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That's some seriously bad, cute bed head!

 

 This is Noah's little fleet.

 

 

Our Sweet Boy

I've long worried that Noah would pick up my favorite cussing phrases.  So far, that hasn't happened.  He did pick up my saying "thank you" to just about anything he does.  There is no telling how many times a day I say "thank you" and "good job".  Now, anytime you hand Noah something he says, "thank you" or "thanks".   It's so cute and sweet.  And he thinks it's funny when you say "you're welcome" back.

Last spring and summer when he was walking and running some, but was still pretty little, he loved watching the older boys in our cul-de-sac running and playing ball, usually basketball.  Now that it's just warm enough to head outside in the afternoons when the kids get home from school, he wants to be right back out there with them!  Now, these kids aren't bad kids, but they haven't exactly been taught to be good kids.  What's cool is that, so far, they're usually nice to Noah.  They understand he doesn't speak well enough for them to understand him much yet.  And of course, he's way too young to really play with them, but they don't run him off.

I already worry, though, that our boy is too sweet.  That he'll be the kid the other kids take advantage of, the kid they have fetch things for them, or whatever.  The other day, two kids were playing with sticks, so Noah spent a long time picking up all of the sticks around and handing them to them.  When we go to this play area with other kids his age, he's the one who ends up having the ball or toy he's playing with taken - and he just sort of looks at them and moves on to something else until the toy or ball is free again.  He never fusses or grabs it back.

Mostly, I stand back and watch, make sure he's not upset, redirect him some.  I told Nerdstar the other day to not be surprised if I deck someone in the future for not being nice to our sweet boy.

Kids Need Boredom

Yes.  Kids need to be bored sometimes.

Lying in the yard, looking up at clear blue sky until I was totally lost in it is one of my favorite memories.  Even as an adult, I've had tons of "empty" time, no tv, no radio, not even a book, and I think it's something we're missing these days. 

I'm so glad Noah is fine playing in his room by himself for a while every day.  We're trying hard to resist him playing with phones and tablets and apps for as long as we can.  If they're always doing something with whatever device is in their hands, they'll miss out on so much, including the simple art of making small talk while waiting. 

I can't state how often I'm tempted to move to "the country" for our sanity and Noah's future. 

Simple

The other day, Noah and I were playing in the back yard.  Two of the kids who live next door came out into their yard and Noah went over to say "hi" while I stayed on the deck.  I heard the little brother (probably 3 or 4) ask his sister (probably five) if I was Noah's mom.  The girls said, "No, because she's not Chinese."  Ha!  We thought that was funny.

Kids have such funny ideas about how things are.  A long time ago, when I was substitute teaching, a kid asked me how old I was.  After I told her, she looked at me and said, "You can't be that old, you're not tall enough."  Ha! 

Pretty Darn Cool

April will bring the 14th anniversary of Nerdstar and I.  That means we lived together for over 11 years before Noah showed up.  Sometimes it's kinda weird to realize we've got this other person, this little boy, with all his wants and wishes and schedules and stuff, living in our space.  This handsome, sweet, tall, goofy boy, making us laugh, bossing Nerdstar around, demanding snacks or movies or dance tunes or to go outside.  It's pretty darn cool. 

Summer Wardrobe Done

10 T-shirts
9 pairs of shorts
1 pair of swim trunks
4 pairs of pants
2 sets of pajamas

Less than $70!

We LOVE consignments stores!  Plus he got two new toys for under $11! 

Errand Buddy

I know this could sound crazy coming from the mom of a toddler, but Noah really is my errand buddy.  He has been pretty much from day one.  If it's been a few days since we've gone to the store (any store, but mostly grocery) he'll look at me and say "store".  He's always done well in the cart, although now he likes to start off helping me push the cart before he has to sit up in it. 

I know, this entry reads pretty boring.  But, after all the years I spent alone either before I met Nerdstar or the years she was off being my army girl, I'm so grateful to have Noah to run errands with.  So I'm really glad he's such a good, sweet kid when we have to run them.  He's even starting to talk to the cashier ladies we see all the time.