It's the Little Things

Let's face it. Life as a mom, life as a parent, can sometimes be stressful and unforgiving. It is why you have to cherish the little moments that present themselves. Those moments where you may not have realized how special it was right then and there, but at the end you look back and tell yourself that you are the luckiest person in the world.

It seems like lately, with Ben travelling and since returning to work, my life is more out of control that it ever has been. October has been so rewarding because I have started to get more organized and more used to my everyday routine. As this happens I find myself with more of the little moments.

For example...

Two weeks ago, on a Thursday night before a Friday with the Mr. Brody man, I was getting the house cleaned up before Ben got home the next day. At around eleven, Cadence woke up crying. I went in to comfort her and put my head against her chest. I hugged her for a moment and listened to the beating of her little heart. Right then it hit me. I was listening to the same heart that I heard for the first time when I was pregnant in the OB's office. My soul got a little softer at that moment.

Then, two Tuesdays ago, I had all the kids and Ben was out of town yet again. It was a perfect night! One that I didn't schedule or plan, it just worked out perfectly. Brody was extremely tired, so while Cadence played with Chloe I put him down to sleep at 6:30. Then it was tubber time for Chloe and I spent quality story and quiet time with Cadence. By 7:00 Cadence and I were done and she was down. Then I had quality time alone with Chloe. We chatted while we picked up her room, then she picked out one of her birthday books and did some reading. A little bit of quality time with each of the kiddos. Perfect.

Finally, last weekend and early this week Chloe was on fall break and we had some scheduled vacation time. Ben was travelling yet again and rather than worry about reschedule the time or try to handle it all myself here in Phoenix, we packed up the troops and accompanied Ben to Minneapolis for a few days. We all flew up there together on Saturday, then spent Sunday at the Mall of America shopping and riding rides. Monday it SNOWED (October 12th - HOLY COW!) until two in the afternoon. We had a lazy morning after Ben went to work and after breakfast we bundled up and headed outside to play in the snow. Cadence was a little tentative to walk in the snow or pick it up at first, but by the end of our play time she didn't want to stop eating the snow! Chloe and I had a wild snowball fight that nearly cleared the 3-5 inches off all the surfaces outside the front of the hotel. Meanwhile, Brody enjoyed his nap in his carseat under the covered patio. It is a family memory I will cherish and I hope the kids will too! After the snow we got changed into dry clothes and headed again for the mall. We all found some great shoes at Payless and then the girls took their first trip to Build a Bear workshop (thanks to the great gift certificate from Bruce and Barbara Harris)! The girls picked matching bears (while wearing their matching shirts, thank you very much) and cute dance outfits for both. Sparkles (Chloe's bear) and Teddy Bear (Cadence's) then travelled along with us the rest of the trip...as we left the mall, we grabbed chocolate chip cookies and sodas, the perfect end to a perfect mall adventure. That night we went to dinner with my Brother-in-law's sister and her family. Yum! The kids were crazy, but when aren't they! On Tuesday we were more lowkey; spent a couple hours at the local community center playgroup and then napped before Ben came home. Then we headed out to dinner with a college buddy and close friend of Ben's and his fiance. What a great trip. Can we go again soon? :)

Today I am remembering these little moments and filing them away. I will bring them back out when I have had a hard day or the kids are on my last nerve. And I will remember. These little things.

Here are some cute pictures from our misadventures of the past few weeks, including some fun pictures at a 1st birthday party for a girlfriend of mine's little girl:

Carol with Cadence at Jeepers! on October 3rd

Aunt Janet helping Cadence with the pinata...

Chloe and Cadence in the jungle gym...I am 95% sure this is where we will have Cadence's next birthday party...stay tuned.

Brody chillin' in the crib, October 8th

October 10th - Cadence playing with the TV. We don't have a TV in her reach at home, so this was really fun to watch.

Brody helped us bring extra milk from the breakfast downstairs. We called him the milkman. Too cute not to shoot the pic!

October 11th - The Smith family decends on the Mall of America. Here the girls in Spongebob's house bounder. SO FUN!

Brody got to watch all kinds of activity while we were at the Nickelodeon world.

Cadence and Chloe meet Dora! Was so cute watching Cadence go around back to meet Backpack and Map too!

And then we woke up Monday (10/12) morning to this...

I left the jackets in the car the night before, so this is how the girls were bundled before we went outside!

This is how Brody enjoyed the snow...

Cadence was hesitant at first, then went crazy!

Great pick right after Chloe nailed Cadence in the face with a huge snowball. My next step was to help Cadence get the snow out of her jacket.

Cadence was trying to throw snowballs at the camera. Love the waterproof camera.

Chloe and I had a serious snowball fight. We cleared off two tables and several chairs worth of snow. We each got each other in the face at least once. SO fun.

Brody woke up, time to go inside!

But not before Cadence eats some more snow! Gross! (Which is her new fave word, and so funny to hear her tell me the spots on the kitchen floor are gross!)

Later, I braved the MOA with the 3 kids and headed to Build-a-Bear. Here the girls give love to the hearts. We got the purple hearts that also donate money to charity. :)

Chloe with Sparkles while Cadence's bear gets dressed.

The girls with their bears. And matching shirts...I heart matching shirts.

And THIS is why we did it. So we could have quality time with Daddy!

October 13th at the Maple Grove Community Center.

This was a fun part. Trust me, I tried it.

That night we dined with Joe and Kayla...Ben's going to be the best man in their wedding next year.

Back home in AZ on the 13th, I took Chloe to her dance class!

Until the next adventure!