Grandpa Todd was here for the last two weeks working on his insurance company's catastrophe team to assess flood damage. He was working from sun up to sun down, but he did find time spend with Isaac and allowed us to sneak out for a date night now and then.
Here's a cute video of Grandpa Todd's signature bubble-making bath time fun:
Isaac and I woke early, before Daddy, to our first frost of the season. Something about a bright, chilly morning makes me want to bundle in warm sweaters and hats and get out into nature. So we did just that. I bundled Isaac into some adorable fall clothing and off we went with "Hinnins" to hike and explore.
The first blanket of snow just beyond the foothills.
This boy. He's on his way to two much too quickly.
He's yelling, "Hinnins, come!"
And then chasing that wild doggy.
Investigating.
And walking Higgins.
Look at him: He's so cuddly. And my favorite thing? When, out of the blue, he holds his arms out and says, "Hug," and then holds on so tightly that I never think it's going to end--never want it to. What could he be feeling to ask me for a hug in that moment? Is it the kind of love that makes your heart feel as if it's going to burst? The achy, overwhelming love that I feel for him?
I'm trying hard lately, as I'm learning more about toddlers and tantrums and spirited children, not to put Isaac in a neatly packaged box. I've stopped trying to categorize him, dissect him, figure him out completely because I know he is a shape shifter. He's growing and learning, developing and changing, and I don't want to confine him to what I decide he is and always will be.
But, no matter who he is now or who he may become, one thing I can say for certain about Isaac is that he loves others no holds barred. He always has and I hope he never loses that quality. I hope life doesn't wear him down as it has a tendency to do. Because Isaac is a bright spot in people's lives. He's got a good soul, this son of mine.
He likes to dump the ingredients in the bowl, "mix," and "make" (bake). He stays a fair distance from the oven while Mama puts the granola in to bake. And he always runs over when it's time to check and stir. I remind him to back up so he isn't too close to the hot oven, and he does. And I trust that he'll stay put while I stir.
After checking out the train store, we went to the Louisville Public Library where we made it just in time for the Preschool Dance Party! Isaac didn't dance a whole lot--he mainly enjoyed the songs like "Ashes to Ashes" when he could crash to the floor--but it was pretty cute to watch the kids jumping around and dancing together.
This dance party reminds me of a time just a few weeks ago in Ouray when Isaac and I were sitting out on the porch at sunset. For whatever reason, he started to dance so I turned on my iTunes and hopped up to join him. He was a dancing machine and he mimicked my every dance move, which I turned into a hilarious game by throwing my hands in the air, doing the twist, the sprinkler, the cabbage patch, the lawn mower and any other dance move I could think of. Pretty soon Ben came out to join us, and we all danced and laughed like crazy without another care in the world. Amazing how the love for your child can bring out your own inner child--setting all inhibitions aside. I can't tell you how many times Ben and I have broke out in song and dance for Isaac's entertainment. I can, however, count the times I've seen Ben dance prior to having Isaac.
Isaac is crazy about trains right now. Crazy! His daddy played The Polar Express for him about two weeks ago and Isaac has not stopped asking to watch it since. So we watch snippets of it almost every night before books at bedtime.
Ben and I have been immersing Isaac in all things train lately, since he has such a keen interest. Yesterday, I took Isaac on a walk near the train tracks and we watched a(nother) real train pass by--the conductor even waved at Isaac! And we have two train books from the library we read almost every night, including The Polar Express, and we're heading back to get more today.
We've also been trying to get to the Colorado Train Museum for the past few weeks, but the weather hasn't been cooperating; Ben really wants to join Isaac and me, so we're limited to the weekends. Also, the museum has had this special "Thomas the Tank Engine," event happening, and we are all in favor of avoiding the masses during that type of event.
So on this rainy day, I thought we'd check out a small toy train shop right near our house. We pass Tim's Toy Trains every day--it practically goes unnoticed--but I'm glad we paid a visit because Isaac loved it! And I'm sure once Tim completes his newest mechanical train project, Isaac will enjoy the visits even more.
