And while everyone says age three is the most challenging age, I am absolutely loving this stage of life that we are in. Don't get me wrong, I could do without the fighting, the whining, and the over-dramatic reactions to EVERYTHING. But I love how their personalities have really come out. I love seeing who they are. I love that we can have conversations about our favorite things and what they want to be when we grow up.
I love seeing how smart they are and watching their love for learning just grow and grow everyday. I love that I see so much of James and myself in them. We always joke about how nerdy they are, but we both know they got it from us. And I truly I couldn't be more proud of them. I feel like my heart is going to burst every time I watch them read a book for the first time or look into the pantry and ask me what "beef broth" is because they can now read the labels.
They have been going to school this year and their social development has grown tremendously. All I ever wanted was for them to be able to make a friend and all three of them come home everyday talking about their classmates and how much fun they had with them. I think about where they all were not even a year ago. Lucas would run the perimeter at the park the whole time instead of engaging with other kids. Now, he will walk right up to another kid and say "Hi! I'm Lucas! What's your name?" Every time I hear it, it almost brings me to tears.
We are officially in the fourth quarter of the school year and I just don't understand how their first year of preschool can almost be over. What makes me even more emotional is the thought that they might be going to Kindergarten in just over a year. It just doesn't seem possible.
I don't think I've ever been this emotional about them growing up. Their first birthday was truly a celebration that we survived that first year. Every other milestone we've reached, I feel has had a tinge of sadness behind it, but for the most part I've always welcomed the new stage. Now, I just want to press pause. I look at them and I feel like I can see glimpses of them in elementary school, middle school, and even high school. And honestly, I don't really like it. I just want them to stay little!
It's crazy to think that one day, I will look back on pictures of them when they were three and think "They were so little!" Because now all I can think when I look at them is how much they've grown up in such a short period of time. How they're such big boys. I hope over the years, they don't lose who they are. I hope Ollie continues to have that deep desire to stimulate himself intellectually. I hope he never stops loving books. I hope Nolan continues to feel so deeply. I hope he can use his emotional sensitivity in a constructive way to help others. I hope Lucas continues to surprise us. There was a time I was so worried about this little guy. I hope he keeps smiling and laughing.
Mostly, I just hope they're all happy.
