A few of my favorite things

The boys, much like their daddy, have a history of LOVES. They don't just like something, they LOVE it. If it's a new song, game, toy, playground, etc... they live and breathe it until they move onto their next little obsession. They frequently have a few of these going on at once and it's always entertaining for me to see what's going to be the next big thing. Right now, the IT topic is anything Batman. I think this began by the fact that we subscribe to Entertainment Weekly magazine and the boys LOVE (yes, LOVE) Saturdays when it arrives in the mailbox and they can pour over all the photos and movie ads (yes, they LOVE movie ads... what silly boys). A few weeks ago, they saw their first photo of Batman and had about a hundred questions that needed immediate answering. They've since discovered Batman cartoons, action figures (thanks to several highly anticipated playdates with their older and wiser cousin, Jake) and have little heads filled with basic facts about Batman, as well as most of the other members of the Justice League. (I should say that they've also moved on to wanting to know all about the Marvel Comics super-heroes, so we're frequently discussing everyone from Spiderman to the Flash, as well.)

Anyway, despite the fact that I find all of this completely adorable, what I love most is when Jaxon tries explaining to me how "Goose Wayne" is really Batman. Yes, he calls Bruce Wayne, Goose Wayne.... and it just keeps getting funnier and funnier.

Of course, the downside to all of this is that the boys' playing has branched off into a direction that I'm not altogether pleased with. They've always been rather physical with each other, but it's always been in a non-agressive sort of way. There's rarely been a hit or a bite... usually, there's just giggles and gentle wrestling or sitting on each other. Really funny and pretty harmless. Yesterday morning, however, I heard them chasing each other around and then I heard Dexter say, "I fight you, Jaxon!" I can only conclude that this idea of "fighting" came from Batman. I know we can't shield them from it forever, but I guess I was shocked to hear them play-fighting. I intervened and said, "Boys, we don't fight, okay?" Jaxon answered, "No, Mommy. I'm a good guy!" "And I'm a bad guy!" shouted Dexter. Great. Great.

Anyway, another one of my favorite things is their very simple, highly entertaining and long-lasting games of "crash." We were pulling out baby toys a few weeks ago and the boys have apparently discovered a whole new use for these plastic wheeled objects. I'm posting a video below to give you an idea of how funny this gets. And, oddly, it never gets old.



Lastly, the boys have started requesting that the hall-light be left on after we say good-night. They've never had a problem with the dark, so the first few nights it happened, I assumed they were just developing a new fear of the dark and, so, I complied with their request. The other night, however, after going upstairs to get ready for bed, myself, I found both boys huddled in their doorway, pouring over storybooks in what little light was creeping in from the hallway. I didn't know whether to giggle, get the camera or scold the boys for not being in bed. As it was, I was able to contain my giggles AND my desire to capture the moment with my camera and gently but firmly told the boys that bedtime was indeed bedtime. Reluctantly, they climbed back into their beds. I had to smile as I walked away, though, remembering all the nights of trying to read after lights out in my own childhood. I even seem to recall starting a bathrobe on fire as I used it to drape over my bedside lamp in an attempt to hide the light from my parents. There are certainly worse battles to fight than this one. I think we'll have to start giving them a cerain amount of post-good-night, pre-lights-out time to read in bed. Maybe that will help!