Little Adventurer.

There's just something about spending an afternoon in the woods, surrounded by trees and sun, and nothing more than the sound of rustling branches and our boots crunching on fallen leaves and pine needles. And then of course mix in some growling from Henry (I'm a BEAR, Mommy!) and tons of laughter. We're aching for spring over here, but since it's still awhile off, we'll take a sunny day bundled up from the cold wind. Let's just not talk about how it snowed the rest of the evening once we got home!

Henry loves being in the forest, and we're lucky enough to be surrounded with some of the country's most beautiful national parks and wildlife areas. Northern Arizona is a great place to be all year round, but this time of the year is especially gorgeous, as nature begins to wake up a little bit from our cold winter, and we get to enjoy those first glimpses of spring, however fleeting they may be.

Lately I've been trying to do something new with Henry every day, whether we just try out some new art materials at home, or go on a little adventure like this. It's a fun challenge to come up with new ideas and I can't even wait until the weather totally warms up and we can do a lot more exploring.

xoxo

Teacher.

In all of my schooling, all of the places I've been, it's astounding to me that my greatest teacher of all would be a 2-year old by the name of Henry.

He's been teaching me things before he was even here- during those 9 months of pregnancy, and when he was just a possibility and an idea.

It's crazy to me what I've learned over the past three years, all of things I found out about myself, all of the contradictions and truths and clarity.

Henry's taught me that I am enough. Just me. In my pajamas, playing on the floor, no makeup and no fancy clothes.

That we don't need the newest things, the shiniest toys- all we need is a cardboard box and some wooden trains to run along our makeshift track, and we're set.

He is a constant reminder to be present and in the now. I only get so long with this little guy being so little (as I'm reminded every morning when he magically seems bigger than the night before), and I want to be there for every second- not wasting it away worrying about inconsequential things or on my phone or computer.

He keeps me in check. Last week Hank, Henry and I were driving and Hank and I were having a discussion. There must have been a tone to our voices because from the backseat Henry said, "Be nice guys!" We just about died laughing but it reminded us that there is always someone listening and learning.

Henry reminds me to slow down, to appreciate the small things, and to laugh often. To take a minute and notice the ducks on the pond, to wave to the big semi driving past, and to always make time for a snack break.

He's taught me that I am his greatest example. The other day he was playing to with his trucks and he was "putting them to sleep." I heard him say "oh, you are a good truck and I love you so much" in his toddler speak. He kissed them and tucked his little blue truck in, and I realized that he is taking in all of this love we give him and it's become a part of his everyday. And it reminded me of that quote- "how we speak to our children becomes the voice in their head."

It's amazing to think that this little love is only two years old. I feel like he is wise beyond his years and understands so much more than he is even able to tell us. I'm lucky to have been given the privilege of being Henry's mama, and I can only imagine all the fun (and learning!) that's in store.

This town and these friends.

Sometimes I take a step back and look at my blog and realize that I talk about the same thing all of the time. Seriously...ALL of the time- but then I don't mind too much because that's just my life. And as I began this post I was going to write "I love this little town of mine," and then thought about how I must have said that before, so I decided to do a google search to see how many times I've said it...and yes, it's definitely been more than handful. But oh well, because you know what? I do love this little town of mine. I enjoy living in a place that completely embraces the holidays, a place where any place we go we are guaranteed to see no less than four people we know. It's that kind of small town. And I adore it.

If you would have spent the day with Henry and me, you would probably be just as tired as I am right now. It was one of those days where at the end of it, I feel like I've run a marathon. It also didn't help that I pushed Henry's nap almost two hours later, which isn't something that works well for a boy who naps like clockwork, and something I never, ever do. It was such a fun day though, filled with out of town friends, good pizza, and great ice cream. Henry and his buddies ran around all over downtown as us Moms tried to get some adult conversation somewhere in between the "NO! Don't climb on that!" and the "Get down from there, right now!" that was constantly going on. Kids are crazy.

And now I'm sitting here, looking at these photos from our day and thinking about how much I love this town. And thinking about how much I say that, and how much I really never expected to either one, love this town so much, or two, say it as much as I do. Time went on though, and I somehow fell in love with a place that I never expected to end up in, and here I am now, inviting our friends to come up and visit as much as possible. I'm also thinking about friends, and how lucky I feel to have all sorts of people in my life- those I talk to on the regular, those I talk to much less frequently, and those I really just keep in touch with online. All important, all wonderful.

So I'm thankful tonight, for a handful of different things. For this town and these friends, and for a day so full of LIFE that I'm crawling into bed feeling like I couldn't go another minute.

xoxo