Does It Just Go Downhill From Here?

Nico. We love him oh, so very much! One thing that hits me almost daily is something that was said in his baby blessing. He was blessed to love and to be loved by others. I think Nico has a special way of loving others. He is always so good and sweet to people he doesn't even know, and when anybody holds him or interacts with him, I believe they feel the love that he radiates. On the other hand, we have definitely 100% hit the toddler phase and he has begun to test every single limit imaginable. Sometimes it is frustrating when he will start doing things that he knows he isn't allowed to see if Mom (or Dad) will be consistent in giving him a time out. He is now at the height of being able to turn on the stove, tv, washing machine, and dishwasher, and I am reminded of the importance of being consistent in consequences. My philosophy is to hold on tight to the reins while he is young and learning so many things, and then as he gets older (teenager) he has developed the values and skills we have taught him, and I have to gradually start letting him loose and give him more independence. We will see how it works, because every kid is different, but I used this strategy for classroom management while I was teaching and it was very effective. (Except the kids didn't age that much, but I was always able to have their respect and attention.) Anyways, enough talk, here are some pictures from the last week:
This has to be one of my favorite pictures ever of Nico.It was warm enough today to go outside and play in the snow. Nico loved it! That is, until I wouldn't let him play with the thorny rose bush...





Please notice the sequence of pictures above. Nico climbed onto the dishwasher, and probably in just one minute, I got all of these horrible pictures. I thought it was funny to see how much he was moving though. Yep, he's definitely a boy!