Three is such a FUN age (times two).  I am daily amazed at the things they say and do and the interactions they have with each other.  I can honestly say, in truth, that I am finally ENJOYING being a twin mom.  (mic drop... I know right?)  It is still hard, and I am still tired, but oh the joy!  Personalities are unwinding and things are starting to happen (like inside jokes only the 5 of us understand) and I cant describe how blessed I am finally starting to feel.  I am getting the fever..... (not baby fever people) - but MOM FEVER.  Like I want to travel and go do things WITH MY GIRLS.  I am ready for weekends revolving around the extracurriculars, and I am ready to watch them grow and change.  It has taken three years to get here.  I kid you not.  Three years of a lot of tears, a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of crying and spanking, a lot of noise, a lot of weeks months without having 5 minutes alone to talk to Mark, a lot of planning, a lot of exhaustion, and a lot of work - but it is proving to be so so so so so worth it.  I literally can not imagine what our life would look like without them.  So here's the fun stuff:

MILLIE

There are just no words.  She has 'earned' her nickname:  Millie Fierce.  She is tiny and agile and quick to her feet.  This child misses nothing.  She notices when I change my lipstick color.  She is so much like me in so many ways its scary - meaning she is type A 100% and lives with her bags packed and one foot out the door.  The more items on her daily agenda, the better.  This kid thrives under pressure and cant sit still for 5 minutes.  I can read her mind and cant help but laugh.  She is the first one to wake up every morning and 4/5 days a week she is already dressed for school before she even wakes me up.  She drinks like a fish (and I worry this will be a problem in the future).  Chocolate milk for the win - always.  She is a sour loser and if she gets beat at anything - it results in the biggest emotional breakdown you could ever imagine.  (Mark says all the good athletes are cry babies when they lose so we are not concerned at this point over her whining).  Her love language is quality time and she craves undivided attention.  Ironically, as wild as she is at home, she is the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful child in her class.  The teachers tell me constantly that she always shares and wants everyone to participate.  She never leaves any child out and is always making sure that everybody is "happy."  (As her mother I can tell you that sounds so lovely and every mothers dream - but the truth is she is probably just tending to everybody else's business and knows when they need a cookie, or a toy, or a whatever).  But, giving credit where credit is due, all moms tell me that their kids say "Mills is my best friend."  She is a handful to handle and most people cant.  She is the life of most parties and the usually the one in trouble at home, too.  When her punishment results in a spanking, her heart crumbles.  She literally can not emotionally handle getting a spanking - strong words usually do the trick just fine.  Lucky for us, discipline with Millie rolls off within 5 minutes like water off a ducks back, and just like that she is back to loving you (from a distance).  On that note, she is still not very affectionate and doesnt like to be loved and kissed on.  Touchy/Touchy is not her thing.  She takes care of Maryn with most everything (packing her book bag, finding her shoes, fixing her drink).  Sometimes I think she can be overbearing, but I am starting to realize its not as much a control factor as it is a dependence issue.  She depends on Maryn depending on her.... (if that makes any sense).  She is the first to cry upon their separation, and if Maryn is gone, she asks for her repeatedly.  She keeps us on our toes for sure, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

MARYN

Heaven sent a sweet one with this child.  There is so much love in her heart I think it may explode some days.  LOVE is totally what runs her.  Affection is her language and a good cuddle is her game.  Her preferred name these days is Claire.  She sometimes corrects me when I call her Maryn.  Actually, she prefers Angel Claire.... but I have to draw the line at some point.  I'm raising ladies - not pole dancers.  She has more facial expression than a Broadway actress and it can literally make your heart skip a beat to watch her talk.  She blends into any situation with ease, and is always happy where-ever she may be.  She is the best sleeper in the house.  Sometimes when Mills is your bed partner, sleep can be hard (because Millie doesnt sleep) and so Maryn Claire has started her own way of handling it - she locks her out and goes to sleep and never wakes up, even to our knocking.  She locks us all out. The next morning she may (or may not) arise and come out to say good morning when she is ready.  She has more patience than us all put together.  She focuses on every little detail when it comes to art and will spend an entire afternoon doing a craft by herself.  She likes to live in her own little world and is unaffected by others opinions.  She is not easily manipulated but is a fabulous manipulator herself.  She can twist any situation to get what she wants and does it with more tact than a college professor.  Her main goal in life is to please.  Positive Reinforcement always!  Negative Reinforcement will result in the need for therapy with a certified counselor because she does not give in easily and will fight til' the death.  When you hurt her feelings - stand clear - baby girl is slow to anger, but even slower to forgive.  She might not speak to you for a week.  She most always tells the truth and when it comes down to the "who did it" she will, for the most part, confess the truth - if not with her mouth for sure with her facial expressions.  She enjoys alone time and a weekend without Mills refreshes her sometimes I think.  Although, I might add, absence always makes her heart grow fonder.

3 YEAR STATS: (3 years, 3 months)

Mills:
Height - 36.25 inches - 24% (33% at 2 year stats) - only grown 3 inches in a year - also only .5 inches taller than Maryn was at her 2 year stats???
Weight - 28 pounds - 23% (3% at 2 year stats) - gained 6 pounds in a year

Maryn:
Height - 41 inches - 105% (90% at 2 year stats) - she has grown 5.75 inches - almost double of Mills
Weight - 34.5 pounds - 85% (84% at 2 year stats) - only gained 4.5 pounds (even less than Mills)

Rose @3 year:
Height - 39 inches - 89%
Weight - 30 pounds - 43%

CLEARLY... SUMMER IS OVER...

Well, I thought since it was almost Christmas time, I better upload the summer photos from the camera and start to play catch up.   Im seriously the absolute worst blogger.  I go in spurts.  It just takes too long and I rarely have the time to fiddle with it.  So here is the condensed version of our summer!

T-BALL

Rose actually really enjoyed T-ball.  Daddy was her coach and so, that in itself, made for a fun season.  Also, its not a contact sport, so it was a lot more pleasant.  Im starting to think baby girl will need to stick to non-contact for her future...  bless it.

Just candle handle such Loooooonnnnnngggg Games.... of like 35 miutes, tops. 

THE BEACH - Memorial Weekend

This one...  be still my heart.  She hears the sounds of waves, and within 5 minutes - its lights out.  every. single. day.

Kid literally goes so hard for so long... she crashes face first into the sand.  I joke you not.

It is amazing to me how much they have grown and changed in just 5 short months.....

so much love

Also, we went to Gatlinburg for 5 days toward the end of summer.  I honestly cant even remember if I took my camera or not.  I cant find documentation of that trip except on my iphone so im gonna go with NO.  That trip was actually a lot more fun that I thought it would be.  So much fun stuff to do in the mountains and on the strip.  We never even left Gatlinburg - never shopped Pigeon Forge - never went to Dollywood - never went to any shows - and we STILL had more than enough to do.  I took the kids "white water rafting" (aka - a float trip, but with some ripples) - it was fun. I have to kids the props, they did pretty well, other than the helmet (which was a must.)  The girls LOVED playing in the creek and cooking out in the park for lunch.  They had a blast at the visitors station.  I think we were there like two hours looking at the animals.....  They played hard and we had a fabulous time!