Boys will be...

Jacob's going to be okay. He's got a big brother that will make sure of it.

I've seen Caleb really start to take ownership of this older brother stuff this summer. I still referee my fair share of shouting matches, and I have yet to figure out how in the world to explain to an upset 2.5 year old that he must speak quietly and respectfully to his baby brother, even when his baby brother is screaming at the top of his lungs and knocking over his towers. But in general, Caleb's turning out to be a really decent kid. And it's tons of fun to watch him navigate the world of boy stuff after being made to tag along with Abby's idea of fun for so long.

When they woke from their naps, Abby announced she would stay in her room and be lonely, which is my kids' way of saying they want to be alone. So we left her up there, and I carried Jacob downstairs and sat him in the middle of the empty floor while I prepared his bottle. Caleb followed close behind. Jacob looked around, then took off in the direction of the only thing within reach: Abby's doll stroller.

And that's when his big brother swooped in to save the day.

"No Jacob!" he yelled, rushing to stand between Jacob and the stroller. "That's girl things!" He turned to retrieve the box labeled cars & trucks from the second shelf. "We like trucks. I'm gonna let you play with my teeny tiny dump truck."

And in a moment of pure altruism, he dumped the entire contents of the cars & trucks box onto the floor and began separating them into two piles: "These ones Jacob will like to play with" and "These are Caleb's trucks."

Caleb proceeded to drive his trucks around his brother, over Jacob's legs and up and down the front of his face while Jacob laughed and flailed, an ice cream truck in one hand and teeny tiny dump truck in the other.

These are the moments that make all that refereeing seem worth it.