“Don’t climb on that, don’t break anything, don’t be so aggressive, don’t be so noisy, don’t be so messy, don’t make such crazy risks. But God’s design–which he placed in boys as the picture of himself–is a resounding yes. Be fierce, be wild, be passionate.”
~ John Eldredge, Wild at Heart
This is a snapshot that I took on Christmas Eve of "my boys:"

Mother's of sons, let's just admit that this is how we would like to remember our boys - even if just for a moment - they are sitting, they are sitting still, they are clean, smell good, civilized and handsome.

Sigh. Sigh again.

What followed this "snapshot" was a parade of undressing...a furious dash to the sweats (not including our 3rd blessing, who prefers to hang out in undies), a trail of trappings left in their dust that screamed, "let me out!"

Being the only individual of feminine nature in the home, I must undertake the ongoing "opportunity" to teach my boys a few valuable lessons. Starting with the basics:
1. The dinner table is not a trough.
2. The toilet is meant to be white.
3. My appliances are not weapons (unless I am using them).
4. There are other ways to bond as brothers besides headlocks and wedgies.
5. You are not an ape, and my living room is not a jungle.
So far, I can only be certain that they are grasping lesson #5.