Blowing Some Smoke

This morning my littlest princess, Emma, woke up at 7:30. She came into my room and crawled into bed with me. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and said, "I'm fweezin." We cuddled under the blanket for a minute to get warm. We had only just begun to get cozy when she says to me, "mom, I hear the garbage truck." I knew it was only the road construction, but today was garbage day and I never know quite for sure when they are coming. Sometimes it's 8:00, sometimes later. I crawled out from under my warm blanket and put my shoes on. "Whatcha doin mom?" I explain to her that it is garbage day and we need to take the garbage cans to the road. "I want to help!" We zipped her coat up, and put her Clifford the Big Red Dog slippers on and went outside. You know those moments when your child does something so cute and for a moment you just get this overwhelming feeling of joy and you could just squeeze them, never wanting to let go. This was one of those moments. As I pulled the garbage cans out, she grabbed onto the handle and helped me pull it all the way out to the street. On the way back into the house I chased her and picked her up. We were looking at the snow on the mountains and she starts giggling and says, "look, I'n blowin smoke." It was so cold outside you could see your breath. It continually amazes me how things are so fascinating when they're viewed from the eyes of a child. I wish moments like those were like the ground when it snows. It freezes and nothing changes. It makes me want to slow down, not be so busy and worried about having a clean house, or the errands that need to be done. I wonder how many things I miss because I let other, less important, things get in the way. I need to pay more attention, be more aware, because then I wouldn't have to wonder. I would know, and I'd be ever so grateful that I didn't let it pass me by.