Seeing the World Through Orange Colored Glasses

You've probably heard the idiom -seeing the world through "rose colored glasses" - which essentially means that you think things are more pleasant than they really are. These days we are seeing things through "orange colored glasses" and things that are often mundane or boring are seen with a new level of excitement if they are seen through Harper's eyes that contain heavy orange lenses. His love of orange has gotten so extreme that anything remotely close to this hue is up for grabs. As long as its color resembles that of a pumpkin, Harper thinks he needs it because in his own words "[it] is owange and owange is my vewy favowite." Just to give you an idea of what we face on a daily basis, I am providing you a list of the most recent orange items that he shed tears over for us to buy him, steal him or take for him. Most of which he just had to shed tears for because we see no real need for them in the Brace household:

1. An orange vest that he saw a 100 year old crossing guard wear one early morning on the way to school. I didn't dare tell him that at one point early in my life I served on my elementary school safety patrol and wore one of those vests everyday to assist my fellow students cross the road to get to their respective departing transportation at the end of their school day. If I would have known what I know now I would have scarfed one of those vests and put it away in my hope chest for the orange-crazed son that I never knew I would have.
2. A roll of orange 50 foot climbing rope from REI. Oddly enough, he knew that it was a rope but he had no clue what it was used for.... nor did he care. Knowing Harper, he had probably created 1 million other uses in his mind for his anticipated orange rope - like lassoing Willow and Riley. Within 30 seconds he had also added an orange rock climbing helmet, orange carabiner and orange climbing harness to his list of must haves. I told him that he would have to scale the 40 foot climbing wall and then I would think about it. Luckily it was closed for the day - otherwise Matt may have needed to pick up a new hobby.
3. Marigolds from the nursery. I did break down and buy these because I needed flowers anyway. Plus, I thought it would be a good experience for him to begin taking care of something and watching the fruits of his labor after watering and caring for a flower. This lasted about 2 days and now I am watching the fruits of my own labor. I guess this is only the beginning because I'm sure any living thing that he begs for over the next 18 years, mom or dad will end up caring and nurturing in one way or another.
4. Any article of cloth to wear or sleep with - he has talked us into buying orange fleece pants, orange crocs, an orange baseball hat, a minimum of 10 orange t-shirts, orange socks, and an orange fleece blanket (not counting the 2 orange afghans that nanna has crocheted). If he could dress from head to toe in orange everyday of his life he would be one happy boy. It is too bad that we don't live in TN where orange clothes are as abundant as the Book of Mormon in Salt Lake. Outside of Knoxville, TN (the motherland of the TN Volunteers), orange tends to be a scarce color for the rest of the planet. I can only PLEAD with the fashion people of the world to make orange the new black.
5. Anything that Home Depot sells. He actually refers to Home Depot as his orange store. There is not a day that he wouldn't be just fine gracing the presence of this super chain. This often works out nicely for home projects and gardening. We most recently signed him up for the monthly kids building projects that they do on the first Saturday of the month. He loves it because they provided him with a free "mini me" Home Depot apron adorned with his name. For each of the projects he makes, he earns pins to display on his apron. So far, he has made a flower box (which we put his marigolds in that I have inherited) and a catamaran or ship. Too bad child labor laws are so strict- otherwise I would see if I couldn't arrange for a "send your child to work program" - especially if he could get us a decent discount on merchandise.

Even outside of his commercial interests, his teachers have come to appreciate his love of the color as well. Over the last several months every project he has come home with has varying shades of orange throughout - it doesn't matter if they are working on a St Patty's day project or an Easter project. I'm sure it works out nicely for everyone because while the rest of the class is busy choosing colors that are more appropriate for a given holiday Harper just goes with his old trusty Orange. I can't imagine Orange typically got used that often outside of Halloween prior to Harper's arrival.

So as you look around your everyday world try to notice all the orange that you see......... because those are all the items that Harper is begging us to bring home on a daily basis. Do you feel our pain??????



In case you are wondering, Harper's hair is orange. Thanks to my friend Cari who truly found an exciting home for her kid's old Halloween hair paint. A real life example of how "one man's trash can become another man's treasure"