Happy Spring

bite?

Noah has always been a really generous kid, always willing to give you some of whatever he has. So, I have had my fair share of wet Cheerios, fuzzy pretzels, and warm juice. He can't seem to take a "No, thank you," as an answer.

In this picture he was finally eating a CLOSED peanut butter sandwich. I was pretty excited thinking he would be able to eat without making a mess. Of course he had to stick his little fingers inside to dig around, and then brought them out for a lick.

He had just taken his last bite, and as he licked his fingers, he offered them to me. "Wanna lick?" he asked.

Yeah, right.

working on those pearly whites!

It seems like a daily fight to get Noah to brush his teeth. Once in a while he is totally fine with it, but too often he yells, "Noah do it!" and grabs the brush from my hand. Our appointment with the dentist this week made me nervous, but he was a total angel. He did everything she asked of him, and never complained once. Miracle never cease.

Pictures from Florida

There will be many more in the official scrapbook, but here is a small sampling.

Where have we been?

It's been almost two months since our last post. I could offer excuses (computer down for 4 weeks, vacation, sick, sick, sick), but who wants to hear all the gory details. We're back, and hopefully can become more consistent with this.

Since our last post, Noah has turned two. People often warn you that the behavior of a toddler changes - hence the phrase "the terrible twos", but I wasn't prepared for it, and I fear it will still get worse.

Noah is still a sweet boy, like in this picture with his new favorite "hat," but then he can suddenly switch into another person. One who screams "NO" at the top of his voice, and can cry and yell for 30 minutes straight in a car ride home.

He's been taught to say please and thank you, but has somehow confused these polite words as the magic key to get whatever he wants. When I say no to cookies for breakfast, he just responds with an insistent "please," as if this will suddenly make me change my mind. Oh Noah, I wish we could all have cookies for breakfast, but it's in my Mommy Contract to make sure we try something healthy.

A loud house

Noah's cousins Seth and Emalea don't get to come over very often, but when they do the boys have a fabulous time. Noah gets to run, yell, wrestle, tackle... all the things he doesn't do with the little girl we babysit. I think he forgets he is not even two and plays pretty hard with his cousin who is five. By the end of the night I think they are both worn out.

Noah's new "hiding" place is the cabinet under the counter. He has been in it for many months, but recently has sort of moved in, with toys and snacks, and maybe even a blanket or pillow. It looks like a tight fit, but he loves it under there. Somehow, on Seth's last visit, they both fit in there. But no girls allowed if it's a boys clubhouse.

It's cold outside

Today we bundled up to head out for chuch. It's been sub-zero here for many mornings, but I think today made it up into the 20s. Still cold for a toddler. And the sun was so bright out that it made his eyes water while we were driving to church. I handed back his sunglasses, thinking he would just play with them before they dropped to the floor. Instead, he put them on (upside down) and seemed much happier. He wore the whole get up (coat, gloves, big hat, and glasses) all the way to his Sunday school class room so he got lots of compliments.

Foster Grants?

This doesn't have a funny story, it just makes me smile.

:-)

He had the look

If you've ever been around a toddler, you know they get this certain look. They can't talk, but this look says it all. I've done something I know I shouldn't have, but I am pretty proud of it so check me out! Noah walked in to the kitchen the other day with that look. And, he was drooling purple.

I guess he found a purple crayon, peeled the paper off completely, and then decided to see what it tasted like. It wasn't just a nibble either. He had it ground into his molars.

I grabbed his toothbrush to try to get as much out as I could. The bristles turned purple by the end. Thank goodness the darn things are non-toxic.

Let's catch up!

Well we made it through the holidays. Christmas was fun, but a little loud. Noah loves his cousins and they all played hard. Of course he's still one of the youngest and so he had an earlier bed time. At our house he and Seth ran around like crazy men for hours before it was time to say good night. Then the first thing he asked about when he woke up was his cousin. He wanted Seth more than Daddy that morning.

One of Noah's favorite gifts, besides the stuffed Donald Duck, was some art supplies like crayons and chalk to go with the art easel he is getting for his birthday. For someone not even two, he can color for over 30 minutes and not get bored, which I find remarkable. But often he only wants us to use the blue and red crayons. I get red, he gets blue. If I happen to put mine down to trade for the green , he gasps "Ma," and hands the the crayon I put down. There really is only so much you can do with red. I think the Mickey Mouse pants are done on every page.

The Sunday after Christmas brought another first for Noah. He went to his first Colts game with our dear friend Shirley. I was very nervous about bringing him, but he lasted three whole quarters before he got restless. It was another Christmas miracle.

We had one nice day before New Year's Eve so we went outside with our new side walk chalk and played in the fresh air. I think those days are gone now until spring but we had fun one last time.