"Sometimes you rise above your material, sometimes you don't."

Yesterday we had to go to Smyths to buy a present for a girl in Seth's class to take to her birthday party, while there we Inevitably got taken down the Lego isle so that Seth could show us and the Lego Star Wars kits that he wants for his Birthday. The Lego Star Wars X-Wing was pointed out to us in order for us to make a mental note.

Now I'm definitely not cheap as I'm happy to buy Lego for the boys and we will most likely purchase it but when we got home i initiated getting the Lego out and made it my mission to have an X-wing for Seth by the end of the day.

There's something about being limited by the bricks that we have that really get's my creative juices flowing and i also see it as having a sense of a competitive element (Me Vs The Bricks). don't get me wrong we must have about 20kg+ of Lego but unlike buying a kit where you have the pieces all mapped out for you, rummaging through mixed Lego you have to have a lot of dedication and patience. Mrs M always says she doesn't know how i can sit there for so long going through every tiny piece (plus i think the noise drives her crazy).

Turn's out i couldn't have it finished before Seth went to bed so being the cracking dad that i am i soldiered on after me and Mrs M had had tea and were watching the telly (what a hardship on my part haha).

 Seth had asked me in the afternoon why i like building from my imagination so much, i explained that i had a lot of Lego when i was younger and that i wasn't brought many kits so was left to build things from memory. I also told him that everyone that goes into a toy shop and buys the Lego X-wing will all end up with the exact same model but by making your own you have a completely individual build, one which NO ONE else will have.(he liked this reason as he said he could show it off to his friend William). As i said in my previous post "Every true genius is bound to be naive", I think that Seth's AT-AT build showed a lot more character than the generic Lego kit and hopefully the same applied to my X-Wing.

The other main reason for me loving to build like this is that I'm more likely to leave Seth on his own building with a kit but if were building together like this it means that we get some quality father son play time together (and who wouldn't want that?).

 Well its the following morning now and I'm waiting for the little one to wake up so that i can show him his new x-wing (I'm so proud). It actually turned out better than i expected as half way through i was convinced it was going to end up multi-coloured due to brick limitations but somehow i managed to scrape the colours together. unfortunately our grey box (yes our Lego pieces are seperated into colour order) has taken a hit so ill be having to buy more.

The build was finished off perfectly before i had even started it when Seth pointed out that he had a Lego X-wing pilot in his Minifigure box. It was meant to be. I'm just wondering what he's going to say he wants next and hoping its not a Death Star.

Thats not my Dad, His face is to smooth!!

"That's not my" 3 words that you can guarantee would put a smile on Seth's face at bed time, he used to really love these books and now our little one is also getting into them. These are great books for getting kids involved in stories.

Our 13 month old knows exactly where to stroke when you turn the page. It is very cute. As Mrs M's Proposal book came out so well I'm Considering making a 'That's not my Daddy' book for Opeie.

"Every true genius is bound to be naive."

 

I never thought i would ever write a blog post about a single Lego build but after this weekend i am left thinking that Seth is some sort of Lego genius and has been letting me do a lot of our builds until this point. I'm convinced he's been holding out on me.

Mrs M had work to do and Opeie was asleep which as far as me and Seth are concerned means 'get the Lego out' as its really difficult to build when Opeie is awake due to him trying to put all the pieces in his mouth. I was building a robot girlfriend for his intergalactic robot. Seth had been very quiet so i looked over to see if he was ok (as my head had been stuck on a Lego box routing for pieces) and saw a masterpiece in production.

Seth has been going on for weeks about wanting the Lego AT-AT for his birthday or Christmas this year. I have no problem buying the kits for him but i think Seth learns more about building when making things for himself. The kits are amazing don't get me wrong but Seth always seems that extra bit satisfied when he has done it all himself. 

Last year for his birthday he wanted the police station (which he reminded us about most days for the months coming up to his birthday) which ended up costing us £80 and once it was built he smashed it up and it was never built again?? He also had one of the large Disney Cars Lego sets for Christmas and now coming up to 6 months on its still in the box unopened.

I loved Lego when i was younger, i don't remember there being much choice of kits to buy so i always had to rely on my imagination to build what i wanted it usually consisted of a castle as i had loads of knights minifigures and i was always building robots.

