Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

I am still getting used to this whole phenomenon of having a boy. Growing up with just one sister and no nearby boy cousins, I stepped into a whole new frontier when Matthew was born: all things blue, growling and wrestling, guns, trucks, trucks and more trucks. Here is Matthew wearing the hat of his current future-occupation, a fire-fighter:

Here are Matthew and Daddy having some boy-time playing with some farm animals:

A few more boy moments:


I still cringe a little at his excitement over superheros. After all, superheros mean bad guys are not far away. His favorites right now are Spiderman (whom he calls 'Pete' for Peter Parker) and Batman. These 2 superheros are always referred to in the same phrase: "Batman-Pete". He discovered Batman and Spiderman YouTube videos recently. I only let him watch the cartoon versions from the 70's so far. =) ... I don't even know how he learned who these guys were but I would guess it was probably from his other hero - his beloved six-year-old cousin, Daniel ("Nanno").
Matthew loves to flex his little muscles and say over and over: "Batman-Pete. Batman-Pete." The other night I was rocking him before bed and was singing "Jesus Loves Me." When I got to the phrase 'they are weak but He is strong' he sat straight up, flexed his muscles and said, "Batman-Pete. Gong. Batman-Pete. Gong." (strong) He lets me know anytime we pass by anything related to Batman or Pete. Like the other day at the grocery store, he saw a little boy standing BEHIND the shopping cart, and Matthew had noticed Spiderman on the sides of his shoes!

I am also trying to get used to the aggressiveness of little boys. He learned how to make gun noises after just 2 minutes of watching Modern Marvels with Dad one afternoon. He loves to take his little green army figures and fight with them. Just this morning Matthew and I were having a fun time playing with my Fisher Price Little People collection (my main source of joy as a child). I hooked up a little horsey to the royal carriage and was pulling a few little guys along, when along comes Matthew with his plastic cow, crashing into the carriage with all the gusto that a little 2-year-old can muster. Down goes the carriage and its two occupants. I re-set up the carriage and start pulling it along again, when the flying cow returns and knocks the caravan to the floor. This is a common occurrence in the Hickman house. =) But I wouldn't trade it for the world! I love to celebrate his manliness and like to encourage it in any way I can. It just takes some getting used to!

If you are the parent of a son, I strongly recommend "The Way of the Wild Heart" by John Eldridge. It would make a good Christmas present for your boy's daddy!

Thru all the manliness that goes on in our household, I am so happy that there is always time to cuddle. (And lately, Matthew insists that we bring ALL of his blankets into our cuddle sessions.)