enjoy...

After a nice rejuvenating morning with a friend, I decided to take my boys to the park for a picnic! My goal...to not yell at them even once while we were there! We are on day 4 of a 4 week off-track and "patient & loving" is NOT how my boys would describe me right now! I yelled at them to get ready (on our next outing, I will have a goal to not yell before or during - baby steps), grabbed my camera and book and started loading the car. Then I decided to put the book back - we were going to have some quality time! We went to their favorite place(McDonald's - see how nice I was being!) to pick up food and headed to the park. When we arrived, we were surprised to see another friend was already there - so the kids all ran off to play and I got to spend quality time with her (perfect!)! The only time I had to yell (a nice kind of not screaming yell) was when they all went into the bathroom together, when they were trying to get the bird nest out of the tree they were climbing, when they were trying to eat some strangers McDonald's and when we were trying to leave - pretty good, huh?! I had a purpose for bringing my camera - this morning I decided to pick a kid a day to take some pictures of. I also wanted to get a picture of me with them - enjoying them (as kind of a reminder, in a couple weeks, that I really do enjoy them!)! I figured I better start with the easiest! Whats not to enjoy (besides the pink marker that has stained his face and hands - but his brother did that to him - his naughty enjoyable brother)!! I am already grateful to have these pictures - I was even more grateful after I asked him where my ipod was tonight and he responded, "it disappeared from our house when it flew out the window" (which reminds me, I need to turn off the sprinklers until this is verified)! and when I went to his room to discover he had not only taken out every toy he owned, but he did it while eating a really juicy plum! and I am grateful now, as he is sitting by my side, reading me his Cinderella book, showing me his dancing moves, playing me a song on his really LOUD guitar, asking me question after question (and demanding real answers) with the cutest little smile and the sweetest little voice - so, at this very late hour, we are off, to go enjoy one more book and one more hug and one last story...
enjoy this moment, for this moment is your life!!