Orange

If people have a color, Tyler's is orange.

Part of that is his hair color. You just can't get around that carrot top.

Part of that is his nature. Orange is a bold, happy, vibrant color, and that is Tyler. He is so very happy, radiant, and beside himself nearly every minute of the day, as long as nobody thwarts his will. (And if you have to stand between him and anything else, look out. You'll get a scowl you won't soon forget.)

In a recent family discussion, Robb's mom shared her prayers for her three grandchildren; she loves to study their natures and think about what they may grow into. Abby is so sweet in her nature; Carolyn believes she may become a teacher. Tucker is inquisitive and wants to communicate well; she foresees that he is a scholar. Tyler is so happy-go-lucky, on the go, living in the moment and loving it all; she believes he will become a youth pastor. I love it. Very possible.

Tyler is orange. This also happens to be an easy to way differentiate his things from Tucker's. Whenever we can, we buy an orange one of whatever it is. His toothbrush is orange. All of his sippy cups are orange. Anything remotely personal that should be uniquely his: it's orange.

Just tonight, I discovered his awareness of this color preference. I was brushing his teeth, but he insisted, 'Tucker's teeth! Tucker's teeth!" Oh, right. I was using Tucker's toothbrush on Tyler's teeth. (Sorry. I didn't disinfect it before I brushed Tucker's later. That will gross them out someday. For now, we have community germs.)

Anyway, he knew. His color is orange.

Someday, when someone asks his favorite color, he'll probably say something like, "Well, I have a lot of orange in my life. It seems like I should choose orange." Either that, or he'll hate it. Forever.

But for now, he's orange.