Can it be climbed? Kicked? Thrown?

Those who argue that there is no difference between the sexes clearly didn't have one of each gender living in their homes. I never would've believed that boys were really that different than girls until Eli entered our lives. This morning was a prime example. Eli climbs. A lot. On everything. Today he climbed onto the top of the kids' chair and then tries to climb the back rungs. I tell him, "Sit on your bottom", and he smiles at me and squats down so that his little cheeks almost touch and then bounces right back up and tries again. He's discovered he can push the kids' chairs against the counter and then climb up the chair and if the drawers are just so can scale those until he reaches his destination. Counter tops, dresser tops and the like are merely plateaus on his journey. He is also starting to walk but the walk isn't as interesting to him as the kicking. I think for him walking is but a means to an end. He wants to kick a ball: soccer balls, baseballs, beach balls. He doesn't care but he wants to kick it and today he discovered batting. He grabbed my kitchen broom and played with it for a while swinging it around, tapping the floor with it. Then he saw his ball. I knew right away by the glimmer in his eye what he was about to do. He picks up the broom and SWINGS it toward the ball making contact and the ball went rolling. Success! Needless to say he was very pleased with himself.

Then Jillian walked in and said, "What is Eli doing with the broom? Can I sweep the playroom?"

Yes. Very different.