Today my little boys are 3 years old! I can't believe it! As they take their naps upstairs it gives me a little time to reflect. What little angels God has blessed us with. My heart is always warmed to watch Chase care for his brother and offer an "oosie" when he makes a mistake; or to hear Owen say, "My Mommy," in the most tender and sweet voice and learn to say "sorry" when he makes a mistake.
Today we had an exciting morning! I took the boys to an art class and we made American Flags. They did well following directions, but I think were more interested in the parakeets than they were the art. :) We then went to the pool to meet our friends, who we also celebrated with last year. It was soooo hot, the boys were just dripping sweat as we ate our lunch. We jumped in and out of the pool over and over and I had to stand very close to the edge for them. :) We still don't like to get water in our eyes and very little on our heads, but they do love the water. The boys were very tired so we headed home around 12:15 and Chase was asleep before we even made it home. That gave Owen and I some alone time and we played with our new street rug and buildings.
What an amazing year it has been, new words, new feats, new adventures. It's so much fun! They have definitely grown into little boys over the past year. Even though they are still sensitive, loving, cuddly and warm, they have grown into "boys". They love to rough house, bang their cars together, fight, and do all things boy. They LOVE cars, mostly match box sized Disney "Cars". It's all they want to play with, they cart them around in a bucket-to the car, in their cribs, to the bathtub, etc. They can sit for hours just playing with the cars! The things I used to think they liked, like art projects, have gone by the wayside. They still like to do it, but not like I did when I was a kid and they don't have the attention span for it.
Chase loves to put his forehead right on my forehead and tilt his head back and forth while I open my eyes wide. We laugh and laugh and laugh about this. He loves to snuggle, suck his thumb, and find his "my two bankie bankie". He must have both of the green froggy blankies. He also loves to rub the nubbins between his fingers in a very methodical way. He is very into numbers, letters and is learning about colors. He is pretty intuitive and sensitive to others' feelings. He's very empathetic and takes care of those who get hurt. When he gets and owie he must tell you about it until it is healed. He loves to put his head down, stoop his shoulders and stick out his tongue when he is pouting. Chase is cooperative most of the time and is very helpful. He listens to directions most of the time and just loves his "Owey" (Owen). Chase is learning to say his name! He can say a wonderful "ch" in isolation, but says "d" in the word "Chase". Up until recently he said his name was "Da".
Recently my friend asked Owen, "Who is your best friend?" They were both sitting on my lap and I didn't think they would know what to say. Right away Owen pointed at Chase and said, "My Da." My heart just melted. Then the friend asked Chase the same question and sure enough he said, "My Owey." Wow, what a bond!
Owen is a little lover. He loves kisses, hugs, to be sung to before bed while I rub his hair and he loves to do this "Who moved your pillow" routine with Daddy. He is such a car lover it's amazing. Owen figures out the intricacies of how things work and examines things very carefully. He is a stubborn and over the past few weeks has really learned how to help pick up, follows directions so much better, is learning to say "sorry" and is becoming such a big boy. It was so difficult for him to hear he had done something wrong and needed to say, "Sorry". In fact, up until a few weeks ago he had never said it. Finally, after much prayer and talking about it, he will say he's sorry now. He too, loves his blankies, Big and Little. He drags them around the house. Owen loves to put his cheek on mine and say, "My Mommy" and then look me in the eyes. He, also, loves his "Da" (Chase). He's quite independent at most things.
Last night we were telling the boys that their last name was "Berger." They were practicing the word and Chase looked at Jeff and said, "Eat?" He knew a burger was to eat! :) So funny.
Chase and Owen have been a bit behind in their language development. Over the past few months they have really grown though. They are saying words I didn't know they knew and new ones every day. It's been really exciting to watch as a speech-language pathologist.
Bed Time:
Chase must wear his red rocket fleece footy jammies
Owen must wear mismatched GAP jammie bottoms and a long sleeved top. Typically he wears striped bottoms with a star top.
Food:
The boys have really grown into good eaters for the most part. They love all fruit (except Owen isn't a fan of berries). They do great at veggies, especially Owen. Neither is a big fan of meat, but I can't say I am either. Owen loves bread and neither really like noodles. Overall I would say they eat well and a good healthy variety of food. Daddy loves to give them a little piece of chocolate after they eat, which helps some of the food go down sometimes. :)
Clothing:
No one wants to get dressed these days. Owen only wants to wear undies (which I guess I should be happy about, considering he could want to wear nothing). I have to give them the "one more minute" warning whenever we are changing into our clothes for the day. After that it typically goes ok. Owen has a favorite outfit, mesh silver shorts and a white Nike t-shirt from Nana and Papa.
Toilet:
Owen is very good about going to the bathroom on his own! Chase still likes a little help.
We're still working on putting our shoes on/off by ourselves, taking socks off, pants off, shirts off, etc.
Overall we can't believe the blessing of these two wonderful individuals in our lives. What joy the past 3 years have been, I want to bottle them up and hold them close to my heart forever.
