3.5

C as a pilot

D as a dragon, C a unicorn
C as a mermaid
D as an angel

C as a chef
C as a doctor
D as a race car driver
D as a doctor
D as a wizard
C as a construction worker

Since C and D don't get presents on their birthday (I know I make this difficult for relatives but I know from experience how much it sucks as a kid to get all your presents in one month) they got some gifts one their half birthday. The big gift was a trunk of costumes, with most of the costumes given by our families. Here are some of the greatest hits (and yes, they want to wear the pilot costumes on the airplane on Thanksgiving). Veterans might note the absence of princess costumes. Now that I have not two, but 3 girls, my resolve is even stronger (and I'm sure I will be giving them plenty of material for future therapy sessions). They did get an angel, a mermaid, and two sets of fairy wings and crowns, so I don't feel too mean. (My current motto is "Mermaids swim, fairies fly, but tell me, what exactly do princesses do?") My personal favorites are the race car driver and pilot costumes.

Here are a few things about you at 3.5 years old.

Dylan:

Favorite songs: "Swimming in the Pool," "Rocket Man," "Tiny Dancer," "Celia Says" "I Like to Move it Move it," "Daughter in the Water," "Deep in the Heart of Texas,"

Favorite Books: Anything with Giraffes, "Carolina the Rescued Sea Turtle"

You like to have your hair in your face. It drives me nuts. When I ask why you say "Because I can see better."

You love giraffes, which is ironic because they are the tallest mammal and you may be one of the shortest.

We call you the Poop Philosopher: You often have to poop at night, and when you do you will sit on the toilet for as long as possible and wax poetic with whichever parent you have enlisted to sit there with you. You put your chin in your hands and engage in your own version of "Deep Thoughts."

Your are tough and scared all at once. The vacuum scares the bejeezuz out of you, yet I have to stop you from hurling your body every which way possible at the park.

You will talk an adult's ears off once you get comfortable. You will put your hand on your hip, cock your head, and move your other hand in a kind of awkward hook motion while you chitter chatter away.

Charlotte:

Favorite song: "Molly Mermaid" You'd listen to it every day and all day if you could.

Favorite Books: Ladybug Girl , Fancy Nancy, the Mermaid book that Gram gave you

You like to make up nicknames--it is the ultimate sign of affection for you. I'm sometimes "Mommy Tommy," Andrew is sometimes "Daddy baddy," Sam is "Duck," and maybe my favorite, Brittany (our 6 hour a week mothers helper who is--cry--moving to London in a month) is "My Britna."

You like to "make a deal" with people. These deals somehow heavily favor you, and you aren't quite sure why not everyone says yes when you ask "Is that a deal?"

You are enamored with older kids, especially girls.

Both of You:

You are getting quite adept at using IPhones. It is a little scary and we should probably be more purposeful in how we let you use iphones.

You crack yourself up. At a nature camp this summer you met a horse named "Behave Yourself." You spent the rest of the morning running around yelling "Behave Yourself!" and laughing your asses off.

The teachers at school called you "their echoes" because you echo just about anything an adult says... sometimes this is not good : ).

I know I say this all the time, but you adore each other. It never ceases to amaze me how much you love each other. Yes you fight, but overall, you really hate to see the other person unhappy. I remember childhood enough to know that none of my siblings felt, or at least acted, that way with each other. So far you seem to really love Lila too. But the bond between the two of you is one that Andrew and I marvel at, no joke, almost every day. It is incredible to watch. You have even started to turn to each other when you don't get something from me. "Dylan will you help me put my socks on?" It feels weird in some ways, but I know I would rather that than to have you running around tattling on each other to me.

P.S. I'm sure you do more than all this, but it has taken me two months to get this post out, I have 18 posts saved as draft, and if I don't post soon this blog is never going to recover.