Planes, trains, and... dinosaurs?

Now that Little Guy is officially two, the boy toys are mounting an invasion. I can remember a time, before Girlie, when I imagined my house full of gorgeous wood toys and antique children's books. Just a few would do, thank you, let them use their imagination!

It all began to fall apart with the Little People. Not the real live little people, the plastic ones. Girlie was really into them and thus we started our first plastic collection. There was a house and a farm and various vehicles. Not quite a village, more like a smattering of random pieces that made up a rural community where the fire station was really a garage staffed by volunteers. It was okay though, because the fireman was actually a firewoman or maybe just a man with long curly hair, but either way there weren't that many of them.

Eventually she got dollies and barbies, a miniature kitchen and a doll house (both wood, thankyajesus), stuffed animals, a baby carriage, and piles of books. The girl toys crept in and stealthily took over, but they weren't aggressive and reminded me of my childhood. Plus, most of them were pink and soft and didn't make sounds. Yes, we did wind up with an astounding number of plastic Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop pieces, but they are mercifully small. So small, in fact, that you can occasionally vacuum them up, and no one is the wiser.

The boy toys, on the other hand, have mounted a full scale assault. The trains, the trucks, the cars! They all make sounds. Even our sweet wood Thomas the Train set has a small depot with a dinging stop sign. And when they don't make sounds, Little Guy is happy to improvise. BAM! CRASH! SHSSSSHHHHHHHH!

I was recently hanging out with a friend of mine who has two boys, ages 2 & 4, when she pulled out a bulk pack of 100 AAA batteries. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped slightly open, as I tried to form the question.

"You'll see," she smirked.

And she was right! Because now we have Geotrax, loud plastic remote powered trains. Little Guy loves them, plays with them for ages, and you DO NOT WANT the batteries to run out. And did I mention that he loves them, plays with them for ages? For that very reason, I love them too.

So I guess I'll just have to roll with it, this boy thing. At least the loud sounds double as a tracking device. As long as I am hearing something, I know my makeup bag is safe from plundering hands. I'll try to get as many stylish wooden things as possible, but I have a feeling this one is not a battle I can win.

"Oh, and wait until you get to the dinosaurs," my friend said.

Dinosaurs?

Oh no.

Do they even make wood ones?