T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

Why The Boy is T.R.O.U.B.L.E.:

• He's just very active. He keeps me on my toes all day, except for when he's napping. For example, he was the only kid that wouldn't sit in his mother's lap again today at story time at the library. I hope he naps until he's 20.
  
• He likes to throw food off his high chair tray and pour his milk out.
  
• He also likes to throw things off the second story front porch.
  
• At times, he puts questionable things in his mouth, so I have to keep my eyes on him any time we're someplace new. Like the incident on the back porch with the bag of potting soil.
  
• He is starting to throw tantrums. Lie-down-on-the-floor tantrums (well, he's only actually laid down on the floor once, but there have been a few incidents that have been nearly as bad).
• He loves buttons and presses them whenever he has the opportunity. Like the time he was playing with the remote and found this crazy secret menu on our TV and changed some settings. Nathan had to call the cable company to figure out what happened.
  
• He loves our cell phones and loudly insists on having the chance to play with them whenever someone calls. He has also made some phone calls when playing with our phones while we weren't looking.
  
• He has gotten really, really loud, and he doesn't yet understand what an inside voice is.
• He ate a handful of potting soil--twice.
  

But here are a few of the reasons he's incredibly endearing, despite his mischief:

• As of a couple of days ago, he says "Amen" after we pray. Actually, he says, "'MEN!" With great enthusiasm.
• He doesn't have a lot of words yet, so he really likes to use the ones he's got, like "shoes," "juice" (which also means "milk"), and "moo." He also tells us that any food that is remotely warm is hot, by waving his hands in a certain way and saying "Aah! Aah! Aah!"
• He loves trucks and is loudly enthralled by them whenever we pass one while driving.
  
• He loves stuffed animals and hugs them all. His favorite is a gray kitten named Roscoe that he sleeps with.
  
• He sometimes chases down one of our cats and hugs her, laying his head on her back. It's sweet.
  
• He has the best belly laugh of anyone I know.