Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts

Just to warn you, there is not a religious or sappy lesson to be learned from this blog, so don't come looking for one. This is just a quick little note about the fun that I had this morning. I have to stay late at my job tonight to get ready for our halloween alternative called Nerd Prom. So I had a little extra time at home this morning. Logan got up early, so we went downstairs, had coffee (and of course rice cereal), and then after some playing and throwing little toys around the room (which he can now do) he crashed back out. So I was thinking, maybe I can take some time while they are both sleeping and get ready for work....not so. Grace woke up almost immediately, and we went down stairs and got some food for her. Of course,the last time that we had snow, she was only a year old and was unable to really appreciate it. So I couldn't help myself, and I got her all bundled up in her snow suit, and once my mom got there to watch Logan, Grace and I headed out to the 2 inches of snow that covered Streetsboro this morning. We rolled around in the snow, Grace smiled her wonderful smile, and then we built a snowman. It was an aweosme time together in the first snow of the year!

A few days ago a co-worker and myself were talking about the pace that our wives keep....FAST! He mentioned that even when they take a walk together, she is moving at the speed of sound. Our constant chant as husbands is "please slow down."

Over the past months my walks along the sidewalk of our little community with my 18 month old daughter have been somewhat therapeutic for me. When Grace walks down the sidewalk, she doesn't have a goal in mind. She's just excited to be out walking with Dad. She takes her time. She will stop and watch cars go by, and wave to people that she doesn't even know. Yesterday she stopped for probably 5 or 6 minutes and just watched a cat walk around in a yard. One of my favorite things that she will do is stop and smell the flowers that are in flowerbeds at the end of people's driveways. Now and again, she'll find a crack that warrants jumping over, and she'll jump back and forth over it. People will drive by and smile at her. I love to watch people drive by because she makes them smile....if only for those few seconds. She loves to stop and examine the halloween decorations at the house at the end of the street.

Yesterday we spent about a half hour searching for the mysterious little pods that have suddenly appeared in our front flower bed. Of course, pine cones never meant much to me, but to Grace they are a new discovery....something special....and she found so much joy in finding a new one as she searched through the mulch.

I remember a moment a while back when I realized the mistake I was making. I was always pushing Grace to "come on" or "lets go." There was always a goal for me.....to get the walk done, and get home. That makes sense right?

Grace has shown me how to literally stop and smell the roses. In those 40 or so minutes in my walk with Grace, I am able to slow down, and see a little piece of true joy, and true excitement at Gods creation. She helps me to stroll instead of walk. She points out all the things I have taken for granted for so long. Grace....as impatient as she is at 18 months, is teaching me patience, and I'm thankful.