Ten things I love about raising boys

1)I love that burps and farts are hilarious events to be celebrated with the utmost ceremony.

2)I love the way their little bodies quake with excitement when they are playing with a toy or working on a project or mischief of some variety and it does what they wanted or some other unexpected yet delightful thing.

3)I love the creativity with language, the domination of it. Words don’t all have fixed definitions. They can mean anything, more than one thing. They can be changed if necessary. I love the way Stink has combined "stop please" and "shut-up" into "stup". When I come to tell him it is time for dinner or for potty, tells me confidently, "Stup!" with his hand outstretched and a big goofy grin. I love when his brothers bother him, he tells them to “stup” or "stup please".

4)I love how every item is a potential sword or light saber, or super hero cape. I love how the boys chase each other around the house brandishing straws, sticks, poles from other toys, coat hangers, or empty cardboard paper towel rolls making raspberry noises for sound effects while draped in a blanket, towel or t-shirt. It feels good to be the mom to Superman, Spiderman and Batman.

5)I love tickle fests and the uproarious giggles and shrieks generated.

6)I love buzz cutting my boys hair. It is so funny how one minute they are screaming like I'm shaving off their skull and the next they are hunching up their shoulders and giggling because it tickles. I love the way the buzz cut feels soft and rough at the same time as I run my hand over it.

7)I love the bright tacky primary colored helicopters, planes, trains, cars, and sports paraphernalia on their clothes. It makes me want to get out and play some football, throw a baseball, drive a racecar.

8)I love that fights between them sometimes turn into all out wrestling matches. I know I have to stop them when it gets to that point, but there is just something hilarious about a knot of writhing shrieking boys.

9)I love that every activity is noisy, requires loud talking, possible yelling, jumping, bouncing and running around. Every activity. Noise, noise, noise, all day, so naptime seems like heaven (to me, that is!). It has made me appreciate the silence of naptime or bedtime, although at times it is almost eerie, alien, empty to me.

10)I love the way they are aggressive. Even affectionate hugs and kisses are aggressive. They grasp me tight around the neck and plant a big loud kiss on me. They run from across the room and give me giant attack hugs. My little tuff guys.