Last year I wrote about how, overall, boys' clothing is much less fun than girls'. But don't ever let me say that my boys, even if their choices are a little meh, don't care about their clothes.  

A few days ago I let Paul, who is 5, choose his two favorites from a selection of swimsuits I'd picked out for him online. He was so excited to get them that he asked daily when they'd arrive. He was super excited to try them on when we got them and one suit in particular made him feel so good that it made him start performing feats of strength:  

Meanwhile, Paul, who is getting into hockey, recently acquired his own set of pads and a helmet. James, who is 2, is obsessed with wearing them (thank goodness Paul shares them.) Every morning before daycare and every evening after he begs to wear them. Sometimes he wears the gear to play "hockey" (by which I mean playing a sort of modified version of cricket involve a Phlat ball and a neon green foam roller) but the hockey gear is also good for solving puzzles:  

These clothes are so beloved that for two nights in a row now the boys have changed into these very specific outfits specifically for their after-dinner activities (IE wrestling with Daddy and also, puzzles):

I think there's a very good chance that Paul will wear his swimsuit at least one more time before he actually has swim class on Saturday, and that James will wear Paul's hockey stuff many times before he's actually old enough to try skating. But to their power outfits' credit, last night Paul succeeded in knocking Steve over and James solved the puzzle. When you look good, you feel good.