while he was sleeping

I still haven't gotten to our vacation pictures.

But these are from vacation and I thought they deserved a post of their very own.

This sweet boy of ours keeps us on our toes.  There's nothing too predictable about him, other than the fact that he's unpredictable and we never know what we may get from him.

One minute he can be cuddling cozily on the couch with me or giving me sweet kisses,

and the next minute he can be stomping his little feet as hard as he can down the hallway.

One minute he can be singing sweet songs about Jesus in the cutest voice I have ever heard in my entire life,

and the next minute he can be screaming bloody murder to demand his way or let us know he is upset about something.

One minute he can be shooting baskets, playing legos, or drawing contently,

and the next minute he can be throwing his paper and marker across the room out of frustration.

But I can't tell you how many times he has humbled me, or made me realize that his choice behaviors are very similar to my own at times.

One minute he can be throwing a humongo fit and exhausting us to our wits end,

and the next he can be zonked out in the middle of the living room floor at the lakehouse,

with 15 other people coming in and out from the lake about 4 feet from him.

I knew he was exhausted.  His vacation was spent swimming, tubing, swimming, and swimming some more.

So I tried to calm him and have him just lay here and relax and breathe for a few minutes after a major meltdown.  Within minutes he was out....

...and then he turned towards the window.

And finally, it was the most perfect moment ever, one I was certain I'd never get.

I have wanted for so long to photograph those lashes.

But when does a child actually fall asleep in the middle of a room, facing the best natural light ever?

When he's sleeping, I just want to scoop him up and cuddle with him soooo badly.

For almost 4 years, every night when I headed to bed, I detoured into my boy's room.

I crawled onto his bed and would half way pick him up and hold him in my arms while he slept.

Sometimes just for a minute, sometimes 10. 

He's a sound sleeper and I knew he'd always stay asleep. When I laid him back down, sometimes he'd wake up just enought to whisper back "I love you" as I kissed his forehead.

I love this little guy to death all the time.

But there is something so heavenly about him when he's sleeping.

And there is something so heavenly about those lashes.