Thumbs Up

My sweet little man was driving his "Vroom-Vroom" (aka: Four-wheeler Power Wheels) around the cul-de-sac at my in-laws last night. It was one of those nights outside where it seems perfect.

The sun was just about to set, and it was the warm-cool temperature that comes at dusk in the summer. The birds were singing songs to each other and the grasshoppers and crickets were beginning their nightly calls.

MTM wanted to drive around the cul-de-sac "like a big boy" so he told me exactly where to stand on the side of the road. (He didn't want me to cramp his style, apparently.)

I watched him take off rolling and imagined the first time he would drive away in a real car. It's hard to even imagine it now ... but I know that moment is less than 13 precious years away. And I thought about how quickly they will go ...

In that moment, it was almost like he heard my thoughts because he turned around from his intense focus on driving and flashed me a big thumbs up with the sweetest smile one could ever even imagine. His sweaty hair was peeking out from underneath his shiny black helmet and his little toddler legs were placed perfectly on the red plastic.

I smiled back.

He stopped his Vroom Vroom and yelled back, "No Momma! You gotta do THIS!" and showed me a very grand thumbs up.

I smiled again.

"OKAY! I Got it!" I hollered back and flashed him my thumb.

He started driving again and a few seconds later, he turned back and flashed his thumbs up again. I gave him a thumbs up back.
"Yes Momma, like that!" he nodded to me and gave that sweet, amazing smile again and kept driving.

Every few minutes, he would turn to where I was and we would have to share a thumbs up before he would go on.

It is one of those moments that when it's happening you think, "I need to soak this up. It is perfection on Earth!"

I did all the soaking my thumbs could do.

It was perfection. Perfection on Earth. And I hope that the first time he drives out of the driveway, I will flash him the thumbs up and remember this sweet boy how he is now.