Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I am firmly convinced that life with a toddler sometimes resembles life with a schizophrenic. (Please do not mistake the reference to make light of mental health disorders—I am personally familiar enough with mental health issues to know that it's no laughing matter!) None the less, there are moments these days, as I wander the halls of the Terrible Twos, when I am truly amazed at my young son's ability to shift so quickly from one dramatic emotion to the next.

Case in point: Yesterday afternoon Caleb and I went from happily driving cars around the couch ottoman (otherwise known as our own local Radiator Springs), to utter meltdown and violence as cars were hurled about when one particular car ("Lightning McQueen" I believe), did not follow Caleb's instructions as explicitly as was expected. It's a pretty serious game—cars.

And yet, despite it all—the dramatic emotional shifts that rival my own pregnant hormones and cause me to wonder about the estrogen/testosterone levels in my son—despite it all, I am so quickly swept away by a single sincere smile, a tender hug, and even forced to stifle laughter over the terrible frustration that twists my little boy's face into a grimace of utter consternation (as seen above.)

And here I thought I was the emotional one!

This remains: I continue to thank my Heavenly Father for the variety Caleb brings to my daily life!