This Boy...

Is he the cutest or what??  Oh I just want to eat him right up.

I was reading through old blog posts, and I found this one that I wrote only four months ago, "A Love Letter to my Tantruming Twenty-Two Month Old."  As humorous as that post is, and as true as it may have been during that moment in time, it's not true of Noah's personality now--and I realized that I need to set the record straight so Noah doesn't go down in history as a terrible, terrorizing two-year old.  The truth is, he is incredibly sweet and well-behaved, and though of course he has his moments and his meltdowns (believe me, he's not immune to tantrums on occasion), I know how lucky I am to have such a sweetheart on my hands.  I am so grateful.

And so I want to record for posterity some of the moments from the past few months that have made me thankful for my happy, loving, content little boy.  He is such a gift.

*Whenever I ask "May I have a kiss-kiss?" he runs over and plants one on my lips.  He is always willing to give a hug, a squeeze, or a kiss when I need one.

*I have a very loud sneeze, and whenever I let out an "Ahhh-chooo!" that rattles the house, Noah exclaims, "HOLY SHNIKEY!" (He learned that saying from his dad.)

*When we were leaving the parking lot at church not too long ago, Noah said out-of-the-blue, "Bye, Jesus!" :)

*Whenever Noah spills something and looks at me with teary eyes and a frown, I always say, "It's okay--everybody makes mistakes."  And then I show him how to wipe up the mess and spot mop or whatever needs to be done. Well the other day, I accidentally dropped a bowl of ranch dressing on the floor, and it splattered everywhere.  I let out a discouraged sigh (it had been a long day) and just stared at the mess in dismay.  Noah was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at me with big, concerned eyes, and after a few moments of silence, he piped up, "It's okay, Mommy--everybody makes mistakes.  Let's just clean it up."  I think my heart melted on the spot.

*Sometimes when Noah is playing in his room, and I am working in the kitchen, I will randomly yell, "I love you, Baby!" And he yells back, "I love you, Mommy!"  Then I'll add, "You're my best friend!"  And he responds, "You're my best friend too, Mommy!"  We'll continue this yelling game across the house for several minutes.  "You're my favorite!"  "You're my favorite too, Mommy!" "I love you so much!"  "I love you so much!" :)

*Whenever I ask him if he wants something, he will respond, "Yes, sir!" or "Yes, sireee!"  And if he doesn't want it, he will respond, "No, fank you."  His good manners make me smile (again, his dad taught him these phrases).

*He loves trains, buses, airplanes...pretty much anything to do with transportation.  So he was in heaven during our flight to Denver last week.  He loved the bus from long-term parking, the moving walkways and escalators in the airport, the trains to the different concourses, and of course the airplane itself.  He was so good on the flight that I even got to sit and read a book while he stared out the window.  Unheard of.

Don't mind the bedhead.

*When we were in Denver, my four-year-old nephew Callum wanted to show Noah an episode of the cartoon Tom and Jerry.  Cal loves this show and laughs hysterically every time the villianous cat gets an anvil dropped on his head or falls off a cliff or whatever.  Noah had quite a different reaction.  At first, he just seemed utterly baffled by it and kept saying, "Oh no!" and "Uh oh!" when something bad happened to the cat.  But then his dismay escalated, and he started shouting, "He needs help!  He needs help!" when the cat was in trouble.  We turned off the TV in a hurry when poor Noah let out a shriek of terror as a tree was falling on top of the naughty cat.  What a sweetheart.  I had never thought about how odd that cartoon is until I watched it with an innocent two-year-old who just wants to help when people (or cats) are in trouble.  We'll see if he finds that show funny in a couple of years... :)

*Noah sings constantly.  He sings songs from his nursery class at church, such as "I Am a Child of God," "Popcorn Popping," and "Give Said the Little Stream."  He also makes up songs about whatever toy he is playing with or situation he is in.  His imagination has totally blossomed since he turned two, and it is fun to hear him playing with toys and making up their conversations or singing to them.  With Noah in our home, there is a constant hum of chatter and song. I love it.

*Noah is smart and constantly surprises me with what he remembers or how he applies knowledge from one situation to another.  When we went to a historic farm with his cousins last week, he was sitting in a wheel barrow and kicked Jade over when she tried to climb in with him.  (That was a terrible twos moment.)  I put him in time-out on a bench nearby, and when I came over to talk to him about it a few minutes later, I asked, "Do you know why you are in time-out?"  He said, "Because I kicked my cousin.  We never kick cousins; we only kick a ball!"  I'm sorry--how could I not burst out laughing?  I loved that he not only knew that he isn't supposed to kick Jade, but he also knew that he is supposed to kick a ball.  (Again, his father's influence.)

Isn't he just the sweetest little boy?  Don't you just love him and his fun personality?  I simply cannot get enough of him, and I don't want these years to end.  He was such a difficult baby, but he has been an incredibly delightful toddler, and I am trying to savor every moment.  I've heard from several people that three is actually the year that a lot of children get defiant and sassy, so I am soaking up the twos.  And whenever he does have a terrible moment (like the other day when I spent 30 minutes getting him and his cousins ready for a walk, and then within two minutes Noah fell over--not hard, might I add--and screamed so loudly and for so long that we had to turn around and go home), I try to stay patient and give him the benefit of the doubt.  I think every two year old (and every person, for that matter) is allowed to have a meltdown once in a while.  I know I certainly have them on occasion.

Love you, my sweet little Noah Bug.  You really are my favorite.

Ice cream with Dad!  Don't worry, we didn't let him eat that entire thing!

Watching the lawnmower across the street

Trains are his favorite

Ready for church.  "Cheeeeeese!"

Our attempt at a sassy "selfie" for our friend, Laney

Making pumpkin waffles with "Mummy" on October 1st