being a boy

it's been remarked to me (is that grammatically correct?), lately, that boys are so much more challenging than girls. i guess that depends on how you define "challenging." if challenging means ready to go from sun up to sun down, running, jumping, climbing with no fear, chattering up a storm, getting as dirty as possible, going through at least two outfits a day, picking up all rocks in your path, getting mad when we won't let you watch basketball, yelling "no" at other kids trying to share the huge stairs of the jungle gym, sitting for half a minute for a story but for at least twenty to look at picture books of animals, attempting to escape from my arms full of kid and groceries, not realizing that streets are dangerous but being lucky to have a mama and daddy who prevent you from actually making it that far, getting super excited with eyes as big as saucers every time you see or hear a truck or a bus, running right into the room at daycare that has the snake forcing your mama who hates, hates, hates (and that word is not strong enough) snakes to run after you while keeping her back to the snake so she doesn't have to see it...

...all while stopping from time to time to give unsolicited hugs and kisses, to make faces at each other at dinner or any ole' time, to sit together having a quite moment while sharing an apple, to sit on the patio or on the couch together looking for birds, to sing "three little monkeys" or "the bear went over the mountain" together, to play steam roller on the bed, to give zerberts on each others bellies, to say "please" and "thank you" and "i love you"....

...then bring on little boys....especially this little boy...