{Real Life: #boymomproblems}

Okay, okay, before anyone gets their feathers ruffled, let me provide a disclaimer. I realize that this post title is a gross oversimplification. The following scenarios could totally apply to a girl, and all boys do not conform to these stereotypes. But...my boys do. Also, I don't actually view my kids' tendencies towards dirtiness and wildness as problems. The laundry and heart palpitations, however, are a different story.

If ever there was any doubt this kid is crazy expressive, these pictures are the only evidence required to settle that debate. Aksel has a very curious personality. He loves to explore and isn't afraid to get messy. Last weekend he ventured into the herb garden while I was cutting Andreas' hair in the backyard.

At first Anders was 'helping' me, but he couldn't let Aksel have all of the dirty fun. At least his delayed interest gave me time to peel his clothes off before he dove in. He kept assuring me he wasn't 'sitting on my flower beds' because he was kindly avoiding the tiny basil plant in his bucket. You can't see it, but Aksel was actually semi-crushing my rosemary starter.

The boys had an awesome time. And even though they were a giant mess, it was nothing a quick bath couldn't remedy. Also, by some miracle, neither the basil nor the rosemary were harmed during their adventure.

Another habit I'm attributing to testosterone is the monkey-like tendency Aksel has recently started exhibiting. The kid is climbing everything, and from what I can tell, he has no concerns regarding personal injury or any risks to my health (such as the shortening of my life span that most certainly occurs as a direct result of watching these acrobatics). Today I decided to follow him around the house and document his exploration.

His first stop was the bathroom. He immediately sought out his toothbrush, a favorite tool for our teething toddler.

Our next stop was the bedroom. Please notice that he wasn't satisfied by merely standing on the seat of his rocking moose. His desire for greater heights required him to conquer the antlers! He also loves to perch on the ottoman in his room, but today he settled for a more relaxing position.

Not featured is the living room, where just today he demonstrated his ability to crawl up and down both our chairs. 

Lastly we have this gem. Andreas and Anders were out mowing the front yard, and what better vantage point to watch the activity than the window sill next to our front door?! Clearly he didn't want to miss a thing.

Even though my laundry is never-ending, bath time almost always results in a dirt ring around the tub, and I basically have to shut every door in my house to prevent my one-year-old from ascending the furniture, I wouldn't want it any other way!