Playing With Presents

Here are the pics I promised in the last entry of the boys playing with some of the new toys that Nathan received for his third birthday.

"Hold on a sec I think I'm getting a call....
Oh, It's you!" They like to talk to each other on the cell phones Uncle Brad got them.
Dr. Dave and Jan got Nathan this neat set of puzzle piece track and a monkey that drives along the track if it is put together right. It didn't take long for Nathan to master putting the pieces together so that the 'rivers' (that's what he calls the track because, well, it looks like a river) match up. It fun because you can put the pieces in any combination and as long as the ends are on and the little monkey will just drive along on his banana until you make him stop. (Okay, I'll admit this is one of the toys that I play even when he's not around.)
Nathan says the monkey's name is Ketchup Maker - we have no idea why.


The boys both love to put together puzzles right now and they got three new ones at the party(not counting the monkey track one). They like to add to the challenge by dumping them all out at once them putting them back in their respective 'crusts' (Nathan's word for the frame that's left when you take the pieces out, pretty clever if you ask me - but then again I am biased).

Occasionally they will get cross ways with each other over the puzzle assembly process but for the most part they work together really well til the puzzles are all complete. They've already learned more real life lessons in sharing than I ever will. I guess that's just one of the many blessings of brotherhood,
Though we've had fun with sidewalk chalks by themselves in the past Nathan got this whole sidewalk chalk accessory set from Grandma and Poppo that he and Benjamin tested out the other day and had even more fun than before. It came with a brush to smooth the colors together, a handle that you can load three chalks at a time into and make three lines at once, and a handle where you can lay a piece of chalk sideways and make a big fat line.
Okay, I'll make another admission - I really like to draw with sidewalk chalk too! One of my favorite scenes from Mary Poppins (one of my very most favorite movies ever) is when they jump into Bert's chalk drawing for a jolly holiday with Mary. It's supercalifragalisticexpialadocious!