My little boogie man

Fall is most certainly here full force, and the evidence of this is everywhere.

This afternoon I opened up the curtains to let in some sunshine, and immediately I noticed the window was full of those ugly, smelly, yellow lady bugs. Dried, crunched up leaves are being tracked through the house at a rate the vacuum can't keep up with. The center aisle at Wal-Mart has been turned into a big rack of chocolate chips, cupcake frosting, shortening and other baking goods, and there are scarecrows and pumpkins being displayed on front porches all over town. All of these things make it clear that Fall is here, but there is one more telltale sign that lets me know the weather is changing over.

I can't keep my three year old's finger out of his nose.

My poor little boy has a non-stop boogery nose through most of the cold weather months. It doesn't matter how many times I have him blow his nose (he's gotten quite good at it) or how often I stick a Q-tip up there (with a couple drops of little noses saline), I obviously never get it all cleared out for him, because he's constantly digging for gold. We'll blow his nose, he'll run and play for 5 minutes, and the next time I see him, he's got snot spread clear across his cheek, all over his shirt sleeve, and of course, underneath his fingernails.

The problem is not just that his nostrils are constantly plugged with his finger. He's picked up the nasty habit of eating it, too. I know, I know... what three year old doesn't pick their nose and eat it? But it's incredibly frustrating. And disgusting. And probably one of the reasons why his colds never go away.

The other day I caught him with his finger in his nose, and I quickly pulled his hand away from his face. "Don't pick your nose!" I told him for the umpteenth time. He looked at me, grinned, and stuck his snot-covered finger in his mouth.
"Kaden, that's gross!" I informed him.
"It's not gross, it's good!" He answered confidently.

I really wish someone could tell me that it does get better... but I'm quickly learning that, at least in boys, grossness increases with age. =/