Time Standing Still

We are going on a mini-vacation this weekend! Keton is in a wedding, and on the way up to Northern CA (where we will attend a wedding at a vineyard/winery, yay!) we are stopping in Central CA to drop the girls off. You know what that means for my week. Laundry. TONS of it. Packing, for four of us now! Lots of, "Where is my other black heel????!!!" "Why is it in Gracie's toy bin?" "Does this dress go with these shoes?" " Why is everything I own black?" "Do we have the bottles/food/diapers/underwear for our almost trained munchkin?" "Why do we have eight bags for one trip???!!!"

You know the routine. Craziness. Lots and lots of craziness. With a little fun mixed in of course. So tonight Stella has been fussy, which is rare, and Gracie was just in the mood to entertain. Meanwhile Keton is out playing his weekly softball game, and I am trying to orchestrate chaos at home. I am running here and there and doing a million things at one time, wondering why Stella won't stop squeaking and Gracie won't lay down and SLEEP. Then, as I was putting clothes away in Gracie's room and listening to her tell me about the book she was reading, it occurred to me that she is so cute and this is one of those moments that I need to just STOP and enjoy. She was so adorable with her words and mannerisms ("Mommy, I read to you." "Horseys have naked butt."). We sat and talked and she recalled the scenes from "Polar Express" which is currenlty the favorite movie (yet again...last year we had it memorized by October) and she lovingly calls it "Polar Press" or "Polar Breast" if she is really excited. She gets really into the scenes and gets very animated, it was a great moment.

Life just happens if we don't take the time to enjoy it. We need to SLOW down and take in the moments with our children, our spouses, or friends and family. I don't know about you, but I often get soooooooooo busy and into a "groove", that I don't like to stop and slow down for anything or anyone. Go go go go!!! is my daily mantra. But tonight, I was reminded of how wonderful it is to stop and savor a sweet moment with my little Gracie. After all, she will have grown more by tomorrow. Moments like tonight are what I really remember, and what really matters. The laundry can wait, and who cares if I have to pack some things last minute? Time stands still when I am in the moment with my family. I hope I get to stop the clock tomorrow...and the next day...and the next.