Any way back to the masterpiece, For a 5 year old i think this is pure genius (and not just saying that being the doting father that i am). Apart from me strengthening the AT-AT, Helping with the hinges and adding the weapon holders on the side for him it was all done by him. 

What i love most is how he built it completely using his imagination and knew exactly what he wanted to add to it, I even got a telling off when i added the wrong color lightsaber to the side of it as it was a Jedi and not a Sith one!! how bad did i feel!!. Personally i think it has come out far more superior than any generic straight out of a box kit.

Its also made me think i need to up my game on my builds as he's going to be putting me to shame.

"The role of an actor is to make every character believable".

We love dressing up here and running about, or even just lounging around. Me and seth once put on our Captain America costumes just to watch Super Hero Squad. I love having a reason to act like a child for an afternoon (Mrs M would probably say i was a child all the time but better that than other stiff's my age). I really think that the role playing and messing around gives me  a much stronger bond with my boys.

i couldn't care less who see's me like this either, i once answered the door to the postman dressed as a giraffe its just the way we are in our house. I'm really looking forward to Opeie getting a bit older as when me and Seth are running about its obvious that he is desperate to get in on our action.

 

When Seth's friend William comes round its never the action figures that come out, its the dressing up outfits and heavy arsenal of weaponry for their adventures as Telford's most elusive super hero's / villains depending on what mood their in.

This afternoon we had a Batman vs Joker water fight, it pretty much consisted of Seth putting the water bombs down the back of my trousers and hitting me repeatedly until they burst (which he found hilarious).

Having such a talented mom really helps in the dressing up especially when it comes to school themed days or the school plays etc as Mrs M is a dab hand with a sewing machine. Seth loved his Cat in the hat costume for world book day (courtesy of Mrs M and her magic fingers). He was also Joseph in the nativity at nursery the year before, Mrs M made an amazing costume and cleverly stitched the name Jo-seth in to the back (Which the teacher loved).

The Darth Vader costume is definitely the one that comes out the most as lightsaber battles are a daily occurrence in our house, Mrs M even gets involved. I myself prefer running about with the Boba Fett blaster. When Seth is dressed up Opeie doesn't really know what to make of it, give him a year or so though and we'll have him dressed as a storm trooper standing next to his big brother.

"It's a place to hang our cowls"

I decided to move the boys room around today while Seth was at school. Mrs M thinks its a bit crazy but i love moving the furniture around. It's not that I'm unhappy with the placement of it all, its just i get really bored at looking at the same layout all the time and think that by moving the rooms around it keeps the house looking fresh.

I guess i forgot just how much was in their room but thankfully its tidy 90% of the time due to the good looking hairy faced housewife we have at our house (and i don't mean Mrs M).

I say this is the boys bedroom but secretly its more the bedroom i wish i had had as a child, I loved my toy's when i was younger and had a huge collection of He-man and Star Wars figures (sadly my mother thought i would be a great idea to give them to 2 of my cousins when i got older and they destroyed them). Seth loves the fact that all his toys are organised and easy to get to and because of that he really looks after them.

I'm really glad that he looks after the things that they have as most of the toys are timeless and will be packed away into storage when their older for their children, to sell on or even to be displayed in their own houses if they end up as nerdy as their dad.

I wander into their room a fair bit in the day as it makes me smile, its definitely my favourite room in the house. I've told Mrs M that when we move id like to board out the loft and have my own room up there for all my toys (yes i am a child i ALWAYS wanted my own den when i was younger).

The poster choices for the room were very important but what i love most about the posters we have is that they were chosen by Mrs M. I love that she has basically been catapulted into the world of comic books and super hero's and being the great Mom and Wifey to be she is she completely gets involved. sometimes me and the boys quiz her on her super hero knowledge and to be fair she's pretty clued in.

In a way i wish i could unbox all if my collections and knock up some more shelves to display all my other toys as a good load of the toys i have previously written posts about are not out in the house and are just stored away for Opeie when he comes of super hero age (i guess ill just have to save them for my grown up super hero loft hideout).

After moving the furniture around i have come to the conclusion that i have no idea what were going to do at Christmas as i don't know where were going to put new toys. Seth's birthday is just before Christmas too so there will be loads of new things. Having an extra room would be a great help (and would also give me another room to fill! 
                                                                                                                                            shhhh.....).

