Planes, Trains, Automobiles...and stuffed animals

Ben & Zach have such different personalities and interests. Brooms, vacuums, and Swiffers are to Ben like trains, airplanes and cars are to Zach (and stuffed animals).

There's a small airport along Lake Eyak and the planes that take off and land there, usually fly over the house. Months back, whenever Zach first started to hear the planes' engines, he would point up and start grunting or say oooh oooh and then he'd run to a window to look for the plane. He still loves the planes and points at them, but his reactions now aren't quite as animated....which may have something to do with trains.

I'm not sure how it started, but Zach's obsession lately seems to be locomotives, with a little twist of excavators thrown in. Thomas is a cute blue engine, but I can't stand to watch the Thomas DVD that Zach begs for, and I've read Stop, Train, Stop! about as much as I can stand.

Zach's love for excavators started over the summer while demolition was going on down the hill from us. The elementary school is adding on a new gymnasium and there was a very large area with some major excavating to be done before construction could begin. Until James arrived in late July, I didn't even know what the proper name was for an excavator, so I just told Zach they were big machines. Close enough eh? Well, the excavators have been gone now for a couple of months, but leave it to Zach to find an excavator in a book. A day or two ago Zach had Are You My Mother? open to the page with the excavator (aka Snort) on it, and madly kept pointing at it and grunting. When Zach is passionate about something, he'll let you know it.

The stuffed animals have always been strong contenders with Zach's otherwise boyish interests. He squeezes, kisses, wrestles, and chews on his favorite animals everyday. Today he got a new soft friend to add to the mix, courtesy of his friends Crystal & Luke. Joy and I walked down to the post office and there was a package for the boys with stuffed camels and t-shirts that Crystal & Luke had got for them in Dubai. Zach held onto his camel for the duration of our walk, and then probably for another hour or more after we got home. By the time Zach was done breaking in his camel, it's head was completely soaked from all Zach's chewing.

(Kind of reminds me of your crazy cat that always sucked on the tip of her tail, Crystal! Thanks so much for the gifts for the boys...needless to say, Zach loves his camel!)

Mr. Clean

Give Ben some cleaning-related object and he's a happy kid. He loves brooms, Swiffer Sweepers, dustpans, and vacuum cleaners. He loves to 'clean'! He doesn't often whine for things, but when he does, he's usually after something he wants from the broom closet.

Ben has also started to help me put away toys. The boys have these cute alphabet blocks, and Ben will go around the room and collect all of them, and put them all together in a tote. He's starting to become a good helper and, with the messes he and his brother make, I'll take whatever help I can get.