Moments of Today

It's easy to get so caught up in our hopes for tomorrow that we forget to treasure the moments of today.

I didn't want that to happen today, so after school I took Eva and Isabel on a "girls-only" outing. Introducing them to the zany mess that is Big Lots in our town proved to be very well-received by my two little shoppers! Isabel's favorite find of the day (though Mommy squirmed out of purchasing it) was a hand-held, battery-operated Disney Princesses fan. Eventually, Mommy convinced her that some miniature Cadbury eggs would be quite a yummy treat instead and she happily agreed. (I know, I know, bad Mommy!)

Eva, on the other hand, fixed her sights on those cheap, plastic Easter eggs the minute she walked into the store and there was no dissuading her from their purchase. But then I figured, how much longer can I get away with bringing joy to her heart with a mere $1.25? So I bought her the silly eggs. (:

Afterwards, we had a Mommy-daughters' date at the Pancake House. None of us actually had pancakes, but we each enjoyed our respective meals - Isabel especially, since the waitress initially forgot her slice of bacon and made up for it by bringing her a plate FULL of bacon! She is the generous one of the family, though, and willingly shared with her big sister. Never mind that we were only there for less than an hour, we still had to make three separate trips to the bathroom. Oh, the joys!

But it was worth it to have Isabel snuggle up beside me in the booth and look at me lovingly with those big black eyes of hers; to have Eva smile at me across the table and say, "Thank you for doing this for us, Mommy;" and to hear all about how the juice from Isabel's mandarin orange slices splattered across Mrs. Marshall's face at school today (especially since Pedro had warned me against including such a messy treat in the girls' lunches!)

I love having girls. But I also love having a little boy! So when the girls went off to karate a couple of hours later with Daddy, Owen and I had our weekly mother-son walk … him looking so cute in his stroller wearing his blue spaceship pajamas, little slippers, and (due to a moment of weakness on Mommy's part) even his yellow pacifier that he should have outgrown long ago. Afterwards, we snuggled in the rocking chair, a nightly ritual that I cherish because it is the only time of day when he willingly snuggles with Mommy rather than clamoring for his "favorite" parent, aka Daddy. (No, I am not jealous ... okay, maybe just a little!)

So even though my hopes for tomorrow include the desire for one more face among the three I love so well, tonight as I pause to reflect my heart is full ... from these special moments of today.