It's coming...

SPRING!!

I have hard time deciding if Spring or Fall is my favorite season. If you were to ask me today, I would have to answer that Spring has Fall beat, hands down. We have been enjoying some beautiful weather here in the desert. We may not have the best summers, but the rest of the year is wonderful.

Today, my friend, Karen, called me and asked if I wanted to go to the park and feed the ducks with her and the kids. To be completely honest, my first thought was no. I hadn't gotten in the shower yet, I had laundry to be folded, and messy bedrooms to clean. But then I quickly came to my senses and realized that laundry and cleaning could wait. This was the time to get out and enjoy my kids and the beautiful weather.

I don't care how old or how young you are. There is joy and satisfaction in feeding birds.

Clara was very content. She is getting to that age where her proximity to me is starting to widen. She is starting to explore more around her and not wanting to sit on my hip at all times. It is a bitter-sweet change. I love having her as my little baby, but there is such joy in watching her discover things on her own. I didn't really get many smiles from her, just looks curiosity and wonder.

Thomas had fun watching the ducks and the many turtles the park has stocked in the pond. He was also thrilled to have mastered the tire ladder all by himself.

He wasn't to keen on the big tube slide. I can't say I blame him. This park has several that are a couple stories high. He wasn't expecting such a long, steep slide down.

Thomas and Clara are so good for one another. She simply adores him and he loves her so much. I'd say 90% of the time they play together and are happy. Thomas is always wanting to help her do things and she is more than willing to let him assist her. We won't talk about the other 10% of the time.

I couldn't help but think of this talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard today. To read it in it's entirety, click here.

The first question: What can you do, as a young mother, to reduce the pressure and enjoy your family more?

First, recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less” (Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).