Faith Family of Five: Boys at play

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Boys at play

Boys are loud. Boys are tough. Boys can melt a mama's heart one minute and cause it to have an attack the next. Boys love to play. Boys love to play hard. And I thoroughly enjoy to sit back at times and just watch them play. Their imaginations acted out come to life and are unique to the core. Their laughter makes me laugh. Especially Carson...he has the best chuckle. It's deep. And it's real. Just the other night it was the type of laughter that literally brought him to tears!! Pretty soon we were all crying.

Sprinkler time once again....

Enjoying some fudge pops on the swing set. :)

Sprinklers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AA and MR...crazies. ;)

My Austin Alan.

Now that's a boy who loves some watermelon ;)

With the weather bouncing back and forth between spring and summer (I recall calling it sprummer last year...that about sums it up again) and even with the occasional dust and tumbleweed being tossed through the air thanks to the relentless wind, play was still at the heart of these Anderson boys. Sun-kissed cheeks and the beginnings of naturally highlighted hair are tell-tale signs the days are longer and warmer and being outside is at the top of the to-do list!

Carson heading to third!

Batter up! ;)

Even inside, the house was filled with wrestling mayhem, Star Wars drama, quieted times of coloring, made up games with large Lego tires, new forts being built, etc. I'm thankful for the lack of electronic gadgets in order for their imagination to be at it's best. I could go on this rant for paragraphs how social media is anything but 'social', but it would be lost in translation with all the other media out there covering this very topic. I've fallen prey at times to the engaging, and yet really not so "engaging", forms of media available at my fingertips. It's kindof amazing how quickly it draws oneself into it's mindless wanderings and how fast time lapses when staring at a screen. My boys get limited screen time because they know the value of play, the value of actual eye contact with family and with friends, the value of laughter while playing a game of UNO not candy crush (which I've never played btw...is it really that great?!), the valuable way a story just reads differently when the index finger turns the actual pages of a book rather than touches an icon, that value of being relational. Don't get me wrong, being able to have instant messages at my fingertips has it's advantages and I for one take great delight in getting those pictures of newborn nephews from MN 30 seconds after they are taken, a text from my mom that causes me to literally laugh out loud, the sweet encouragement from a dear friend, sending pics. of my boys (and vice versa) to family and friends who live states away. It definitely has it's advantages, but in today's ever technologically advancing world it's imperative that our boys are taught by example to keep their "eyes to the skies", not down and screen saved. My boys do get their fill of computer games from time to time but as their mom there is just something about watching them actually PLAY then "play"...