The Intense Joys of Being 4

We just got back from a whirlwind tour of Northern California (with an adults only diversion in Las Vegas).  The itinerary included lunch in Morro Bay, traveling up the coast via Highway 1, a night in Monterey at the Plaza with a view of the bay, time in Oakland with family and friends, a day trip to San Francisco (with lunch at our traditional Ciopino's), a drive along the Delta to Elk Grove for more family time, the afore  mentioned Vegas and Jameson's first ski trip.  It was equally long and short at the same time.  A wonderful trip.

I was reminded on this trip of the intense joys that Jameson gets from the smallest simple things.  I wish that I could fully capture the smile that I see on his face when chasing a frisbee that he has just thrown while he is walking around playing disc golf with his papa and I.  The smile engulfs his entire body.  As adults often we have been trained or trained ourselves that showing this type of emotion is not cool/proper/advisable, but as a child there is no training that tells them this type of look directly inside of them is bad.  To come up to Jameson after he has just skied down the bottom of the bunny slope at Sierra at Tahoe and stand over him after he's used the only means of braking that I have taught him, "Fall Down Jameson!", and see the look of joy on his face sums up the greatest joys of being a dad.  For him to then have a discussion with me that talks about how fast he just went that leads me to ask, "Do you think you went as fast as the Flash?" and him to say, "I'm not sure.  I'd like to ski next to him so that I could see!" is just the icing on the cake!