Bucky O'Hare figures 80's toys

There's loads of toys in our house hiding on top of most of the book cases and units. I tend to forget sometimes what Ive got as i buy things that I'm not intending to make use of straight away. I don't know what I'm going to do when Seth gets taller and wants to start rummaging. (I may have to build some sort of lock box for the shed).

I wasn't really into the Bucky O'Hare cartoon when i was younger but i did love the comics. The figures were great though, unfortunately much like the Toxic Crusaders figures i thought there could have been more released.

There was 9 characters in total and 2 vehicles (which I'm missing one of). Bucky O'Hare, Deadeye Duck, Willy DuWitt, Blinky, Bruiser, and Commander Dogstar And the Toad Empire characters were Toadborg, Air Marshall, Storm Toad Trooper, and Al Negator. I think i tried to introduce Seth to the cartoon but he wasn't interested.

I'm sure these will stay in storage for many year's until my little one is old enough to appreciate them.

"Look, Sammy, I'm not a very good shot... but the Samaritan here uses really big bullets."

I Really hoped when i started collecting the Super Hero Squad Figures that they would release a Hellboy figure similar but sadly i thought the toy companies had let me down. One day while perusing the eBay toy pages as i do on a daily basis i came across these beauties.

The range is called Hellboy BPRD Buddies and their made by Mezco, They released 8 figures in total in packs of 2 and so far I've managed to get my hands on 6 of them. Nowhere seems to have them and they very rarely come up on eBay (most frustrating). There are 3 variations of Hellboy,Abe Sapian,Prince Nuada,Wink,Johann Krauss and A Golden Army Soldier.

The figures are practically the same size as the Super hero squad range so they fit in with my sons collection perfectly. At some point i will track down the other two as i will be obsessing about them until i do. Pathetic i know but that's how i get when I'm collecting things. Also the collection wouldn't be right without Abe Sapian.

Their fine for him to play with them now as they are chunky and have no small parts that can come off but all these small figures are for in a few years as he'll appreciate them more then. Plus ill need a few years to explain all the characters and all their backgrounds like i did with Seth, until he is as excited about Super Hero's as he is, Luckily this time round ill have Seth and his intense love of Comic characters and all things Super to back me up.

"Being a father, being a friend, those are the things that make me feel successful."

When people ask me how it feels to be a dad you can be sure that the first thing that will happen is me getting a huge a smile on my face, i cant help it. Ive spent my life until the boys came along not really knowing what i wanted to do and just wandering the planet like the incredible hulk.

Having the boys in my life has really given me purpose and although loads of things have happened over the years previous to this, since i met Mrs M and the boys have been part of me ive only just felt like i have started to live.

I wasnt planning on making this blog to personal but the main reason for me starting it in the first place and all the toy collections were because of my beautiful boys, so it only felt right that i should write a post about them.

`

They are both amazing well behaved boys and i feel so lucky, they get everything they need and so much more and they fully appreciate that. Plus they give back as much as they get by being so kind and caring.

Seth is extremely entertaining and very intelligent and daily comes out with great one liners that have us in hysterics. And Opeie at 14 months old is steadily becoming one of the most interesting little boys with the funniest personality. I am a very proud father!!

Everything i do completely revolves around them and I'm quite sure by now they both know what they mean to me. Even though Opeie is only 14 months old i think its quite clear to him that mommy and daddy love him very much. 

 There's so many things i love about being a dad, but the way the boys look up to me just blows me away. I never really saw myself as a serious or responsible person but when you have other people relying on you it completely changes your world. As cheesy as it sounds, for me it really makes you want to be a better person.

 

With Seth our days pretty much revolve around super hero's and Star Wars from the second he wakes up (he just woke up now and the first thing he asked was "can you get black spider-man in the super hero squad figures? followed by good morning!! he has his priorities right) , its so cute it reminds me of myself when i was younger although i don't think i was as intense. Its crazy how much super hero knowledge a 5 year old can cram into that head of his. God help us all when he can start reading comics.

I feel a little sorry for Mrs M, when Opeie gets a bit older its going to be mayhem in our house. hes already started his Jedi training!!

We try our best to make sure were always doing things as a family and try to always think of new things to do, it seems though that the boys favourite thing to do is just playing in the back garden when the sun is out (which thankfully it is at the moment).

