not this cute anymore!I loved Elder Ballard's recent conference address-- I can't say that it was my favorite talk because there were just SO many that were excellent. But I really enjoyed his personal address to all the young mothers. He said several things that hit home. He gave great advice to moms, husbands and children.. but the phrase that stuck out most was the part about recognizing that the joy of motherhood comes in small moments. He quoted author Anna Quinlan about remembering to cherish the little things. She said, "The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make. I did not live in the moment enough....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."
It is ALL about the little things.. taking walks around the block, laying in bed together, and finding time to talk about silly things while driving in the car. Before we know it, our kids will be grown and gone.. and we will long for the days when we were home together-- doing the mundane things that sometimes seem overwhelming. We could all be playing with our kids a little more and enjoying these little moments with our little ones.
There are many little things that get on my nerves each day... the kids are so busy and always wanting me to be looking at them. I swear, my boys say, "Mom, look at this...." at least 100 times a day!! But these are the LITTLE things that I have to cherish! They have so much enthusiasm for life and just want me to be looking at their face. Zack's new saying is, "Look at this cool, cool trick!" as soon as he knows he has your attention, he does something silly... he puts his fingers in a weird position or makes a crazy pose. All he wants me to say back is, "Wow! That IS a cool trick!" And he nods his head and says, "That was AWESOME!" then he goes skipping off-- happy as a lark. Lately his tricks have gotten more advanced and they are almost worthy of our "oohs and aahs." He gets down on the ground and does a yoga pose. And it's adorable. Even though this may not seem like it's anything blogworthy or exciting to report about... it's the very thing that I am going to miss. These are the small moments that bring joy to my day and make me realize what a blessing it is to be home with my chidlren. and I am so grateful that I have a way to document it so that it's never forgotten.Here are a few pictures of his "cool tricks." These were taken a while ago.. but they still paint the picture. And we seriously have an animal... Doesn't he look like a pet dog, lifting his leg to pee on a fire hydrant? Now imagine that pose without clothing... that's what we get to see almost everyday... and I truly feel lucky!
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It really is all about the little things. I feel like I've been given a good reminder of that as I was so sick, now getting better. I really missed those little things when I wasn't able to do them. It was really hard to not take care of my family and miss out on the things they were doing- even the day to day stuff. I feel so blessed to be able to do most of them now as I spend time with my children. That's what its about, spending time with them. I loved Elder Nelson's advice to listen to your children. I am so so grateful to be a mother!
I've been thinking about Zack a lot lately because Aspen has started calling her milk "milky" and adds a "y" to other words here and there. Every time she does, I think of your little Zack. He is a cutie. I love his face in the last picture.
I've been hearing a lot of advice for mothers lately, and I'm happy to hear it. I can't remember exactly who said it during the last session, but he said, "You know you love your kids, but your kids need to know that you love them." This has really stuck with me because I don't think I have been doing this very well with Rebecca. Since Sunday, I've been trying to make a conscious effort to show her how fun I think she is and to spend more time with her. They really do grow up fast - we have to enjoy every second we have with them.
It is all about the little things that actually drive you crazy! Zack is a cutie and I agree with what Emily said... I remember that too and I'm trying to make sure that my kids know I love them, particulary Baylee and Griffin. It's a little harder with them. There was a talk on Saturday that talked about how to deal with problems with your children (you know what I am talking about) It actually may have been the same one that Emily was talking about but that hit home too!
I think I need an attitude ajustment or maybe just some time out of the house. My two year old only wants me and so does my five year old and eight year old I feel like I have been torn to pieces by the end of the day. Sometimes the word Mom is not so pleasant. I know enjoy it while it last. I will try harder.
I loved that talk too. It is funny, because the pose Zack does with his leg lifted up, is an exact pose my Tyler does every time he watches cars and sees Lightning Mcqueen doing cool tricks on the race track. Zack and Tyler would probably get along really well. Tyler loves to do "cool tricks" all day too. Boys will be boys!
I sat and cried through the whole talk- I get so caught up in crossing things off of the to do list that I forget to stop and enjoy the moment.
i loved this talk as well and it definitely touched me the most. i fought back the tears, but totally lost it after conference ended. i tried not to let my kids see me crying, as i didn't want them to think anything was wrong, but my 3 year old saw and gently cuddled me and kissed my face. it was so sweet. and probably made me cry more. i love being a mother and it really is the little moments that i cherish the most.
I know that I needed the little reminder too. It's funny because on the Sunday before at church we talked about the same thing. I guess I needed to hear it twice.
What a sweet post. I love being reminded of that talk because it was my favorite. I love all the comments before mine too. Being a Mother is the greatest blessing in the world. I'll never forget those feelings of pure joy at knowing for the first time that I was going to be a new Mom, and then getting to hold him in my arms for the first time. It's easy to forget what a joy it is sometimes, but I loved in the talk just what you quoted, that the joy comes in small moments. But those small moments make it totally worth it!
It all goes so fast....you'll see. That's got to be one reason grandchildren are so very precious...the Good Lord allows us to live it over again....sort of...But, at this stage, we have a better understanding of that conference message. I'm grateful that it's just not "your parents" who are trying to tell you youngsters that it goes by all too quickly. I'm going to stop here because the tears are starting to flow and I'm at my office. Just know we love and miss you and all those "growing" years...the every-day mundane times as equally as the exciting times. If we could, I'm sure we'd all jump at the chance to live them over again!, (and maybe get it right). Take time to smell the roses...
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