Things that make me smile.

Every once in a while, it's good to just STOP.

Stop and look around at the thing going on in your life.

Stop and make sure that your priorities are where they should be.

Stop and enjoy these fleeting moments that are more precious than anything known to man.

Last night as we were putting Jadyn to bed (quite quickly as it was over an hour past her bedtime) Elmo gave Jadyn a pretty pathetic kiss goodnight. I looked at him and said, "What was that?! Give her a kiss worth giving; Before you know it, she'll be a teenager and won't even want us to hug her, so enjoy it while you can." After which, they gave each other a good squeeze and a few more kisses.

It was then that it hit me...my babies are all growing up way too fast. It really saddens me. I know it shouldn't, but it really does. Even now, I am welling up with tears just thinking about how in just a few months we will be celebrating Paige's 10th birthday.

10. Ten!! Dix. Diez.

No matter how you say it...My first born daughter will be in her double digits.

This morning (as I stopped to feel sorry for myself because my kids are getting so big), I realized that I really DO need to STOP....and slow down...and really marinate in my children's purity, warmth and unconditional love. I am so often stretched too thin and pressed for time that I let those moments pass without a second thought or realization how precious they are...or how much I'll need to remember and relive them in the future when my kids are grown and gone.

I need to really cherish the moments that my BIG kids still want to cuddle, like last night when Coleton kept stalling his sleep by asking me for "another hug and kiss, Mom?" and said it so many times he started mixing up the words. We had such a good laugh when he said, "another Hiss and Kug, Mom?" What a sweet boy I have been blessed with.

I need to be thankful that Paige, my beautiful pre-teen, would still rather spend one-on-one time with her Mom than with her friends. I need to relish in the fact that she is still so in to cuddling and doesn't mind me kissing her and telling her how much I love her, and that she still feels comfortable returning my affections. What an amazing daughter.

And my little Jadyn. Oh, how she melts my heart when she asks me to rock her "a little bit" before bed, because she knows it's never "a little bit". I love how she uses her sign language to persuade me saying, "Peas carry me Mommy, my legs hurt." How I love her little laugh, her little pleas for "one more minute" of play before bed. I love how excitement saturates her replies to questions as she says, "YES Mommy! I do!" and how everything she does is clumsy and new.

Yes, every so often, it's good to stop. It's good to take these precious, priceless moments and write them down. It's good to take note of the direction your life is going, and adjust as needed. It's good to take a breath and purposely discard unneeded stresses, obligations, and frustrations, and re-prioritize the things that matter most. It's good to stop...and realize just how blessed you really are...and take time to love, wholeheartedly and without reservation, the ones you love.

There is no doubt in my mind that because of my children and husband, I am one of the luckiest, richest, and loved, people on this Earth.