Genetic?

As you all have seen, Nathan is into pushing things and doing just about anything that resembles work. He does it with this look of focus and determination that Carrie claims he gets from me. She says I have the same look when I am doing "work," even if it is just washing dishes or chopping vegetables. This led us to a discussion the other night about whether the desire to work hard could be genetic. She seems to think so.

Another thing Nate clearly enjoys is laughing and smiling. He can make even the worst of days disappear the second I see him. His pure happiness and joy is much like any toddler, but his ability to love, hug, and be generally sweet and happy is really something special. And this, like his desire to "work," might just be genetic, only this one he gets from his mom. I used to say that I never knew how to smile until I met her (she claims it is only because I had braces for so long and got them off shortly after we started dating), but alas, my smile exists in pictures only after her. The same love and affection that Nathan shows to his family (and stuffed animals) is the same that Carrie shares. There is not a minute that goes by during the day with Nathan that she isn't smiling. Even in the morning she wakes up just enough to smile at me before I leave.

The truth is that I feel incredibly blessed to have so much love to come home to everyday.