I've Seen Sunny Days That I Thought Would Never End

Today is a deliciously wonderful spring day. Finally. We're still in pants but the sun feels fantastic. It's only 63 degrees but it feels so much warmer than 63 in southern California feels. Not to be outdone by his cookie dough eating big brother, Matthew toddled up to me and begged me to take some picture of him enjoying the sunshine.
He brought me this.

Okay so technically I pulled it up out of the ground and put it in his hand and started taking pictures but that was only after he'd bent over and put an entire dandelion in his mouth. This kid has an oral fixation like none other. I'm not a first time parent. I remember The Rock Star shoving things into his mouth but good grief it was not as bad as Little Buddy. If you turn your back for five seconds on this child he will put something in his mouth. Rocks. Dog food. Wood. Grass. Spare change. So I just don't let him out of my sight. Can't go having a human piggy bank for a son now can we?

Here he is contemplating shoving this entire dandelion into his mouth. You can't tell. It looks like he's offering me a flower. And I would say, "Oh, son, you are so sweet to give mommy flowers." But I know better. I know that look of concentration.

And just like that he jerks his hand toward his mouth and attempts to shovel the dandelion straight in.

Then he turns and runs so that I can't foil his brilliant plan to munch on weeds for lunch.

I swab his mouth and remove the bits of foliage. He cries because he hates it when I take out his little prizes. "Mommy, there's more. Right here. I think I'll eat this part, too."

Then I took the flower away from him and he darted into the garage to "help" his daddy with something. He came back out, squinted in the sun, and gave me a giant grin. I realized then that there was still a dandelion bit stuck to his tooth. Which brings me to a new segment I like to call Those Teeth!

Matthew plays hard to get a lot. Sometimes he just sits there and frowns and then, all of a sudden, he'll give it up and break into a huge toothy grin and he laughs with this deep belly chuckle and you just can't help but laugh with him.

He likes the sun. And being outside. And life. When he's not tired. When he's tired he doesn't like anything at all.

But right there it's sunny and he's outside and happy. And, well, there's still some dandelion on his tongue so all is right in his world.