noah at age 2.75

Right now at 9:21 pm, Noah and Austin are out playing in the back yard together...with scissors, I might add.  In my defense, I did put them both to bed over an hour ago...and the scissors they are snapping open and shut are the dull-edged, dull everything, scrap-booking sort that can only sometimes barely cut paper.

It's been fun watching my youngest two interact without the older two who normally run the show.  With Jack and Tays sleeping soundly upstairs (the good little boys), Noah has been leading Austin around with a high-pitched voice.  They're crazy for each other and I love to see it.

Noah is his own little drummer, even when he's not the oldest one around. He's just happy to do things his own way, though not stubborn about it usually.  He's happy to join in any game, and be pleasant and cheerful. He has a unique confidence I think. Last night at the splash pad, Kevin and I were laughing, watching him monologuing as he climbed on the rocks and dramatically jumped, without any regard for the masses of children around him.  He was just doing his own thing.  If he catches me watching him in moments like this he'll see that he's amused me and run to me with a beaming smile.  I love that smile. 

He is sort of a stinker right now, skipping naps and getting out of bed a million times before conking off, then waking me up at 6 or so to climb into bed with me.  He's always a welcome sight, but I like him so much more when he just nestles in a falls asleep.

He still loves binkies, but for the last month or so, we've only had 2 in the house, one for Noah, one for Austin.  Noah has bitten through his binkie so it's going to be unusable any day now (actually, I would have labeled it unusable a while ago, but he's stubbornly sticking with it.) I've assured him that it is his final binkie, and once it doesn't work anymore, his binkie days will be over. He seems to understand it and be ready for the inevitable, but he's getting all the use he can out of it until that fateful day comes.

Noah, you're a good little boy.  Now it's time for bed.  Seriously, this time.