Daily Joys of being a Mom

I was reminded today by a good friend of the importance of putting our children first and enjoying the moments with them. It is such a short time when they are little kids and I want to cherish it. My focus lately has been to get my life in order such that I don't get overwhelmed as easily so that I CAN enjoy the moments a little more.
One of the many reasons I am grateful to be a stay-at-home mom is to enjoy moments such as these:
I love watching my children play and learn as they play. I love watching what they will decide to do when the choice is theirs. We went to OMSI with Emily's co-op preschool.
While she jumped from sand to water to flubber to paining to the balls, I watched her look of sheer pleasure as she flitted from one thing to another at her own pace.
Meanwhile Bryce played with her a little, but mostly he just hung out on my lap, which was delightful. It was nice not to chase him and of course I didn't have any dishes to load or messes to clean up. :-) I know he would have had much more fun if he wasn't so tired, but it was wonderful for me! We also happened to be there at the same time as another co-op from our circle of friends. It was a fantastic coincidence, as one of my other favorite things is sharing motherhood with great friends. (I took a cute picture of Heather, Molly, and Sarah getting to enjoy a nice chat while kids were busy playing, but unfortunately it didn't come out! )

Then when we came home, Bryce took a great nap, Emily played with a friend and I was able to start thinking about my organizing plan. When Dallin got home they all played very nicely together. In the midst of yuckiness around us (weather and society), I am grateful for days like today.