Our recent trip to Florida was amazing for us all to spend quality time together, its ashame it cant be like that all the time. 

 Really not sure what Doctor Doom was trying here? obviously he doesn't realise that he doesn't stand a chance against me the Ultimate Super Hero (in the boys eyes)

I think this post has summed up just how much my 2 little super heroes have changed my life and how lucky i feel every day. Having children is by far the greatest super adventure a hero could ever go on and i will do everything i can to make sure I'm always seen as Mr Fantastic!!

"Odin wept! Not... wait for it... the Santum Sanctorum! "

It's been a while since i started my Super Hero Squad collection and has been 5 months since my first  blog post about them "you were expecting maybe squirrel girl". I thought it was about time i had an update on what i have collected since. The 2 Thor boxes above came this morning (hence the kick up  the bum to write the post).

The collection is for my youngest son and according to my eldest he wont get his Super Powers until he is 5 so i guess they are for then. (gives me another 4 years to beef up the collection)

My better half is truly amazing, a few weeks back she won me these 4 hulk sets on ebay for 99p i couldn't believe it when she told me as i had seen the Thing/She Hulk box go for a fair bit on more than one occasion.

 I had been after Shocker and Shock Proof Spider-man For a While so was chuffed when i won them on ebay and was even more pleased when i noticed the seller was also selling the Scarlet Witch.

Most of these figures where released years ago so its a pain trying to find them all brand new so id say half of my collection are loose figures brought from here and there. It gives me loads if satisfaction finding the figures i don't have for my collection (especially when their found in a charity shop or other random clearance shops).

Mrs M's favourite of the collection so far is The Blob "he's really cute" she said. I think she has a bit of a soft spot for us boys with extra weight. Worked out well for me though!!

Ive had the Dr. Doom play set for a while,it should have been included in my first post but i completely forgot i had it. Happens quite a lot in our house as there are toys everywhere packed away. ( while tidying up after taking these photo's i found a collection of Bucky o Hare toys i forgot i had which im sure will be on here very soon).

My youngest Opeie has been having a play with them as they have come through the post but they are all going into storage until he is older. Our eldest Seth doesn't even know their in the house, he seems more interested in Star wars and Batman at the moment.

 Im sure there will be a 3rd part to this collection very soon as i am always on the look out for more,as well as trying to complete many other collections. (I cant wait till we move and we have a loft).

Until next time.....

"Doth thou mother know you weareth her drapes?"

I finally got round to watching the Avengers today and it was well worth the wait. I had to go on my own due to the boys being far to young and pretty much everyone else i know being in a different city. No surprise though i wasn't the only guy on his own there.

It is by far one of the best super hero movies I've seen and I'm pretty sure Ive seen most of them. Loads of action from the start. Wasn't really a fan of Loki though,i didn't like him in the Thor movie he was a bit wet.

 Mark Ruffalo is clearly the better hulk of the 3 most recent, a lot more awkward as bruce banner and loved the way as the Hulk it still really looked like him. The movie was shot really well and the random shots through the back of car windows etc was amazing. 

What makes the Avengers a great movie for me was having the pick of super hero's to warm to, if your not a massive comic book geek like me im sure that 20 minutes into this film you've picked a favourite avenger and your sitting there rooting for him or her. For me it will always be Captain America.

Hadn't really liked Iron man much since reading Civil war (yes i know its only a comic) but the movie pretty much reinstalled my love of ALL things marvel (not that it ever went away).

The film ended and i wondered why no one was leaving so i sat and waited, felt like a bit of a nerd sitting there with the lights on watching the credits but as with most of the recent Marvel movies the sneak clip at the end was well worth it. I cant wait to see what they do with Thanos in the next movie.

I'm really hoping that in the next movie we get to see Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne join the team,i'm quite sure i read somewhere about an Ant-Man movie in the making so that should be interesting.

Well i got home and was on a bit of a super hero high.Mrs M had an early night so i stayed up and watched the Fantastic Four and Iron Man. I could have happily had a Marvel Movie Marathon but when you have kids you have to be responsible (which is a pretty good job as our youngest Opeie had me up at 5:30 this morning).

Thankfully i can still get my fill of Avengers goodness as the 2nd series of Avengers Earth's Mightiest Hero's is running at the moment and I've got to say it is a pretty good show.