Three Things Thursday: Running After My Boys

OMG. I'm so. Behind. Still working on my Virginia Is For Lovers 14K Race Recap. Crazy busy here at home as always!

Anyways, my TTT for today will be all about my boys.  I have 3 boys, ages 9, 7, and 4.  Yes, 3 boys.  No, that's it, not trying for #4 to try for a girl, and nope, not even if I'm promised a girl.  My boys are part of the reason why I run.  Some days I run to get away from them, other days I run so I can be more patient with them, and every time, I run so I can live to see their grand-kids.

I don't think I've ever "introduced" them, so here are my boys.

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 1)  Meet Sporto.  My first boy.  Don't let those glasses fool you into thinking he's anything but active and all into sports.  The boy LOVES to run.  He LOVES to play football.  He loves being outside.  He would do laps around our culdesac for fun.  He can totally beat me in a 1-mile race.  Yes, he's fast like The Hubs.  A sprinter.  I'm glad he got The Hubs' fast-running genes.  Oh and he's got great running form too!  You should see him run!  He runs so carefree, always with a smile on his face.

He loves to read too.  Like Mom.  :)  He's currently reading the Harry Potter series and I have to tell him to stop reading or he'll be up until midnight or longer!  I'm very grateful for that. 

He's very emphatic, always thinking of others and very quick to make sure everyone is included in a game.  He's the first one to tell an adult if a friend is hurt.  He helps me a ton with his little brothers.  He's like the 3rd parent.  He can get carried away, though, disciplining his brothers.  He's the typical first born.

He loves to play his electric guitar.  He dreams of being in a rock band.  He can play Twist and Shout by The Beatles and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Everyday, as he gets ready for school, brushing his teeth, I stand next to him and silently wish he doesn't grow up as fast as he seems to me now.  I look at our mirror image and hug him, committing to my memory how tall he is that day (this morning he's up to my chin!).  He hugs me back every time - that is one of many things that I love about him and what I hope he never stops doing.

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2)  This is Tank.  My second baby boy.  He is the most inventive and creative out of the 3.  He thinks outside of the box, and he marches to the beat of his own drum.  He never gets bored.  He always seem to find something to do.  Like when we're waiting forever for our food in a restaurant - his little brother starts whining, big brother starts complaining, and Tank?  Tank starts making pyramids out of sugar packets and keeps rebuilding them if they crash.  I love that about him.  Patience.  Lots of patience.

He loves to draw.  He loves to paint.  He is fearless.  I get so intimidated by a blank canvas and he just attacks it with bold strokes, re-drawing or re-painting as he goes.  Another thing that I love about him.  He has his own sketchbook of drawings, doodles, that I treasure.  I need to buy him a new one.

He is forever building new Lego buildings and contraptions.  I am always amazed and in awe of his imagination.  He helps me look at things at a different angle.  I love discovering new things with him.

He is quiet, though, he won't speak up.  But he's ok with that.  Sandwiched between two very vocal brothers, he often just sinks back, very secure in just watching and listening.  Oh, but he's got this very mature wit.  He's hilarious.  It's a wit that you expect only from an adult.  I think he gets it from The Hubs.

I live for his hugs.  His hugs are quick and fleeting.  He's not a very affectionate boy, but when he does show some affection, I am so over the moon.  I cherish those hugs and hold onto his hug longer. I can't help but feel how fast his toddler years went.  I don't want to ever feel that way again about where he is now. 

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3)  Last but not least is Little Man.  He's the most vocal and the loudest out of the 3 boys.  He's the baby, and he insists on being heard.  He is like a cross between Sporto and Tank.  He loves to run just as much as Sporto, and he pretends to know how to play football.  He's got a great imagination, like big brother, Tank, tirelessly fabricating  battle scenarios and stories between Star Wars Clone troopers.  And like Tank, he doesn't bore easily.

Little Man loves to read or to be read to.  He is starting to read 3-4 letter words.  Really!  He is currently trying to read "Hop On Pop" by Dr. Seuss.  He loves to sound out each letter and blend the sounds together.  He thinks it's fun.

When he was just barely 2 years old, he already knew his alphabet and could recognize each letter on the page.  He started memorizing short rhyming books and stories by the time he was 2 1/2 years old.  It freaked us out at first, and then we soon discovered he's got a great memory.

He loves sharks.  When he loves something, he wants to check out every single book about that thing.  We currently have 10 shark books and every book he borrows from the library is a shark book. Yes, he's very passionate.

He loves to sing.  He sings anywhere and everywhere, like at Target.  And he sings LOUDLY.  He serenades me at Target while I shop.  Who needs an iPod, right?  Ok, maybe I do, unless I'm in the mood for Christmas songs in February or his preschool songs.  When he was 2 years old, he sang Beatles songs, thanks to my Dad and Beatles Rockband.  He has no inhibition whatsoever.  He's quite the entertainer.

When I started running, Little Man was just 2 years old.  He was my running partner for 2 years until he got too heavy.  I pushed him in the jogging stroller which he grew to love.  He was the best running partner, as long as I have enough snacks!  I ran my second 5K race with him while he napped!  When he turned 3 years old, he went from napping on the jogging stroller to singing in the jogging stroller.  I listened to medleys of Beatles songs for miles and miles.

These days, he cheers for me when I come home from my long runs.  He never hesitates to give me hugs, no matter how sweaty I am.  He is quick to make sure he hugs me before I go for my long run, to the grocery store, anywhere.  I like that a lot about him.  He reminds me to never take goodbyes for granted.  When I carry him (yes, I can still carry him), I etch into my memory how heavy his is now and take in his scent.  For as long as I can carry him, I'll hold onto him tight and savor his 4 year old-ness.  Because it does go by so quickly.