We were walking out of church.  Hand in hand with two fiesty skippy running toddlers.

Bronwyn pauses on the sidewalk.  “Moon,”  she says.

I really don’t hear her. Toddler jargon is quite the jumble with more words understandable each day, but momma struggles to learn the language.

She stops, halting me and Aeralind.

“Moon, Momma” she says and points.

I hear it this time and look up to see a beautiful daytime moon.

She smiles and we all gaze upward for a view of common grace.

Why must the toddler always be the better teacher?

Stop, Momma.  Stop and see beauty.

Stop rushing.

Stop trying to do better.

Stop crying in frustration at unconsolable baby boy or toddlers with eggs and flour on the floor.

Stop, Momma.

See beauty.

Really see.

And give thanks in joy.

Counting #2725-2762 beautiful graces I’ve really seen:

• pulling up to the YMCA and hearing little girls shriek “POOL!!!!” with excitment
• Their exclamations making the craziness of getting all 3 of them into the Y worth the effort
• Derek home before us to get dinner finished when we walk in
• soft baby hair burshing my cheek
• both girls on my lap watching animal videos on YouTube
• Girls who eat just about everything- even if they eat all the time
• hambone in a pot-streching an extra meal with broth, yogurt, and potatoes
• warm soup on a cold day
• girls gleefully washing their own dishes

• Ring around the Rosy
• Inviting sweet Dalsys into our family
• Husband getting fridge lock for frazzled wife after 8 eggs and 4 cups milled flour mixed on my floor
• “Lay DEE boog” joy and terror

• Girls saying “I nap” and climbing in my bed to snuggle and suck thumbs

• Moving the kitchen furniture around for the sheer joy of it
• Finally blogging about Julia’s impromptu photography session
• Realizing that I don’t dislike families/toddler/sibling sessions.  I just dislike formal posing.  I love “slice of life.” Running in a park, playing Ring around the Rosy, giggling about bubbles.  I like images that tell stories about people, their relationships, and the joy in the moments truly being lived.
• Growing as a photographer
• Places to go.
• Lovely morning at Mandy’s
• Grown-up conversation
• Girls’ excited about “no men EEs” (snowmen… or Santa… or elves….)
• Girls’ saying they were at Reagan’s house
• More fussy baby “I can’t do this” tears
• Laughter at Derek’s bosses’ joke
• Just when I feel like listing fussy boy on Ebay… Sedryn breaks out the grins
• 20 minutes of a happy grinning boy laying on my lap and flirting shamelessly with me

• Dates with my little girls
• making toys
• Sunday mid-morning nap (a gift from hubby)
• Finding my long lost video camera
• Seeing the moon walking out of church with my girls
• Real conversations with my toddlers
• Knitting hanging from the needles
• Comforting a scared Bronwyn after a bad dream
• Swimming Lessons with Ms. Kylie

• Baby Jesus