Watching the kids grow and get along

One of the most fun things about having children is watching the dynamics between them.

Especially when they start off as twins, not even aware of the other's existence, it is quite fascinating to watch them grow, figure out that "hey, I like this kid," and slowly, slowly become best friends.

The boys went to a birthday party this weekend.  It was Thomas-the-Train-themed and it was a little bit off-the-hook. There were trains everywhere. Train-shaped sandwiches, trains on the floor, trains on the cake, a train movie. Even an ACTUAL TRAIN. (I was like, whoa! These people take birthday parties seriously.) All the kids were apoplectic over the train, and there were tears and tantrums when it was time to share. So it was really cool to see how my two boys looked out for one another, each taking pains to make sure his brother got a turn, and then another turn, and -- when everyone else went back into the living room to play with the hand-held trains on the tracks on the floor -- still more turns.

They thought this train was the best. thing. ever.

At home, they fight like the dickens. But out in the world, they are very protective of one another. It is very sweet, and I hope it is also indicative of how they'll be later in life, when it really counts.

The boys also have a hilarious ritual at night, after we say prayers and close their door for bedtime. They talk and talk and talk and talk, and sometimes sing, and also act out scenes from Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba or from books we have, like Elephant and Piggie.

Lately, they're obsessed (especially Cary) with a Cookie Monster DVD Aunt Tootie gave them for Christmas, where "Cookie Hood" steals cookies to give to the cookie-less and everyone blames Cookie Monster, which hurts his feelings. They cannot get enough of play-acting this all day, and half the night. Take this hilarious exchange from last night:

Cary, in his bed, talking unintelligibly about something having to do with Cookie Monster, really, really loudly. 
Cary: Ohhhhh! (Mumble mumble) Cookie Monster!! Nom nom nom! (Gibberish) NOOOO! Cookie hood! (Nonsense) Don't! Ohhhh! Nom nom nom nom nom!
Dean (yelling at the top of his lungs): Cary! You have to get ahold of yourself!

Hahahaa! That CRACKED me up. I realized later that Lightning McQueen says to Mater Truck in one of their zillion books: "You have to get ahold of yourself! You're making a scene!" But at first, before I remembered that book, I seriously stood outside their bedroom door like, "Whuh?"

They are too funny.

It'll be very, very interesting to see how Miss Clair fits herself into this dynamic. It's clear already that she intends NOT to be overlooked. She crawls or cruises right over to where they are, and tries to play whatever they're playing. And when she doesn't get her way, she gets a serious 'tude. She is loud and gregarious and in-your-face, and I do believe those two Davis boys are gonna be in for it, as soon as she's able to walk and talk.

You can catch a small glimpse of her getting the best of them in this video:

A little background: We had been stacking tall Lego buildings in different color patterns, and trying to hypothesize which one would be bigger when we were done. The buildings kept falling, and it took us several frustrating times to finally get them both upright, so we could judge. And then...enter Clair!

Again I say, they are tooo funny.