Jackson and Joseph, Happy third birthday! I can barely believe that you are actually three years old today. Our little family grew so quickly with the addition of you guys. It has been an incredibly wild ride, starting with the day we found out we were going to have twins. I still can’t wrap my head around it some days, and you’ve been here for three whole years! Every single day with you two is an adventure, but it is the most fun I have ever had. You and your sister are the lights of my life and I am so privileged to be your Mommy.

Jackson:

• I used to call you my “Gentle Giant” but you learned to fight back. Hard.
• You love sleeping in the same bed with your brother, usually snuggled against him.
• You love dogs, especially our Ranger (Di Di as you guys call him).
• You are obsessed with your big sister Taylor. You mimic everything she does.
• Your favorite color is green on most days. Other days, it’s yellow.
• You HATE the cows at Stew’s.
• You give the best, tightest hugs.
• You suck two of your fingers when you are tired.
• You giggle in your sleep and occasionally talk too. It is nothing short of adorable.
• When we tell you something you don’t like, you squint your eyes at us.
• You love to help me with laundry.
• You make the best siren sounds, to the point where we think there are emergency vehicles outside.
• You love cake.
• You constantly ask Daddy “are you home?” even when he’s standing in front of you.
• You call your blanket your “key” (a word your brother has picked up on too).

Joseph:

• You love donuts. You’d eat them all day if I let you.
• You make funny, inquisitive faces as you “read” books, like you are really studying the material.
• You have to see how everything works and love taking things apart.
• You love trains.
• You love Mickey Mouse.
• Your favorite color is blue and you point out blue things wherever we go.
• You love giving me kisses and you pucker your lips up to look like a fish when you do so.
• You suck your thumb upside down and rub your back at the same time.
• You rub the tag of your blanket between your fingers over and over again, just like your sister used to do.
• You flare your nostrils when you are angry.
• You chew on your own feet a lot.
• You are fearless.
• Nemo has to go everywhere you go in the past few months. You love him so much. You even stuff him down your shirt when you eat.
• When you don’t get your way, you say “Aw man!”
• You often talk with a British accent. We don’t know where it came from!

You two have such a special twin bond. I love the love you have for each other and I am honored to get to witness it every day. You guys love giving me what we call “Twin Kisses” where you each simultaneously kiss one of my cheeks. It’s one of my favorite things ever. Happy Birthday, my sweet little guys. You two have come such a long way from the tiny preemies I met three years ago. I can’t wait to continue to watch you grow, learn, and explore.

All my love, always and forever,

Mommy

xoxo

And just beacaue I always keep things real around here, here are a few pictures from this morning. After I wrote all of these kind words about you, you hoodlums decided to show me that two was nothing, and three is where the real fun starts. Please notice that you were literally hanging from the lighting fixture and you destroyed the 1,000 piece puzzle Daddy and I painstakingly put together. You were just supposed to be finishing your waffles while I got dressed…