Some of my Favorite Outdoor Play Pictures

Living in the Moment

The sun is setting as we finish dinner. Bathtime is approaching. I can feel the excitement beginning to mount. I watch as two little bare bottoms run to the tub in hopes of being the first one to climb in. The first to scale that great porcelain wall. You see being the first one in the bathtub comes with great benefits...the faucet. Sitting at the front of the tub, under the faucet, is prime real estate in our house! Dominic is the victor and relishes every moment... "look mommy, waterfall!!!!", he proclaims as if nothing in the world could be better at that moment than watching this grand Niagra Fall crashing onto his toes. Come to think of it...to him, at that moment, nothing was. That is one of my favorite things about children. Being present in every solitary moment. I love that...I want more of that for myself! As the bath comes to an end and rubber ducks collide with plastic tugboats as they swirl around chubby feet, I feel a little sad. What is wrong with me? Usually this part of the night brings me great joy...after a full day of kiddos it is nearing my very own "me time". But tonight was different. I caught a glimpse of 10 years down the road...when diapers are a distant memory, 2 year old tantrums are a thing of the past, those tiring sleepless nights are all but forgotten...so far so good, right? But gone too are the requests for "uppies" and cuddles, the feeling of their tiny hands in mine, the sweetest sound of "nite nite mommy"...all these cherished moments will ultimately become faded memories. As I fought back tears, unsuccessfully, I realized the importance of experiencing and relishing these moments while they are here! The dishes in the sink will be there tomorrow. The growing pile of laundry will see another day (or week)... I scooped my little cherubs up in my arms and we all piled into mine and Michael's bed. We spent an hour just lying there cuddling, me singing personalized lullabies, them giggling and cooing. Cozy under our fluffy quilt, time stood still. I held them in my arms and in my heart...time stood still. Their drowsy heads resting on my chest, our arms and legs entwined like a loosely woven blanket...nothing else existed ... just that moment...those sweet faces staring up at me... that undescribable connection between a mother and her children. I experienced just a lil' taste of heaven in that moment... a moment that I will carry with me always... a memory that will keep me warm on cold nights when they have grown up and moved away. I plan to have LOTS of those moments from now on! I commit to being a mommy who plays more than she cleans, cuddles more than she disciplines, listens more than she talks, gives more than she takes, laughs more than anything and lives in the moment always!

"Five is a wonderful time of life for a little kid... It is a time when the eyes are wide open and the patterns are not yet set; a time when one has not yet been hammered into accepting everything as immutable and hopeless; a time when the hands cannot do enough, the mind cannot learn enough, the world is infinite and colorful and filled with mysteries. Five is a special time before they take the questing, unquenchable, quixotic soul of the young dreamer and thrust it into dreary schoolroom boxes. A time before they take the trembling hands that want to hold everything, touch everything, figure everything out, and make them lie still on desktops. A time before people begin saying 'act your age or you're behaving like a baby. It is a time of delight, of wonder, of innocence." Harlan Ellison

I am passionate about my belief that childhood should be a magical experience, driven by imagination, exploration and wonder. I believe that TV, computer games and blinky toys that purport to "teach" your child their ABC's are highly overrated. Whatever happened to the simple joys of making mudpies, jumping into a perfectly raked pile of crunchy fall leaves or star gazing on a clear night? I am determined to create a wholesome and magical childhood for my lil munchkins. When they are all grown up, I want them to be able to look back on these days and feel they were not only allowed to be kids but encouraged to be so. I am a big advocate of play! I love dirt! Exploration and discovery are so important to a child. What could be better than rock hunting, nature walking, and fort building with your little ones? It is in these moments that we become kids again. Do you remember the carefree days of childhood? The lazy summer days spent running through the sprinkler and slurping popsicles? How about the crisp afternoons of fall when darkness came too soon? What about those rainy Saturdays spent building and camping out in sheet tents in the living room? Those memories, for me, are so thick I can still feel, smell and taste them. I want that for my children...I want them to relish these simple sorts of things...I want them to be blissfully unaware of the latest trends in pop culture.