boys will be boys?

I never cared for the saying "boys will be boys". I felt as though it gave boys permission to run around in their underwear waving sticks and screaming while us girls had to sit quietly and politely. However, now that I am a mother to a rambunctious three-year-old boy...I'm understanding it more.  I used to think boys acted like, well, boys because of what they saw on TV and what we taught them.  Now I think there is a more innate difference between boys and girls (or at least our kids).

Camden:
- can hardly sit for more than 3 minutes to do a craft or color
- favorite games are "make you fall down" (that's a daddy only game) and "catch" (as in run around and chase him)
- loves physical activity
- constantly bouncing, running, throwing...all the time
- is happiest outdoors with a stick in his hands
- likes cars, planes, trains, anything that goes
- somehow interested in guns and makes things into guns (wine bottle opener, a tortilla)...I'm not sure how he got interested in guns as we don't watch much TV/movies, especially with guns. He got a nerf type "shooter" for Christmas and doesn't make fake guns anymore
- prefers any activity that is active versus sitting
- quick to pick up motor skills

I didn't think much of it, until I watched little girls in the nursery, Mom's group, and in our Mom's Time Out.  While they certainly can be rambunctious too, I saw them coloring and doing an activities for 10 whole minutes. I saw them carefully constructing block towers and writing in notebooks.  Then when Savannah came along and I am seeing differences between her and Camden.

Savannah:
- interested in faces, photos of babies, expressions, etc
- likes to be held and snuggled
- will still fall asleep while someone holds her if she's tired
- likes shoes and putting on socks
- likes stuffed animals and baby dolls - holding them, giving them a paci/bottle, wrapping them in blankets

Since she is only just one year old, I'm still learning about her personality. Even though, for several months, she was surrounded by "boy" toys...she would still pick out a lego person out of the pile of legos.

We've tried to let them choose toys without gender stereotypes, but they seem to gravitate towards certain toys on there own (however, Camden has always liked playing kitchen/food and Savannah likes most anything Camden is playing with, so it isn't always the case). It will be interesting to see what other differences and similarities we notice over the coming years!

Savannah and her baby bear