A Boy Thing

It's been a long time since Damon was a toddler. I still remember it vividly, all the walks we took around the duck pond, drawing parking lots and roads on the sidewalk for all his cars, and his obsession with letters. He and I had a lot of fun together, just the two of us. It took a long time to get another baby to our family, and after Chance, I wasn't so sure we were going to have any more, so Damon got a lot of personal attention from me.

Then we had the two girls, and we all got involved with lots of girlie things: Barbies and baby dolls and makeup and dress ups. Yes, those girls sure were different as toddlers than Damon was. Fun, too, in a new way for me.

Now we're back in the toddler boy phase. And it's a lot of fun. These little boys love balls and trains and getting dirty outside. Their energy is endless and their attention spans are miniscule. But oh, how I love them.

Carter, as you may remember, has had stitches twice. And I highly doubt he is finished having them. He is just a rough little boy who loves to jump off high places and get into things he shouldn't.

Here he is just taking off from this rock.

McKay follows everything Carter does. He wants to be just like him and thinks he is big enough to do all the same things. These boys love building piles of pillows and jumping off the bed (or in McKay's case, sliding off the bed on his feet). McKay also loves balls and trains and Barbies and Little Pet Shops. He pretty much thinks all the older kids have all the fun and can't stand to be left out. 

Damon is not a toddler anymore. He has become a mini-Jeff, with so many of the same interests. We are finishing our basement right now, and Jeff had a safe door installed, creating a vault for all his valuables (guns, coins, maps, etc). So one day, out of the blue, Damon told me he wanted to buy a safe for his valuables, too. We looked on Amazon and found a small safe that could be mounted to his wall (in his new room) for $50. And since Damon had $150 in his bank account, we let him buy it.

He was so excited, and could barely stand the two days it took for Amazon to fulfill his order. He wrote on the calendar when he expected it to come, and every time the doorbell rang, he ran to see if it was here yet. Finally, it came. And he couldn't be happier. I bet he is now dreaming of all the things he can fill it with, as he only has a few coins and other precious things stashed away.

I sure love my boys, both big and small.