Stop and Smell the Jack-o-Lanterns

If there's anything I'm finally starting to learn about my kiddo, it's that he loves to enjoy every aspect of life. He'll stop and explore blades of grass, study ladybugs, ask everyone he meets if it's okay for them to be friends, and much more. He doesn't rush through life the same way I often find myself stumbling through it.
It's probably time for me to take a page from his book.

Last night we went trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating is almost never warm in Montana. Well, I guess it's warm if you don't have to wear snow boots under your fairy costume. Almost every Halloween I remember as a kid involved finding some way to fit a snow suit under whatever you wanted to be, or a way to renovate last year's polar bear costume. It can get a little cold here.

But last night wasn't entirely freezing. We made it with sweatshirts and hats, and Jackson took his time savoring every minute out on the streets. We kind of thought he'd be like the rest of the children, flying on a sugar high and racing from one house to the next. Oh no. Our boy wandered slowly, enjoying the night air, and studying every single jack-o-lantern we passed. Every. One. His pumpkin bucket was only about one-third full when he decided he was done. The pumpkin studying appealed to him more than the goodies did.

My husband and I marveled at how he loves to study all aspects of life. While we sometimes struggle to stop and enjoy those simple things, Jackson relishes them. He won't be rushed. Believe me. He won't be rushed. Sometimes, it's infuriating, but most often, he does our little family a big service by being the way he is. (We're not going to talk about the Sundays when we have 4 minutes to make the 10-minute drive to church and he's too busy enjoying the morning to get his tush in the car.)

Keep working on us, Jackson. Sometimes you really do just have to stop and admire the jack-o-lanterns, and I hope we'll eventually catch on.