Scaling New Heights

So, it's been awhile since Jadon has been freaking me out and driving me crazy with all his climbing antics. I was just looking back to my last post from a year ago, and all of those climbing activities have been effectively nipped in the bud. That's a good reminder...all the things our kids do that seem like you'll never survive in the moment end up fading away into the past like a distant memory.

Oh, but then they discover new things. This is what Jadon discovered this week:

Of course I had to take a picture before I sternly scolded him to never do that again! He tried it one more time (got over to the map, eek!) but after that sterner scolding and time out, he hasn't done it again. There have been several testing looks, but no actions, whew! Now that I think about it, Jadon has been growing far more obedient in general. He's still extremely independent and strong-willed and curious (man, he's a lot like Curious George, even in his cuteness!), and we still have plenty of "those days," but our attempts to set firm boundaries and consequences are clearly working. That's a good reminder, because most days still end up in chaos and exhaustion. For example, later that day, when I tried to take a quick shower, this is how Jadon entertained himself:

Fun times!
He's such a boy! On our way back from the park that day, he made a new friend...with a worm:

Note: This little fellow started out about twice as long, but here he is curled up in the worm equivalent of the fetal position after Jadon lovingly hugged and kissed and tossed him to death (literally!) (But I didn't tell Jadon what happened.) He was so proud of his pet worm and proceeded to tell everyone about him the entire rest of the day.
And one final shot of his boy-ness from the day before:

Apparently I dressed him in the right shirt that morning before we went to visit daddy at church. Jadon LOVES the drums, and ran back to the youth room so he could jam for a little while before going home. He's so funny. Even at home when we're playing with his kitchen/food stuff, it's only a matter of minutes before he turns all the pots and pans over and starts wailing on them (in rhythm) with the utensils. I'm pretty sure drum lessons are in our future...but I think we'll invest in the electronic kind so I don't have to hear it!