The other day my older son, Garrett, said, "Mommy, I had a good day!" I responded, "Why?" Without hesitation, he replied, "Because I made a swamp (mud pies)!"
It seems that in life, there are endless tasks to be done. Some are important and some are not. No matter how hard we try, our tasks are never done. The list keeps going like laundry. Today in Relief Society we discussed Elder M. Russell Ballard's last Conference Address entitled "Daughters of God." He explained that life comes in moments. To illustrate his point, Elder Ballard quoted author, Anna Quindlen. She once wrote "The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is 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 [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. 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" (Loud and Clear [2004], 10-11).
This summer, I am going to try harder to live in the moment and not let my list of duties overwhelm my time. I have two young children to enjoy. I work full time as a teacher so during the school year my time is limited. It seems that I get up, go to work, work, come home, cook dinner, get ready for the next day, and put the children to bed. There is little time for much else. Even on the weekends my time is monopolized with balancing the check book, grocery shopping, and laundry. We are going to play more, swim more, and be silly more in this family.
Last week, Garrett started swimming lessons. This is the second year that he has taken lessons. He still hates "going under water" unless he has on his goggles. His swimming skills are improving this year, and Garrett may actually be promoted to the next class at the end of the session. He loves swimming at the Wackford Aquatic Complex in Elk Grove and at Linden High School.
Noah is learning about his body. He loves to roll over but does not always like being on his tummy. Today, he interacted with Garrett really for the first time. He wanted Garrett's attention. He laughed and talked with his brother, and Garrett interacted with Noah in return. Garrett is still adjusting to have a little brother. He says that he doesn't like babies because all they do is cry. I told him sometimes you cry, too. Irony is lost on 4-year-olds.
Last week, Garrett was chosen to do something special. We have season tickets to the Thunder (hockey) and Lightning (arena football). Garrett is a member of the kids' club for the Lightning. He was asked to say, "Are you ready for some football?' in front of everyone before the game. We invited Grandma and Papa to come to dinner and the game. Garrett did a great job! To the left is a picture of Jordan, Garrett, and D.J. Walker. In this picture, Garrett is performing his lines.
Although I would like to ignore my "list," it is calling, and I must live in another moment. Goodbye for now!
