just try to never grow up

Lately I find myself wishing that I could freeze time and stop Madden from growing up anymore. He is at such a fun age right now.

And he is growing up way too fast!

He's talking up a storm these days and it makes me laugh to think about the little conversations we have together. :)

He loves to play and sometimes when its really quiet in the other room I sneak up on him and catch him lining his cars up, all in perfect little rows, whispering and making car noises to himself. It makes me smile :)

He says "bye-bye" to everything: his food when he is done eating, his sippy when his milk is all gone, his bath water when its time to get out of the bath, his cars and toys when its time to go to bed. Its hilarious!

He loves to dance and we have dance parties on a daily basis. As soon as the song is over he yells "AGAIN!" And if I don't turn on another song immediately or if I leave our dance party to do anything else even for a second, he gets upset and grabs my leg and drags me back over to dance with him. :)

Other times when its quiet, I often find him standing in front of the refrigerator door (that he has learned to open on his own). When I ask him what he wants to eat he just stands there contemplating for quite some time and says "Ummm....ummmmm....ummmmm..." about 10 times before exclaiming with excitement his snack of choice. "CHEEEEEESE!!!!!" "JUICE!!!!!!" "MILK!!!!!!!!!!"

Anytime he does something he is proud of or something that took a lot of effort, he throws both of his fists up in the air triumphantly and exclaims, "I did it!!!" A couple days ago Randy was trying to take the garbage bag out of the garbage can and it was caught on something so he was having a hard time with it. Madden was watching him intently and when Randy finally got the bag out Madden looked at Randy and, with both fists pumped up in the air, yelled "Did it!!!" As if he was so proud of his Daddy :)

He now announces to us when he needs a diaper change by pointing to his diaper and saying "poop" or "peep." But then when we go to get a diaper, he is nowhere to be found. When we do catch him, he is usually hiding in a different room than the one we left him in, and can be found doing this:

He thinks we can't see him if he can't see us and that he is so cleverly hiding so that he doesn't have to get his diaper changed :)

Anytime he falls or gets hurt or even coughs he asks himself in the sweetest little voice of concern, "you okay??" He is so used to hearing us say that, I guess, so now he says it to himself all the time.

He folds his arms so sweetly when we say our prayers and exclaims "AMEN!!!!!" when they are over.

He is such a sweet, well behaved, and good little boy.

He makes me smile everyday.

I just wish he would stop growing up so fast!

Your little hands wrapped around my finger

And it's so quiet in the world tonight

Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreaming

So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything's funny

You got nothing to regret

I'd give all I have, honey

If you could stay like that

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

Just stay this little

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

It could stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you

Won't let no one break your heart

No, no one will desert you

Just try to never grow up

-Taylor Swift "Don't You Ever Grow Up"