The time of my life.

This evening we went to Stefanos Italian Restaurant for dinner. It's one of my favorites - their vodka sauce is perfect. They make this tomato salad that consists of wonderfully ripe, fresh tomatoes, pungent garlic, and creamy fresh mozzarella balls, quartered. It's so full of flavor it's addictive. Izzy ate about the equivalent of two good-size tomatoes. I hope he always loves fresh fruits and veggies like he does now. That boy could eat his weight in blueberries.

He had just fallen asleep when we pulled into the driveway. I got him out of his carseat (The van's battery died, and the carseat won't fit backwards in the Cougar, so we finally let him ride facing forwards - I asked him, "Do you like it like this?" He vigorously shook his head yes. He's so adorable.) and I brought him in the house and laid him down on the living room rug while I was pulling the blinds. I sat down on our couch, about three feet in front of him and I tried to coax him over to me. "Come to mama, baby. Come on honey, come on!! You can do it! Come here, baby," but it didn't work. Izzy just sat there rubbing his eyes and whimpering. So I reached out and picked him up, and he snuggled up in the crook of my arm. We were both so content.

Then the dogs started barking like maniacs outside. "GIRLS - THAT'S ENOUGH!" Didn't work, so I carried Izzy downstairs and let them back in. This little trip woke him up, so when we got back to the couch, he scooted off my lap and stood up beside me, leaning on the back of the couch. He put him little cheek against my cheek, and took his opposite hand and pressed it against the other side of my face. A little head-hug, if you will. He is so loving right now.

Chris came in and sat down on the other side of Izzy and so little man went between us, hugging each of us tightly in turns. I said, "Give momma a kiss, Izzy!" So he leaned in and gave me a big smooch right on the smacker. Twice. Then he gave his daddy four big ol' kisses. It sounds so sweet, and it really, truly was, but his kisses are also a little gross for he's not learned yet to kiss with his mouth closed. A kiss from Izzy is a big open slobbery press of his lips over and under yours. :-) But I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Chris wants to get the van jumped, so I take Izzy from him and I rock him and read him a little book about a penguin mommy and baby called, "I Like it When." It's one of our favorite bedtime stories. When I read the line, "I like it when you read me stories," I always point to the mommy penguin and I say, "Look it's mommy, and baby Izzy, and they're reading a book in a blue recliner, just like we are!" He still gets a bed time bottle, and I don't plan on cutting it out anytime soon, because he'll take 8 or 9 ounces, and he doesn't drink but about 6 or 8 ounces during the rest of the day. A growing boy needs his milk.

I hold the end of the bottle and Izzy supports the middle with one hand. The other hand is holding a red ball. He's curled up down my side, with his head resting in the "V" my arm and body make, and I stroke his little blonde fuzz. Poor lil' guy still pretty much qualifies as bald. I'm overwhelmed once again by how perfectly beautiful he is, and my heart is seized by a sudden spasm as love for my sweet Izzy fills it to near bursting. I think about how lucky I am, how blessed I am to have such a healthy and sweet child, and how I'm going to unpack Chris's bag of toilet accessories that he gathered up before we remodeled the bathroom and has never gotten around to unpacking. No, I think, I'm going to wait to do that until I get some laundry put in, for I'd like to wash up that little sailor outfit Bess got him, so she can see him wear it to church tomorrow, and then I decide that I would also like to update my blog.

The blog update was thrown in because I realized how crazy it is to worry about household chores when I'm experiencing such a beautiful moment with my son. Life moves too fast, and we really don't take nearly enough time to appreciate all of the joy in our lives. I'd write more about that, but that bag of toothpaste and shaving cream isn't going to unpack itself.