My Son the Pack Rat

Blake is a certified, home grown, 100% pack rat. That kid seriously rummages through drawers all day if we don't keep him occupied doing something else. He loves to collect little trinkets and stick them in his personal drawer that is next to his bed. He has everything from a Disneyland Autopia driver's license to watches (notice plural) to gum to chapstick to necklaces (bro jewelry) to... I can't tell you how many times I've found my cell phone in there. It's not that things are just placed in there, either. There are plenty of bags and holders for everything. His most recent collector's item is a ring holder. You know what I'm talking about- the ones that have a hinge on the back so you can open and close it without the lid coming all the way off. His is extra special, though, as it is in the shape of a cowboy hat- black velvet with a multicolored trim. He decided that it was cooler than his MP3 player and took it for show and tell the other day with his new CTR ring in it. The other morning I was leaving for a run but couldn't find my ipod so I used Darren's instead. Low and behold, I come home and guess who's listening to Black Eye Peas on the couch at 7:00 in the morning?! You guessed it. I tried to lecture him but he couldn't hear me over the Phunk It song (his personal favorite). It has gotten to the point that when we see him wander away we will follow him and 10 out of 10 times he is heading to a drawer to seek more treasure.
Another thing that Blake does that keeps me laughing is collecting. He currently has several collections for our viewing pleasure. One is located on top of his treasure drawer night stand. It has all his hot wheel cars. Another is his (mostly Ethan's) trophies. And the other is a group of lego structures that he has built. They all have their place and if you move them then you had better run for cover. It's funny to go in and see how he has rearranged them. Sometimes they are at an angle, sometimes they are straight, and then other times they are grouped in all four corners of the table. Just writing this is making me crack up. He is such a cute boy.

Note for the pictures: if you look closely at the picture of the open drawer you can see my "missing" cell phone. Also, the hot wheel collection was moved to the other dresser on the day of the picture. It is usually on the smaller night stand. Notice the transformer collection on the bottom by the snow globe that he decided was his. If you look on the back left corner of the big dresser you can see his little lego structures. Oh my gosh, I just noticed my favorite collection was included on this particular day- look closely at the front left corner of the small night stand. Chapstick Museum. My fave...