That boy ain't right...

Noah is a child of extremes. He can be the sweetest, most loving, snuggly little boy imaginable one minute and then a holy terror the next. He's opinionated, loud, stubborn, independent, funny, sweet, loving, and tender all rolled into one skinny bendy package. I love him and cannot imagine what life would be like without him (quiet and dull I imagine).

We've been having a lot of power struggles with him lately. As he becomes more independent, he wants to do things his way all the time - no exceptions. This could be anything from putting on his pants to using knives to combing his hair to taking a nap. It's his way or the highway. Obviously we can't have that. It's such a difference from Clayton, who is so submissive and obedient (Clayton reminds me a lot of my dad). Justin and I have been trying - oh how we're trying - to get him to understand that, essentially, we want the same things. We want him to be an independent person who likes to 'color outside the lines', but he needs to understand that certain things (like not wearing pants and using steak knives) are things that we as parents are the bosses of right now - until he is capable of making the right choice. Anyway, we're trying. Some days I think we're making real progress and I go to bed so pleased with how the day went only to have the next day be a complete nightmare. Sometimes I'm convinced that he makes a choice that even HE doesn't want to make because he knows it will make me crazy (I can't prove it, but I think it).

So the good days are wonderful and the bad days are nightmares. But we plug along. Today was a good day. I was snuggling with him for a bit and thinking about how much I love him and what a blessing he is - attitude and all. I get a smile on my face whenever I think about the man that he has the potential to become. Confident, powerful, persuasive, firm and undeterred in his beliefs, a man of conviction. I see that when I look at Noah. I know he has greatness inside of him.

Anyway, as we were sitting there I started thinking about some old pictures of him that I'd never posted but always intended to because they are pretty good indicators of who he is. I decided that, once he was done snuggling, I would post them. They are pretty funny (which is also a big character trait of Noah). These are not really in any order:

Playing outside, in the snow, with no coat, hat, or gloves. Wearing Clayton's rainboots (on the wrong feet). Yes, I did make him come inside and get dressed appropriately, but he didn't see anything wrong with this.
No, it's not one of the members of the Village People. Noah spent a whole day wearing no shirt and that dang tool belt. It made it difficult to use the bathroom, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices for fashion!
For New Year's, the boys and I made 2010 hats. He put his on and came up to me and said, 'I'm the Queen!'.
Justin had taken them out to play with a friend and Noah fell asleep on the way home. He WOULD NOT wake up. So I laid him on that chair. At one point Enoch came over and was sitting on Noah's lap and yet, Noah stayed asleep. That's determination!
What, you don't eat lunch with your shades on?
He loves sunglasses. He thinks he looks so cool. I had to let him wear them to Sacrament Meeting one Sunday (hey, you pick your battles).
There are an infinite number of things I love about this picture. My favorites though: 1. You can't see Noah's mouth but you can see how happy he is. 2. Rick looks just as happy about it.
He is always trying to be sneaky and get me to photograph his toys (see the 'Percy' video from the last post). I've learned that if I really want to take a good picture of him I need to let him think I'm taking a picture of a toy.
Seriously!!!!! I found him asleep like that one morning when I went to wake up Clayton. How is that comfortable!!! He's SO bendy and contortionist-like. I wonder if he'd be a good gymnast. (Yes, he's on the floor. Sometimes he sleeps there as an act of defiance. Defying what? No idea.)
Finally, Noah started Sunbeams at church on Sunday. It's going to take him a while to get used to it. He definitely loved Nursery with all the toys and snacks. He loves the idea of being a 'big boy' though so I'm hoping that once he starts to associate himself with the 'big kids' in primary and not the 'babies' in nursery things will go smoother.
This is his, 'take the picture already mom, I'm tired of smiling' face.

I'm not sure what I'd do without this kiddo. Saying that he keeps me on my toes is an understatement! I could do without the tantrums, and fights, and his strange desire to live in the bathroom (pantsless of course), but when he smiles at me and get close to my ear and whispers that he loves me I melt! This is one special kid!!!