Three; E and Z.

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"But I am not a baby, I am a b i g  b o y, mommy!"...
 
I want to scream, "but you'll always be my baby!!"
But I don't. I smile and say, "that's right, you're a big boy."

...

 
My "baby boys" are three. THREE! I still remember the day we brought them home from the hospital. Looking down at these two tiny babies; "What do we do now?" ...then I cried.
Here we are, three years later. Beautiful, healthy, active, POTTY-TRAINED, silly, loud, always-on-the-go, B-O-Y-S.
And I still find myself asking;
                             "What do we do now?!"
and sometimes, I cry.

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Sweetie-pie Eli.
Oh Elijah, you are so contrary. My independent, needmyspace, strong-willed, quiet-until-I-get-comfortable, story-telling, meticulous, memorizing, smarty-pants, singing, dancing, karate-chopping, can'tstandtobebossed, beautiful boy.
I L-O-V-E the way you can memorize anything after seeing or hearing it only once. I L-O-V-E the way you love to sing. I pray you never lose your soft, yet very direct, voice. You are a born leader. "I need to take karate lessons mom." 
"Uh, I need to be alone right now."
"Can you turn on the rock music please?"
You prefer calm, unless you are the one creating the chaos. Loud, large crowds make you nervous. But, you love making new friends. And you never forget them.
I love the way you grab your Bible and "read" to your brothers. "...We have peace with God. God is everywhere. I am saved. God protects us...."

 

I love the way you will hear a song, stop whatever you are doing and start dancing. "Rocking out" as you call it. You love being outdoors, but not so much in the winter. You don't like the wind or the snow. You prefer summer. (me too, buddy!)
You don't mind playing alone, but after awhile ask, "Where's Zeky? Where's baby Isaac?"...you like your space but always need to know your brothers are "ok".
Your favorite game is Which Hand?, you love stories, especially made-up ones, your favorite shows are Curious George, Pocoyo and Little Einsteins. You love getting new Hot Wheels, but take f o r e v e r picking one out. Then change your mind a million times before we have to tell you "time's up!". You have a hard time making a decision about pretty much everything. haha.
I'm pretty sure you have inherited your dad's artistic ability. You see something, then freehand it. Each day, you have a different favorite color.
(Today), you want a blue-brown dog named Gary. And you don't want to share him...you were sure about that! You asked for "more race cars and maybe a race track" for your birthday.
You are a star. Shine on my boy. Shine on.

 ...

My sweet Ezekiel.
Sweet, tender Zek. You continue to wear your heart on your sleeve. You are the peacekeeper. You cannot stand conflict, yet you are almost as strong-willed as your brother. You are entertaining and love to make people happy.
You don't like to be away from your brothers. Especially Eli. You can't sleep without him and always ask when he's coming home (when he stays over at grammy's). You always worry about baby brother when he isn't near. I love that you are so concerned about and "need" your brothers.
Your mission is clear. "I will give you a hug. ...Hugs make people feel better."
You connect with people. You love to learn. "let's have school time mommy!"
But, more so, you love to move. You are always on the go. Racing, jumping, skipping, hopping from here to there. Outdoors is the place you really want to be. You love nature; dirt, flowers, animals, water. You LOVE the snow. You would spend hours in it if you could. You especially love sledding.
You want a yellow dog named Bananas and "I will share him with you mommy".
You love to dance almost as much as your brother. Your favorite game is hide-and-seek, you love story time, and you love to draw and color. Most of the time, your favorite color is "dark blue".Your favorite shows are Caillou, Pocoyo, and Curious George. You get so excited whenever daddy or I buy you a Hot Wheels car, (which is pretty much every time we go to the store).
You smile and like to remind us, "Jesus is good and really loves us."
You asked for a telescope for your birthday, "so I can see the planets mommy...they are really far away".
You are a sweetheart buddy. I hope your simple kindness changes the world.

I *may* be biased, but, along with your baby brother, you are the coolest, most beautiful boys in the world.

I pray you guys always know how much you were prayed for, wanted, and believed for. How much of a blessing you are. How much God's hand is on your life, how blessed you are. Just don't ever forget that, please.

Truly,
Mommy

Looking back:
Blog birth announcement
First Birthday
How Do I Do This?(post)
Chasing Boys As I Pray for Them
Second Birthday

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Happy THIRD birthday to my little BIG boys!