Wild Things

Raising boys is . . . never dull. While they are sweet, sensitive, funny, and kind, they also have this edge of wildness. When there are additional boys, the wildness takes over. Particularly for Jonah, as he is older and a bit more daring. Boys hang from tree branches . . .

They have swordfights with sticks. . . They build teepees with tree branches . . . they see how many layers of items they can stack on top of a skateboard, plant a booster seat on top of the layers, and ride their contraption down the slope of our driveway (into the alley, no less). . . Yesterday, I witnessed a new game involving wheels, speed, dexterity, and yes, gratuitous violence! Thank goodness that styrofoam pool noodles were their weapon of choice. Here is a brief view:

"Music hath charms. . ."

Our cat, Bella, loves the piano. Whenever the boys practice piano, Bella usually joins them. Sometimes she "plays" by walking on the keys, but mostly she sits with them and soaks up the sounds. Here is a video of Jonah practicing along with his musical cat.

Notes from the Pirates' Den

In August, Jonah and Toby spent a week with Grandma and Grandpa Cook in Aberdeen, SD. My parents' study was transformed for a week into a Pirates' Den, complete with treasure and costumes!

The boys were in pirate heaven! Their first stop was the used bookstore, where more treasure awaited! They visited Storybook Land and the Yellow Brick Road, and spent and afternoon at the Brown County Fair. They also hit the playgrounds, the local waterpark, and their Grandma Kasey picked them up one afternoon to take them fishing!

There were legos, cartoons, yummy food, and ice cream EVERY DAY!

As you can imagine, Jonah and Toby had a wonderful week . . . The surprise may be that they were willing to return home!