i had to system restore my computer. can i just download the client again and stll get them or should i undo the restore
You need your wallet if you want your bitcoins. Essentially your wallet stores the information that proves that you own those 3 bitcoins. If you have a backup of your exported wallet, then you can import it into the new client. However if you did not make a backup of your wallet, then you should definitely undo the systems restore.