How can they be two already?

This one may take a little more time to compose because as much as I hate to admit it, I was totally unprepared for the boys’ 2^nd birthday, both literally and emotionally. I was so consumed with Disney that the only planning I had done was to reserve my cake lady for that weekend. Jason and I both agree that birthday parties at certain ages are more for the parents than the kids. Chase didn’t have a ‘real’ party until he turned 4 and we felt the same should hold true for the triplets. Now, I couldn’t let the day go by without celebrating so we decided to invite immediate family for lunch, cake and ice cream. As the head count reached almost 20, I realized that even ‘intimate’ gathering would be large in this family – which I love! 

I set out trying to figure out what to make for lunch (2 kinds of chili) and how to attack the opening of the presents. I came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to have the boys open gifts all day long. They started first thing in the morning with their gifts from Jason, Chase and I and continued from there to Aunt Lindsey, Uncle Nate and the girls. Meme and Popi were next with GG Mom and GG Dad followed by Grandma, Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, Nana, Uncle Matt, Aunt Jen and cousins, then Uncle Marc, Aunt B and Milo. You see, their attention span worked with this plan. They got to open the gift from the individual person and got to play with it before being bombarded with more. This is the way to go people! Why did I not think of this sooner! Not that it minimized the damage done with the wrapping paper and boxes however.

Meme watches as the boys' open some gifts

Popi reading a card to Graham

Everyone got involved in the fun

I tried but couldn't manage to contain the mess or the chaos!

Lunch first, then dessert!

Then came time for cake and ice cream and messy boys! Elmo was the theme (which is the same as it was for Chase) and the boys loved their cake!

Elmo loves Jack, Graham and Anthony!

Jack

Graham

Anthony

Anyway, we had a great day and the boys were showered with love and spent the day with family which is the most important part to me. So on to my reflection for the year…

                                     

Jackson, Graham and Anthony….my sweet boys! Where do I begin to share with you how you have changed my life over the last year, no scratch that, over the last two years! Since you entered my world, everything is bigger. Not just in sheer number or quantity, but quality as well. Your passion for life is amazing and reminds me on a daily basis just how lucky I am. You are good-natured, loving boys who are curious about everything around you, even when you shouldn’t be!

Jack – my observant, pensive boy, you remind me to take things slow and absorb all I can. You never join in any game until you know exactly what to expect. You like to know how things work and are my engineer in training. Computers, remotes, DVDs, DVRs, watches – you name it, you want to make it work. Doorknobs were the first to be turned and opened by you which required a level of toddler-proofing I haven’t had to do in the past. You are the biggest of the brothers but have a heard of gold. You are selective with your words but those you say are said with passion and emphasis. I love how you remind me of where I came from with your grins and smirks and I know that Grandpa would be proud and honored to know that his namesake really embodies who he was.

Graham – my daring and headstrong boy, you constantly push me to the limits with your knowledge, words and phrases. You remind me to be observant of the world around me and are always asking questions. If you don’t like the answer I give you, you change your approach and ask again. You never give up which is both amazing and frustrating at the same time, for both of us! You force me to look at things from a different perspective so that we can achieve your task at hand. You have become my little hoarder in that when you see a toy you want, you collect ALL of that toy and anything like it and gather them in your little arms like a giant protector. You shoo away anyone who tries to come near your stash and make sure everyone knows they belong to you. Possessive is in your nature but it isn’t just with toys. When you hug, you literally wrap your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist and squeeze for dear life. I can let go of you and there you stay, clinging with all the love in your tiny body. You are the smallest of the brothers but not the weakest by any stretch of the imagination!

Anthony – my sweet, smiling and emotional boy, you suck me into your world of laughter and smiles whether I want to be there or not. You laugh with every fiber of your being and it is truly contagious. You are big with emotions. What you feel is known to everyone around you. The good thing is that, most times, that emotion is happiness. You are inquisitive and curious and always ask, “dat?” When I give you the answer, you simply respond with an, “oh.” As if you were saying, “yeah, I knew that.” Your eyes light up when you smile and you LOVE your big brother. You would be happy to spend every waking moment following in his footsteps. You are my risk-taker which scares me to no end because you also have no fear. With you, I am always thinking outside the box, trying to stay one step ahead of what I think you might do next. You keep me on my toes and I love you for forcing me to be lively and proactive with my thinking.

Boys, the last two years have gone by in a flash and I can’t believe that we have finished even more milestones. Graham and Anthony – you are pacifier free! Jack you still hold tight to yours (which secretly makes me a little happy!) and you are all interested in potty training (No, Mommy is not ready for that task and is not really pushing or encouraging this just yet). Everyone is jumping on two feet, can say the letters of the alphabet and recognize them as well. We are working on colors but you are all able to count to the most important number – 2! I love you forever and will always be proud and honored to be your Mom. Thank you for being my precious gifts.

Chase "holding" his brothers for the 3rd year in a row, same seat, matching pajamas. Although, Chase looks like one of them, not the older brother. May need to change the approach next year!