Our little man is THREE!

Every parent says it, but how is it possible that my little baby is three years old already?! Charlie has blessed our lives in so many ways over the last three years. He makes us laugh countless times of day…and while living up to the “terrible twos” label, he made us yell several times too. He is just the sweetest, most loving little guy. He says “I love you, Mommy” (and “I love you, Daddy” and “I love you, Ellie”) about a hundred times a day. He’s also not afraid to go all ninja-superhero-cage-fighter on you if you cross him. He’s actually sort of a study in contradictions…he only eats about 5 different foods, but he eats insane quantities of those foods (think 10+ pancakes, an egg, a banana, and a bowl of cereal for breakfast…and he’ll still be asking for more -- I just have to cut him off so we can leave the table before its time for lunch); he is all boy in the sense that he absolutely loves buses, trains, trucks, tractors, etc., but he still loves pushing a doll stroller and carrying a glittery handbag, and he wants to be a princess for Halloween; he could easily disassemble a TV, but he can’t get himself dressed. You get the point.

Charlie is our little sheepdog. He likes the whole family together and if one of us is away (even if we’re just in another part of the house), he asks where we are. Every single weekday he asks repeatedly where Daddy is. It’s such a sweet quality.

Charlie loves Ellie and Keanan, but often gets too rough with Keanan (sometimes because he’s being naughty, but usually because he just gets carried away) and he fights (constantly!) with Ellie. The bigs really are the best of friends…and the worst of enemies…and usually within about 30 seconds of each other. I’ve started separating them (by closing the baby gates and having one play in the playroom while the other plays in the living room) when they’re being particularly argumentative with each other and Ellie quickly moves on and entertains herself, but Charlie is absolutely lost without her and spends the entire time standing at the baby gate, asking when he can play with Ellie again. Of course once they’re reunited, the squabbling starts up pretty quickly, but there is certainly no question just how much Charlie adores his big sissy.

Although we’re struggling to get Charlie to do more things for himself (seriously, the kid has to learn how to pull down (and pull up) his own pants and maybe even put on his own shoes), he has a real desire to help. Whether its helping Damian make his tea or “cleaning” the floor with baby wipes, he clearly gets such a buzz from helping out.

Charlie truly blesses our lives in so many ways. I’m so thankful for him teaching all of us to be more expressive (we should all tell our loved ones “I love you” as often as Charlie does) and for making it sunny every day with his big, bright smile. Mostly, I’m thankful that God picked us to be his parents!