...and then my heart burst into pieces

The terrible 2's have hit full force!! Our toddler (while incredibly adorable) has been nothing short of a monster for the past 4-5 days. Our well behaved boy has been taken over by this screaming, fit throwing, pee'd on the bathroom rug on purpose boy. I don't know whether to lock him in his room until it passes or start pouring a lot of Bailey's in my coffee in the morning. I keep reminding myself that this is a phase and this to shall pass. 

Then there is this little sweety. She's snuggly and squishy and oh so precious. She's also quick to cry if she's unhappy and she flat out refuses to take a bottle. Lately she seems to have an unsettled tummy which is causing her to not sleep so great at night and causing some crankiness during the day. Between the fussy infant and disobedient toddler, I was running low on sleep and patience. 

As I cleared away the lunch dishes I got a text from Scott that said, "Off work early, let's go hiking!"  I glanced outside and noticed the sun shining through the leaves and puffs of white clouds dotting the blue sky. I looked down at the remenants of a tuna salad sandwich on my toddlers plate and suddenly knew a hike on this fall day was exactly what we needed. 

The weather is finally cool enough that polar fleece and hats are required. I bundled up the kids and laced up our shoes as Scott pulled up the drive. 

Minutes later we were at New Harmonie State Park. Kids were strapped into their carry packs and into the woods we went. 

Just enough leaves had fallen to cause a slight "crunch" beneath our feet. Sunbeams streamed down between the leaf covered branches above. And the Fish4 happily made their way through the trees. 

Deep in the woods I exhaled my frustration and exhaustion with the past few days. I inhaled the fresh air and refueled my patience level at the same time. I had a warm little girl in a bear cub suit snuggled in my chest. I watched her eyes take in the enormous trees that surrounded us. They must have looked like giants to her. 

 She stayed awake as long as she could before giving in to the swaying motion of our hike and giving in to sleep. Ahead of me I watched our boy delight in the colored leaves and fallen trees. 

He especially liked crossing over the bridges, even though the water had long ago dried up. I watched his head go from side to side, taking in as much as he could. The smile didn't leave his face throughout the hike. 

As we walked in silence I gave thanks for the trials of raising small children as I wouldn't have appreciated our family hike as much without them. The moment was perfect. My heart was so full of the beauty of this place and the beauty of experiencing it with my little family. Paisley wasn't the only one that smiled the entire hike. I looked at the sweet faces of my loves and felt so peaceful, so relaxed and so happy. It was then I felt my heart could burst into a million, happy, glittery pieces. 

Like this blog? Leave a comment! Feedback makes me. ;)