her go-to phrase to get our attention and point out her excitement.
• What am I doing? Haha- she asks this A LOT, and it's usually when she's doing something she should not be doing. Though sometimes she uses it for silly things too. It's like she's telling on herself.
• Can you read this please? I hear this no less than 50 times a day. Sweet girl LOVES her books, and that's all she ever wants to do, is sit down and read them ALL.
• That's my Mama. This is hands down my favorite phrase. She will look at me with those sweet hazel eyes of hers, point to me, and then say "That's my mama." And it melts my heart EVERY SINGLE TIME. Yes, Baby Girl. I am your Mama, and it is the absolute best title in the world.