The Small Moments

". . .the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of [my children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.
Anna Quindlen

I read this quote last month and it has stuck with me ever since and I hope it will forever remain with me. It seems as long as my motherly mind can remember, I've concentrated a lot on the "I can't wait until . . . (s)." I can't wait until Mac goes to school, I can't wait until this morning sickness is over, I can't wait until Beckam learns how to walk, I can't wait until Jilli is sleeping through the night, I can't wait until Jaxton doesn't ask me for a snack every other second." My new goal is to seize the small moments with my children. They need me now and even though there are many days that I feel more like pulling my hair out than filling up one more sippy, I LOVE being needed and dread the day when my children won't need me will need me less.
These pictures are from our rain storm that we had today. My kids wanted to go outside and play and even though my mind went immediately to the thought of dealing with muddy, wet laundry, I remembered and decided to enjoy this small moment with my kiddos.

Jilli loved being a part of her first puddle stomping experience and the boys enjoyed just as much watching her discover it all.

Beckam insisted on wearing his bike helmet, absolutely sure that even though it had holes in the top, it was still going to keep his head dry.

Jaxton giggled through the entire experience and came inside more wet than anyone else -- I think he literally rolled around in the water.

As the kids were jumping puddles Mac exclaimed, "This is the BEST day ever!"

And to think that I could have missed this face if I wouldn't have made the decision to enjoy the moment.

Jilli's shoe came off in a mud puddle and so she used it as a bucket to fill up with water and then dump out -- she was quite pleased with herself.

I could have missed this . . .

or this . . .

but I didn't, at least not today. And I'm hoping I miss less small moments in my children's lives from here on out.

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disapear all too soon and that you will - to your suprise - miss them profoundly."
President Thomas S. Monson