I am going to get all mushy and reflect back three years ago today, the day my twins were born. Tucker and I couldn't have been happier and couldn't believe how much we loved them. They have brought more love and joy in the past three years than we could even imagine and life with Roman and Capri has only gotten better.
What we love...
*I know I just talked about this in an earlier post, but one of my favorite things about Roman and Capri at this age is their sweet bond. They are the best of friends and just love being together.*How well they have transitioned to big beds. I can't believe I am saying this now because the first week was an absolute nightmare! However, they go down pretty well now as long as we switch the circuit breaker so they can't turn on the lights. After a few nights into the transition, Tucker and I tucked them into bed and both seemed so sweet and said, "night, night." We thought we were pretty lucky until about 20 seconds later. We hadn't even gotten down the stairs when we hear Roman say, "Okay Waff!" and then ran over to turn the light on so they could start playing. They learned how to screw the light bulb in and out of their nightlight too so we knew that lights were a problem. One other little anecdote about their big beds. We have found Roman lying right beside Capri's bed or actually in her bed asleep. Awwwweeee. So sweet!
*How much they love playing with other kids, especially their cousins. Roman has always been super social, but Capri has just recently started to enjoy other friends. It is so nice to have them entertained and having so much fun.
*They are both talking and their voices couldn't be cuter. Capri says things like, "Oh mom, that's so cool," or "Oh how beautiful like a princess," which makes her sound so old. Roman's language has really picked up and I am loving it! Just the other day he started to sing the words to "The Wheels on the Bus" and I was a proud momma.
*They love to be funny. Capri thinks that funny faces are about as good as it gets and Roman encourages her with his belly laugh.
*We definitely have two smart kids. What do they do with their smarts? Scheme and manipulate to become quite the team-this may be a bad thing as teenagers. A couple of months ago, I was in the bathroom getting ready when I heard Roman and Capri going back and forth, "This one?" "No." "This?" "No." "This?" "Okay." "Okay." I peaked my head in to find Roman at the Mac with the mouse in hand, going through the itunes list of movies. He was asking which one Capri wanted, one by one, until she saw the album cover for the right one. He then clicked on it and started the show and then turned the volume up (done by a key on the keyboard). They were both very happy with the end result.
*They both still love the blankets. Capri calls it her "wayket" and will always ask for a specific color, white, pink or green...never blue. She still sucks on the corners which leads to stinky blankets which leads to mommy washing them every other day. Roman calls it his "bahem" and has made this bond fairly recently, say the past 6 months or so. He will not take a pink blanket.
Roman loves...
*Everything gets turned into a sword or a gun these days and he has every possible sound effect to go with them. Don't ask me how-he never watches anything to get such ideas but I guess boys will be boys!
*Anything truck related. "Big trucks" are the highlight to this boy's day and his favorite toy is by far the CAT construction truck. We have been driving through so much construction lately and he points out every truck and calls it either a "big cruck" or a "baby cruck" depending on the size. He may also add the color!
*He still loves any kind of ball if he has someone to kick or throw with.
*Roman has become quite the artist and learned how to draw a funny face. If given paper and any writing utensil, he will go to town drawing them over and over! He is very maticulous in his school artwork as well.
*Roman also likes to listen to music, if he really likes it he'll bob his head to the beat or start dancing.
Capri loves...
*Anything and everything princess related. I am trying to embrace this knowing she will grow out of this stage someday, but we are hoping she doesn't get anymore of the princess attitude! At her birthday party, she turned to Cheri and I and said, "Look at all my presents!" She is also known to show herself off to others by looking at them, looking down at her outfit with her hand showcasing, and then looking back up as if to say, "Look how beautiful I look." Classic.
*Making "pancakes and eggs" in her kitchen as well as cutting her pretend food.
*Dresses. Capri loves to dress up and has her routine dress requests. At Grandma's house, she requests her pink princess dress, at Grammie's it's the purple dress, and at home it's her Snow White dress. She is always accessorized with plenty of necklaces (pronounced glasses) and bracelets.
*Play dough is a favorite for this girl. Pronounced "play plough," Capri asks to play with the stuff daily.
*This girl loves to sing, just not when anyone other than Roman is around. She sings so many songs but her favorites lately are "Happy Birthday " and the "Clean Up" song.
They both love...
*Playing outside. This has been a bit difficult with our first winter back in Utah, but they have adjusted very well. Thank goodness we have a basement for them to ride their bikes. Capri doesn't actually ride the tricycle, she just "fixes" the big bikes with Daddy's tools.
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Zhu Zhu pets-their newest toy that has already gotten some serious play time.
*Tents, and the ones that are made from blankets are much better than the little play tent I bought.
*Playing with their Daddy. Getting thrown into the air, doing flips, running from thrown pillows (but actually wanting to get hit) are a few of their favorites.
*Books, books, and more books. They insist on being read to daily, but also enjoy looking at books and pretending to read on their own.
*Watching movies. We limit the time, but their favorites include The Incredibles, Up (aka The Balloons House), Tom and Jerry (aka Cat and Mouse or Thomas and Jerry), or any of the Pixar shorts.
What we don't love...
*I hate it when my kids squabble and so I am grateful they don't do it much. They both really know how to push each other's buttons just to bug one another. They are actually pretty good about sharing and can usually solve their little problems by themselves. However, things are a bit different if someone other than their twin takes a toy away so watch out!
Stats from their 3 year check-up:
*Roman is in the 85% for height and 25% for weight
*Capri is in the 55% for height and 5% for weight
Tall and skinny kids but still very healthy!
Okay - This is the Dad now. I'm the proud father of these two and I can't believe how fast they grow up. Just a few weeks ago they were babies that quickly turned into rug rats that have turned into little kids that go to school. It is almost unbelievable how quickly they learn and mature. Anyway I'd like to share a little bit on how our lives as a family have changed.
I know that your life completely changes when you have kids, but I'm still amazed at how all consuming parenthood is. Everything in my life revolves around my family.
Alysha is great at making sure that I have a few hours here and there to pursue my interests and hobbies, and I try to return the favor. But other than that, every activity that I engage in is for my wife and kids.
The other thing that amazes me is how much I love my life. Last night Roman started crying because he had peed all over. I got up at 2:00 AM, changed his diaper and pajamas and brought him into our bed. In the morning my ribs were sore because he kicked me all night. As I was getting up he turned over and snuggled with my beautiful wife. I can't believe how lucky I am.
Every father should have a daughter. My precious girl always has a smile for her Dad. I just barely got Capri out of her bed as she is struggling with a bad cough. I had the humidifier and the shower going to get the bathroom all steamy to make her throat feel better and relieve some of the coughing. As I rocked her in my arms she put her small hand on my
cheek and gave me a little pat before closing her eyes and falling asleep. I can't believe how lucky I am.
You can see how excited Capri was with her new Zhu Zhu pet-a definite favorite!
Roman learned how to strike a match from the fun uncle Cody. How many three year-olds can say they lit their own candles? Unfortunately, he wasn't content with just that, so Daddy let him light a couple more and play-he would blow one out, light it back up with the other and repeat. Seriously, who lets their kids play with fire?
After everyone had left, Capri and Roman were still on cloud nine playing with their new toys and munching on the divine sugar cookies-thank you bakers de normandie!
Oh, and let's not forget the Rice Krispies at 8:00 that night!
