I'm Getting Natural Highlights

Does everyone see the picture of the adorable little toddler above? Yep, that's my Ryan. That's the child I have repeatedly said will give me LOTS of grey hair in the years to come. I've decided that maybe that isn't the best thing for me to say. Not because I'm worried about any kind of effect on the kid's self esteem. Nope. I'm starting to think I shouldn't say that because it makes me sound old. So from now on, I will refrain from saying that Ryan is giving me grey hair and will instead say he's giving me natural highlights. For some reason it just sounds better to me. Now you may be asking what such a sweet looking little boy could have done (recently) to give me natural highlights. Well, let me tell you about the little adventure we had while trying to leave the house this morning.

I leave the house between 7:20 and 7:30 every morning. Most mornings I spend the last couple of minutes in the house microwaving some breakfast or filling sippy cups for the boys. As I was going about the final preparations this morning (at 7:15), Ryan toddled over to the phone stand in the kitchen and picked up the cordless phone. I wasn't too worried about that, after all, it kept him entertained while I got my coffee ready. After a moment I heard the dial tone and realized Ryan had managed to turn the speaker on. Once again, I wasn't too worried. But then I heard dialing, and the sound of a phone ringing on the other end! I leaped across the kitchen, snatched the phone out of Ryan's hand and shut it off before more than one ring passed. A quick look at the screen showed me that he had managed to hit the button to dial my friend Kate. A moment later, the phone in my hand rang. I answered to hear Kate ask, "Did you call?" For a split second I thought about lying, but caller ID has kind of put an end to that option. "No," I answered sheepishly, "but Ryan did." Thank goodness he dialed Kate who found the humor in the situation instead of some random person who would have been ticked off about their phone ringing at 7:15.

We finally made it out the back door. Since Ryan has really gotten the hang of walking, I usually let him walk out the door onto the porch and then I help him down the stairs and to the car. This morning he walked out the back door and straight over to the chairs on the porch. One of the chairs held his bubble lion and a bottle of bubbles, and Ryan thought 7:20 was the perfect time to get some bubbles going. I walked over and said, "We aren't going to play bubbles right now. We have to get in the car," as I reached for his hand. Ryan swatted my hand away with a loud, frustrated screech and went back to the bubbles. After this happened a second time, I picked Ryan up and carried him down the steps before putting him down. I reached for his, he did the swat and screech, then turned around and climbed up the steps to the chairs and bubbles! What a stubborn little boy! I can feel those natural highlights coming on now.