Word of the day? "Nooooo!"

Just a few thoughts before I close the day:

Miles has learned how to speak and exercise the use of the word "No." What's hilarious about it, is that he makes this really dramatic face and and tosses in a bit of a whine for extra flair.

Examples:
"Miles, let's get your PJ's on."
"Noooooooo!"

"Miles, do you want to eat breakfast?"
"Nooooooo!"

"Miles do do you want a cookie?"
"Num nums! Num nums!"

Ok, so it's not all "no" around here...

He's also learned how to say "Mumma." Boy has he ever. Perhaps it's because he feels lost in the shuffle at times, but when he wants my attention, it's: "Mumma. Mumma. Mummamummamumma!" So cute....sort of.

And finally...thanks to his big brother, he hears the word "toot" a lot. "I tooted, Mom!" "Adam, did you toot again?" are just a few phrases that get tossed around her on a near-daily basis. What can I say? My kid is gassy. That being said, it's not surprising that Miles is familiar with this word. Last night at dinner, my darling baby actually leaned over in his booster seat, farted, smiled, and said "toooot." Of course, Adam thought this was hilarious, so it only spurred him on. To do it again. Lordamercy. What am I in for with these two? Do girls do this, too?

Your funny for the day, courtesy of Miles.

Miles knows he's not supposed to touch the tv. Despite numerous measures taken to prevent this action, he still does it (usually turning it off). We've tried yelling "NO Miles, NO!" spanking his hand, his bottom..everything. The kid is determined to touch the tv, no matter the consequence.

Jeff told me that tonight he went up to the TV, turned it off, then proceeded to "spank" himself on his bottom.

Nice.

You gotta hand it to him for his insight into the future: "If I touch the tv, I will get in trouble. Might as well spank myself then!"

Wooboy, he's going to give me gray hairs, I just know it.

Early-morning snuggles.

Unless I have to be up and dressed before the boys wake, my day usually starts with the morning-breath whispers of my 4 year old, saying: "Can I come snuggle with you?" And, if it's not too early (i.e. before 6:30am), I scootch over and welcome him into the warm bed. Or, if he's feeling particularly limber, he'll make a big production out of getting into the bed, crawling over me so he can secure his spot in the middle of the bed. For these few minutes, he's my sweet Adam, happy to be snug in bed with his Mama (and sometimes Daddy, too). Sometimes we chat about the day ahead, but usually it's just a silent, "starting to wake up" vibe. Just a few minutes of quality time together; time where he doesn't have to share the limelight (or his toys!) with his little brother.

What a great way to wake up, because to be honest, Adam has been a challenge this past couple of weeks. Not a day goes by where he doesn't try to throw his weight around here with his grunts, groans, flailing arms, eye-rolling, and/or other over-the-top reactions to things - either verbal or otherwise. It doesn't take much to set him off, either, so while I try to ignore it (for the most part, anyways), more often than not it's hard not to be embarrassed and at times, angered by his behavior. But the morning is where I can be with him and remember that he's just a little boy who still likes to snuggle with his Mama. The morning is when we both receive a fresh start. The morning is when we're realizing we've been energized and given a new day - one which we should be thankful for, and tackle with grace and love.

So tonight, I go to bed prayerful that tomorrow, Adam will come into our bedroom and announce that morning is here with the energy of a 4 year old. Tomorrow will be a day that the Lord has made, so let us all rejoice and be glad in it.

How will you start your morning?