I Love This Kid (Part 3)

Chase is a one of a kind kid. It is hard to describe him to those who haven't spent time with him. He has a very definite personality. He is cranky and cuddly. He is happy and angry. He is brash and shy. But he is ALL of these things ALL THE TIME.

Chase loves to run. Everywhere-- but especially outside. If he is running, he is happy.

He has an adorable smile. (Much like his dad, he doesn't care for pictures, so I went through 4 months of pictures looking for a recent one of him smiling-- I settled for this one).

He thrives on the chaos that is our house-- most days. He falls right in line with the rest of us-- singing, yelling, and dancing around the house. He is a climber and trouble maker.

But the kid has a temper. Even as a baby, if I gave him a cracker and he did not want a cracker, he would hold it up, scowl at me and slowly crush the cracker in his chubby hand. Like a villain in a Bond movie. If I offer him a toy and he doesn't want that toy, he has to take the toy and throw it as hard as possible. Its ridiculous. And unfortunately, hilarious. A family friend once said- "He is the only kid I know who can scowl while eating a cupcake."He is the baby of the family and thus, spoiled by all of us. He has found that he has very little reason to ever speak. Its enough to raise his hand and "summon" a particular snack or book or toy. And that always seems to work. If you pick the wrong snack or book or toy, he literally turns his nose up at it. As a result, he is almost two and has a very limited vocabulary.

I have been accused of vilifying Chase. However, once he is tucked into bed each night, Lance and I swap Chase stories and laugh our heads off at the kid. We love him so much and are so grateful (most days) that we were pretty much commanded to have Chase. He definitely completes our family.