Wonderful start to my morning...

I'm not really good at keeping up with my kids' firsts. I don't do baby books or memory books. I barely develop our digital prints and when I do develop them, I definitely don't rush to put them in albums so they just end up stacking up in a pile...make that a dusty pile on my dresser. I have a very keen memory and so I personally remember events and details very well. Not that those memories would stand up in court but...

Anyway, I just watched a video advertisement from Karen Kingsbury (one of my favorite Christian fiction writers) about her children's book called: Let Me Hold You Longer. It's a book about celebrating not only our children's firsts but also their lasts in the midst of our busy lives. Last time they are small enough to crawl up on your lap. Last afternoon nap they take. Last day of Kindergarten. Last time they come to you with a boo-boo. And so on. It's a very thought provoking and sometimes tearful book that seems like a wonderful gift for any mother. The link for the video is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQeDfcvTRnA

But, anyway, this all led me to appreciate today's moment with my daughter much more than I might have otherwise. We were in the kitchen getting ready to be gone all day with errands. I was packing the diaper bag with extra underwear and clothes for Sarah, since she is still learning how to tell me ahead of time when she needs to use the potty. Filling up their water bottles, getting everyone's shoes on, grabbing a banana for me since I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, putting my contacts in while making sure Josiah went to the bathroom before we left and trying to get Sarah to get a ponytail holder, when all of a sudden Sarah says, "Mommy, I love you." And, then scampers off. Probably not going to do what I asked her because she still tends to get distracted by anything shiny on her way. :) So, it took me a couple of seconds to realize what she said and to realize that this was the very FIRST time she said "I love you" without any prompting or in response to someone else saying it first. Wow! What a precious moment for me to treasure up in my heart for the future.

And, then what struck me later this afternoon is that I might not have even realized the importance of that moment had I not watched Karen's video the other day or if I had cut her off from speaking because she wasn't immediately doing what I said or if I had tuned her out while going over my 18 million to-do items in my head. But, instead, God prompted me to listen to her at that exact moment and I did. Just think what I would have missed if I hadn't. So, I know this isn't a last like Karen's book talks about, but it is a first that I will definitely remember. Maybe not the exact date but I'll remember how it made me feel and how special it was to hear, "Mommy, I love you!" for the very first time from my sweet 2 year old angel. :)

Ciao,
J