Boxie -by guest blogger Bill

Misty and I have three kids. Hannah is 14 going on 23. Donovan is 11 and a Black Belt in Karate. And then there is Colin.

Colin will be 5 at the end of July. Like a lot of kids he really enjoys watching cartoons. I have gotten him hooked on MY cartoons like Animaniacs, The Simpsons, and, now, Johnny Bravo. He is also into Star Wars and had a great time watching the new Indiana Jones movie yesterday. Colin thinks he is a big kid since he is playing Tee Ball this spring.

Like most overly spoiled four year olds, Colin has way too many toys. They spill out of his room because he refuses to clean it (he takes after his sister who cleans every 4 months, period). He has a ton of stuffed animals. One of his first was a “Bear in the Big Blue House” he picked out at the Disney Store. Since then he has gotten several bears, dogs, and cats. Santa brought him Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. His cousin got him Chip and Dale. He stole one of my Opus’s from Bloom County (yes I had 2, what of it?). Colin has dozens of Hot Wheels and almost all of the die cast “Cars”, plus a bunch of “Transformers”, Star Wars action figures, and untold hundreds of toys that will end up at a yard sale in the next couple of years.

Yesterday Colin got a new “toy.” Colin’s big brother came to visit for the next week. They were sitting on the couch watching “Space Balls” when Colin went back to his room and dragged in a small box. Donovan found a sharpie and started drawing on the box. He ended up drawing a face, arms, and a moustache. Boxie was born. Colin and Boxie have been inseparable since. They have joined together in adventures like running into town with me to run errands, watching TV, and defeating Donovan in epic light saber battles. Colin cried a little when Donovan said that Boxie was dead. For a little while they played video games together. Boxie even donned Colin’s Superman cape to become “SuperBoxie.” During the Cub’s game this afternoon, Colin and Boxie were enjoying the game from the floor. All of the sudden, wham! Colin punched Boxie in the “face.” Boxie decided he wanted to wrestle. It’s always an adventure!

In the electronic age where kids spend hours in front of a big screen TV while playing Mario on the Nintendo DS and listening to Hannah Montana on their IPods, it is refreshing to be reminded that it’s the simple things that mean so much in life.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a sharpie. I have an old refrigerator box waiting for me in the storage building.
later,
Bill