North Open Space Hike

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.