These Two at Three.

I remember the day well, three years ago (January 25th, to be exact)...my body breathed a sigh of relief and my heart nearly doubled in size when we met our sweet boys.  I can vividly remember being amazed to see that there were two pink little babies...not that I hadn't been aware of the fact that we were expecting twins, but still shocked.  I don't have words to describe how it felt to see those two babies...hard to take it all in.  I can't imagine how mom's of higher order multiples must feel.  gulp.

Bringing them home from the hospital was such an overwhelming experience.  Months of joy, diaper-changing, round-the-clock-feeding, crying (both mine and theirs) and trying to keep our heads above water followed.  Sleep-deprivation left Brad and I in a fog...but, with hearts full of gratitude.  What a gift we'd been given.

Fast forward three years and today things look very different in our home.  We're now the parents of four little boys...not a baby in sight.  Gone are the diapers, we mostly sleep through the night, they are eating non-stop during their waking hours only, and we're coming out of the fog.

Here is what the dynamic duo is up to these days:

Caleb:

• Loves to talk and have conversation.  He loves to make people laugh.
• Eats a tremendous amount of food...yet, still weighs less than Matthew.  
• Some of his favorite foods are: oatmeal, cereal, granola bars, blueberries, bananas, beans, quesadillas, pizza, salad and he always requests a second helping of meat!  Such a carnivore!
• Loves to dance.
• Loves to go to church.  He asks several times a week if we can go.
• Says, "Amen!" with gusto!
• Loves to be tickled.
• Enjoys playing "rough" with his dad and older brothers.
• The library is among his favorite places to visit.
• Has really good manners.
• Screams/squeals loudly when his brothers take things away from him.
• Likes to pretend he is a doggie...and threatens to "slick" (lick) you.
• Almost always identifies himself as Matthew in a picture.
• Loves to ride his scooter and swing on our playground outside when it's warm outside.
• Loves his "Pa" (my dad) and always asks for "my Grace" (his cousin)
• Doesn't like to sit in time out.
• Can recognize nearly every letter in the alphabet (gets b and d confused, struggles with Q), knows his primary colors, can sort things according to size, understands spatial concepts (over, under, beside, etc), can count to 20 (sometimes skipping 16), and sings a ton of songs.
• Melts my heart when he asks to "snuggle up with me" on the couch.
• Weighs in at 31 pounds (80th percentile) and stands at 31 1/4 inches tall (81st percentile).
• Has completely stolen my heart...I'm wacky about that boy!

Matthew:

• Has a quick smile and loves to make people laugh.
• Loves to be tickled.
• Enjoys a good soak/playtime in the tub.
• Likes to pray before our meals.
• Almost always identifies himself as Caleb in pictures.
• Loves to read book and play games.
• Loves to play in the snow and jump on the trampoline in warm weather.
• Shows great remorse when he has hurt someone/broken something.
• Loves to go "bye bye" - anywhere!
• Enjoys fruit, salad, rice, quesadillas, fresh salsa, macaroni and cheese,green beans, and always requests desert.
• Loves to sing and dance.
• Enjoys dressing up and "playing" characters - pirates, buzz lightyear, or a superhero of some kind.
• Loves, loves, loves his daddy.  He is by far the biggest "daddy's boy" in our family.
• Gives the sweetest kisses.
• Recognizes all primary colors, understands spatial concepts, can count to 19,
• Weighs in at 39 3/4 pounds (81st percentile) and stands 35 inches tall (89th percentile).
• Has stolen my heart...I am totally crazy about him.

Happy Birthday Caleb & Matthew! 

To take a peek at their three year old photos, go to : http://stephanielyell.com/blog/2011/02/09/johnson-twins-full-post/