Where did he get that stubbornness from anyway?

I would like to invite you all to commiserate with me in my pain... the pain I feel about my sweet little toddler turning into a boy... a boy that doesn't want to cuddle with me while he watches a movie, but rather tells me that he needs me to "go to the ... ummmm... the bathwoom."

"The bathroom?" I ask, "Blake, do you just want to sit by yourself?"

"Yes."

Subtle.

His favorite thing right now is to try and tell me that he's the boss. 

And when I say "Mommy's the boss", he says "No, I'm the boss of you!"

Oh-ho-ho, we'll just see about that!

Stubborn is what he is. The other day at a basketball game he was being a bit of a stinker so I made him sit in the seat next to me until he could show me his "happy face". It didn't take him long so I said he could go play again, but when he wanted to get out past me and I asked him to say "excuse me please" instead of just pushing (something we're working on right now), he refused.

FOR 40 MINUTES. 

I kid you not. No fits, no tantrums. Just an utter refusal to say please. Every 5 minutes he would push against my legs and I would remind him "say excuse me, Blake", and he would look up at me and then turn around and sit back down. Amazing. 

Reminds me of one of my parents favorite stories to tell about me when I was Blake's age. 

Apparently we were at the home of some friends and while playing there I had taken my socks off. When it was time to leave my Dad told me to go pick up my socks and bring them to him so he could help me put them back on. But I didn't want to go get them. He asked again. I said no. He took me over to the socks. I refused to bend down and pick them up. So he "helped me", putting my hand over the socks and squeezing my wrist, gently at first and them a little firmer, until I finally picked them up.

And threw them across the room. 

Ha ha ha, I wish there was a video of that. I always love hearing that story. Until I am faced with my own little stubborn almost 3 year old and then I feel very, very sorry for my parents.

Really, I'm so sorry about that Dad.

Blake has also been up to his old tricks again:

2 Samuel 23, emphasis by Blake.

 I have no idea when this even happened. But I will give Blake props, for the most part he managed to avoid scribbling all over the Word of God and just got the margins.

And I'll take that as improvement, so maybe his growing up isn't so terribly bad after all.