The Willard brothers

I am trying to catch up on my pictures; the ones you see here have been taken over the last 6 weeks or so. I discovered I have a few decent ones of the boys together! Our boys... aren't they cute?

No one can explain to you exactly how wonderful it feels to see your kids playing together, laughing together, loving each other. It has got to be one of the best feelings in the world. Nothing makes me happier than listening to my two boys giggling together, with Charlie throwing in his trademark squeals.

No one can explain to you exactly how frustrating it feels to see and listen to your kids bicker. And yes, an 18-month-old can partake in bickering! As a younger sibling myself, I fully expected to spend a lot of time trying to keep Charlie away from Zach and his toys when he is deep into some sort of game/role-play. And that has certainly happened, as Charlie tends to think whatever Zach is doing must be the coolest thing to do. The typical tag-along little brother!

What I didn't expect was how often I'd have to tell Zach to leave Charlie alone, that Charlie doesn't want to play right then! It's typically in the late afternoons, when Zach is tired of entertaining himself and wants a playmate. But it happens any time of day, since Charlie can easily get engrossed in pulling a whole shelf of books down, tossing them aside until he finds the ones he wants to examine. And he'll contentedly sit there for quite a while... unless his big brother comes around, trying to tempt him into some sort of active play.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes Charlie drops his books and toddles off to chase his brother around the kitchen island. Sometimes it results in Zach tackling Charlie, since simple persuasion hasn't worked. It almost always involves Zach whining "but I want him to play with me!!!" I hope I'm still hearing that 10 years from now. :)
In a couple of these pictures, the boys are sitting on a train and/or a rocket. I invite you to come by our house any afternoon between 4 and 5 PM. What you will find is a game the boys love, and I am doing my best to tolerate. It involves Zach riding the train as fast as he possibly can, tearing around the corners of our island and kitchen table, with Charlie either chasing him or being chased (depending on your perspective).

This game is loud, fast, and a little bit dangerous for all of us. Yes, including me, since I'm usually in the kitchen trying to make dinner, simultaneously trying to keep my toes from being squashed! It's one of many times I have to take a deep breath and remind myself little boys are supposed to have a lot of energy, make a lot of noise, and take some minor risks with their own safety. I also remind myself to enjoy watching them having fun together, something you hope brothers will do! I guess I can put up with the chaos.