Squeals of delight echo through the house as little footsteps scamper down the hall. Apollo has half his clothing stripped off by the time he reaches the door to the bathroom. Orion, unable to remove his own clothing, opts for trying to climb into the bath with his clothes and shoes still on. Melanie quickly scoops him up and starts peeling off his clothing, all the while Orion is kicking his legs back and forth in an effort to help get his pants off quickly, still vocalizing with delight.This is our nightly routine and typically the one time during the day when Apollo and Orion are guaranteed to have fun together. The sound of splashing and laughing uncontrollably fills the house. Water begins to cover the bathroom floor saturating the towels laid there for this very reason.
This is one of the great rewards of fatherhood; watching your sons play, interact, make up games, and form a bond that will last forever.
~Orion is shear joy. He is quick to smile, laugh, flirt, and play. There is passion in every step he takes. Music sends him into dance mode instantly, and he will squeal with excitement at the littlest things, yet he is insanely stubborn and prone to melt-downs when he doesn't get his way. The transition into the "terrible two's" has begun and from the sampling of tantrums that he has provided us with, I am sure Orion will surpass Apollo's benchmark of all that is unholy about toddlers.
Orion is a great communicator. His vocabulary is building rapidly and his words and sentences are becoming clearer. His voice inflections often carry as much meaning as his words can provide. He sees and understands everything. At 19 months, his perception has exceeded that of his teenage brothers. He knows where every phone, cell phone, laptop, iPad, and computer is in our house. He is inseparable with Melanie's cell phone and walks around with it for hours at a time. After weeks of hiding my laptop in different drawers, and Orion always finding it for me, I have resorted to placing items on the top of one of three pieces of furniture in our house that are taller than six feet high, the refrigerator being one of them. I fear that it wont be long before he figures a way to reach on top of the fridge.
~
Apollo has made his peace with having a younger brother. As Orion has gotten older, Apollo has found that his little brother can be quite fun. Still, Apollo cant help being a big brother. He is both mentor and tormentor. Hero and villain. Protector and persecutor. Overall, Apollo means well, but he sure enjoys creating a bit of chaos. As Power Rangers Samurai is Apollo's favorite super hero show, he often pretends to be the Blue Power Ranger. Orion is sometimes a Power Ranger as well (at Apollo's bidding) and other times he is appointed a Nighlok; The Power Rangers Samurai's enemy.
"Orion is a Nighlok today." Apollo announces, while swinging a foam sword around in the bath.
"A Nighlok? What kind of Nighlok is he?" I ask.
"Well, he is a weaner Nighlok, because he likes to play with his ding-ding."
Not what I expected to hear, but I have to give him an "A" for creativity. 
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