The joys of having boys

I remember when I found out our first child was going to be a girl.  I cried.  It never crossed my mind I could be good at being a "girl mommy."  I had/still have no fashion sense.  Wasn't any good at doing hair. Never had a graceful bone in my body and had to/still have to work real hard at being "lady like."

Luckily, Katherine made getting in touch with my "pink side" really easy and enjoyable.  Her love of girly things became my new love and I started to truly enjoy the joys of being a girl.

Then, we found out Nathan was coming.  For some reason, preparing mentally for a boy just came natural to me.

Today, Nathan, Brandon and I got the chance to bond and I tapped into my inner growl.

Nathan, who will be 3 next week, got a GraveDigger Monster Truck for his birthday, that jumps over other cars.  Daddy got to play with the BDay present last night, so today was my turn.

Boy toys are pretty fun.  Something about the planning, designing and engineering involved is enjoyable for me.

Nathan was a great sport.  I think he was thrilled I was on the floor playing with him so he was eager to get up and down many times so this aging momma didn't have to so much.

We decided to test GraveDigger's ability to jump over objects in the hallway.  Nathan was Chief Setup Engineer.  It was his job to select the vehicles to be jumped and set them up in the hallway.

I was the Design Engineer.  It was my job to test GraveDigger and see how far down the hall it traveled before it jumped, then relay that information to the Chief Setup Engineer for correct placement.

I think all Engineers should wear plaid pants with their diapers peeking out the top.

I was also given humbly took on the job of photographer.  To catch GraveDigger in action, you know?  And my what a tough job that was with one hand.

One of the misses.

Oops!

 

Some of the hits!

Check out his excitement.  He's cheering for his ole' mom.

 

 

 

Finally, he resorted to manually jumping over them with his trusty SnakeBite Monster Truck.

 

And Brandon, he was taking notes on how to effectively jump a Monster Truck over a train, trailer and ramp piece.  He was also working on his ladykiller mohawk.  Hard work.

One aspect of raising boys I wasn't fully prepared for was how randomly disgusting they can be.  I know, I know, boys are dirtier, more gross and disgusting.  I knew all that.  But I was more prepared for events like dead snakes being brought to the unsuspecting mom standing in the kitchen, or dirt in places I didn't think was possible, or issues with personal hygiene.  All the typical grossness that comes from having boys.  But I was NOT prepared for this.

Not sure what that is?  That is a little boy upset that his mother is taking a picture of his handiwork on the car window.  The story goes a little something like this...

As mom is driving and looking forward.
Nathan: Mom, I doan like havin' a cold.  It's yucky.
Mom: I know big guy.  Colds are yucky.  That's why me and Daddy are always asking you to wash your hands.
(Had to get the mom advice mixed in with the sympathy I thought he was looking for)

Silence

Nathan: Mom, I sink I need to bwoah my nose.
Mom: Ok, if you'll hold on I'll get you a tissue.  Let me get it out for you.

Rummaging through the console maybe took a whopping 10 seconds.

Nathan:  Oh, nevehmind Mom.  I don need de tissue.  I all done.
Mom: Well, I got you a tissue anyway.  Why don't you just hold it for the next time you need to blow your nose.  Did you have any boogies in there you needed to get out?
Nathan: Yep, they'we out.
Mom: They're out?  Where are they?
Nathan: Here.

Thank goodness I was pulling into the driveway because I'm pretty sure I would have caused a wreck if I wasn't.

Home boy didn't need a tissue, nor did he even need a shirt, his pants or a sock.  He found the closest item to wipe it on that wouldn't mess up his wardrobe but would also leave some neat designs to admire.

Yes folks.  In that picture, right next to my son that successfully grossed me out that day, is the handiwork he artfully created on his car window.  With his boogers.

Let me reiterate, I was NOT ready for this type of grossness.

One more thing I was NOT ready for was little boys' fascination with poop.  I figured they'd want to talk about it, compare notes with each other or even attempt to gas out the house, but NEVER did it ever cross my mind he might want to touch it.  Hence the stakeout location I've secured when there is a #2 coming on.  The other two children will have to take care of themselves because frankly, I'm in there for health and sanitation purposes.  I shudder to think of what he's accomplished the days I wasn't in there to monitor him.

 

What a sweet little boy he is, though.  He loves his family, including the cat.

And his mind is a sponge soaking up everything related to daddy that there could possibly be.

And on most days, he likes his momma.