I have just returned from my niece Maria’s wedding in Mississippi. It was wonderful! I will tell you a few of the highlights later this week. The drive home took almost twelve hours due to a phantom car accident. We never saw the accident the sign along the road told us was up ahead. It did take forty five minutes of crawling before we sped up past where it must have been earlier in the day. We later had to go from two lanes to one to leave room for three DOT pickup trucks to straddle the shoulder and part of a lane. That added even more time to the trip. By the time we got home I put JDaniel to bed in his clothes. He was exhausted. We are exhausted. I look forward to focusing on Veteran’s Day this week.

Monday night when we went to play in JDaniel’s room, he picked up one of his stuffed animals named Little Bear. He brought Little Bear over to his rocking horse, stood him up on the seat and said, “Sit Down! Sit Down!” I asked JDaniel if Little Bear needed a time out. “Yeeesss!” I was told. Little bear was carried over to JDaniel’s crib and stuffed between the slats. After a minute or two, JDaniel pulled Little Bear out of the crib and repeated the process. Little Bear was held standing up on the horse, told to sit down, and was given time out. He tried to repeat the events for a third time. I asked JDaniel if maybe we could show Little Bear the right way to sit on the horse. “O.K.”, I was told. Can you guess what we have been working on lately?

The ironic thing is that the next morning while I was on the phone JDaniel pulled over a chair so it would be right in front of me, climbed onto it, and stood up. I told him to sit down. He refused. He was removed from the chair and taken to a different room of the house after being warned a time out was on its way. Little Bear may have learned his lesson, but JDaniel seems to be still working on it.

On Saturday after breakfast I asked JDaniel if he wanted to go see if Daddy was awake. He nodded his head yes and charged the fifteen feet to our bedroom.

 I don’t let JDaniel go near Daddy until after eight o’clock on Saturdays. It was now a little after eight.

 JDaniel pushed open the door and rushed into see if Daddy was awake. He looked at Daddy. Daddy moaned, “Good Morning JDaniel.” JDaniel pointed to the clock on the bedside table. It was like he was trying to say, “Do you know what time it is?”

JDaniel is a hugger. I couldn’t be happier. At first he would only hug me. Then he progressed to his dad and grandparents. Now he hugs his friends when we leave their houses or say goodbye at a play date location. These are not just I am leaning my head on your should hugs. These are wrapping your arms around you and squeezing hugs. The best part is that he really seems to enjoy hugging. He gets a big smile on his face and lights up as he hugs people.

My husband and I hold hands when we pray before dinner. JDaniel has seen us do it for months. He reached over a month ago to hold hands with his grandfather during a prayer and then didn’t look like he was going to repeat it. Recently I felt a little hand covered in spaghetti reach over from his high chair and tug at my sleeve during the pre-meal prayer. When I looked up, there was a bright red hand covered in noodles. I had to take hold of it. It was the right thing to do. It was a little difficult to concentrate while praying with food mushing in my hand.

There wasn’t anything better than JDaniel wanting to join in our thankfulness for the food we are about to eat and that he has already started eating. Last night he added his own “Amen” at the end of the prayer. It was the most precious thing.