We're nearing the end of our beloved gardening season, here in Colorado. Hints of autumn's approach in the vanishing evening light, the cool mornings, and slow growth in the vegetable gardens. As you can see, the tomato plants finally started to bear ripe fruit, but we have hundreds more that are green and nowhere near ready to be plucked from their vines. And looking to the weather forecast, I fear they won't have time to ripen. My neighbor suggested I take the plants in to the garage when the frost arrives, but I don't think she took a very good look at them--they are gargantuan! I would need pots about as large as one of our beds! I'm doing my best to prolong the growing season, though. I planted more spinach, arugula and bush beans a few weeks back and they are thriving thus far. And Ben and I have discussed attempting to over-winter some vegetables. A fun new adventure!
And Isaac has become a fantastic harvester of ripe (and sometimes unripe) tomatoes. He'll find a ripe tomato, pluck it from its vine and then make sure any remaining green stem has been removed before tossing the tomato in one of his buckets. I enjoy spending the time with him in the garden, and he just loves to be outside and helping his mama with anything she's doing. Once we have a fence around our plot instead of the chicken wire around each bed, he'll have an easier time. And I've plans for Isaac to start own garden bed next summer. Oh, such plans, indeed!
Isaac is home with croup, but his low-grade fever isn't slowing him down much! I took these video clips because on a daily basis I am astounded by his language development, and I thought our family would recognize the change even in the few weeks since they last saw him.
I guess what really took my by surprise today was Isaac's use of the present continuous tense ("Driving."). I love that he is a talker and I don't know why I'm always so surprised by this; right from the start he was a chatter. I mean, he was squawking before he was even a month old, he put himself to sleep by chanting! I should have seen it coming.
Isaac has a love-hate relationship with our shop vac. He always wants to help his dad with any home improvement task, but when the shop vac comes out, he usually runs in the opposite direction. Today, Isaac decided to face his fear, and here is what happened:
I wasn't around when Ben took these videos, but he showed them to me during our date night this evening. We both practically fell out of our chairs laughing at the second one. Good effort facing your fear, buddy.
We are movers and shakers around here. Once we're up for the day, we don't stop until nap time. I've said it before: Isaac prefers to have a playmate. He is a full blown extrovert. He wants you (and in most cases, that you is mama or daddy) to do everything he is doing, he wants to commentate his play, he wants to sit in your lap (and/or nuzzle his head into yours as hard as possible) if he's sitting. I still don't know where he gets it; Ben and I are both introverted people, but we do our best to play along, to give him our undivided attention as many hours of the day as possible. This is not to say we don't thoroughly enjoy playing with Isaac, it's just that our energy is drained by interactions with others (while our son is energized by these interactions), so we have to find a balance of playing and recharging in order to be good parents. Today, an hour of morning play looked a little something like this:
First we played with some puzzles and blocks, which isn't pictured here. Then ran "fast" around the house. Notice that Mama wasn't playing along for a minute when she grabbed her phone to catch a video:
Then we got dressed, and drove the car in circles around the house over and over again:
Then we played with Duplos; Isaac decided he wanted the Duplos to go for a drive, so he piled them all in the car:
After a short drive, Isaac wanted the Duplos to go "home," to his tent:
Once the Duplos were safely home, Isaac decided he wanted Mama to join them, of course. So Mama crawled in and played a rousing game of toss the wiffle ball and kick ball against the side of the tent. This went on for quite a while.
After the tent, it was train play, wheely bug play, bike riding, and finally driving the bus, dump truck and recycling truck around the living room before this mama needed a break.
So lunch time commenced:
Isaac was bound and determined to drink from a cup with no lid. He did pretty well, but sometimes tried to wipe his milk mustache as seen in the third picture and would spill a little--a "mess". Isaac doesn't much like food messes anymore. When he drops food or spills drinks, it's all, "Uh oh! Messy. Wash."
And that, my friends, is an hour in the life of a toddler... and a stay-at-home mom (or part-time SAHM in my case). Is there any question that life is just a little busy?
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