Inspiration

I was reading through a photography lesson last night and the teacher talked about finding your inspiration. It was all about deciding how you want to tell a story and then finding things that will inspire you and help you to tell that story through pictures.

The lesson left me trying to answer the question 'What inspires me?' It seems that I do not spend much time these days really pondering what makes my life enjoyable. I know that I have enjoyable moments every single day. But, I also have some very blah moments every day. I am now thinking that if I could learn how to consciously think about the things that inspire and motivate me, I could probably have more of those enjoyable moments and less of the blah moments.

So, to start, here is what inspires me (well, this is the short list I have been able to come up with since last night):

Dylan's big, inquisitive eyes
Flowers blooming in Spring
Uplifting song lyrics
A friend who knows how to make me look at things from a different perspective
Playing the Piano
Planet Earth (the show on Discovery Channel)
Pilates (I love how it encourages me to learn different ways to use my body)
Good books

This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. It's made me realize that I need to spend more time thinking about the things that enrich my life and encourage me to strive to be better.

Quirky Child

I know that every child has their little quirky things they enjoy doing. Dylan's new fascination just happens to involve crayons. The child will sit for an hour and rip the paper off of them. I have been vaccuuming my carpets at least once a day to clean up all the little Crayola shreds.

Why this is so enjoyable to him is beyond me. But, I am greatful that he has found an activity to occupy him when I just don't feel like it!

Playdate, Parks and Picnics

Oh how we love Spring time around here. It gives the boys an opportunity to do what boys do best...run, jump, climb, eat and get dirty!

Full of Small Surprises

Continuing on with the Daddy/Son bonding theme of last week...Mike must be trying to win some points...with me & with Dylan.

I was grabbing a peaceful few moments to shower today. As I was standing at the sink brushing my teeth, I hear Dylan and Mike shouting 'Mom...Byyyeee!' Naturally, I open the door to make sure I heard them correctly and see what they were doing. Sure enough, they were getting ready to go somewhere. Dylan (who had been in his pj's when I entered the bathroom) was now fully dressed and had his jacket on. Mike was collecting keys, wallet and such. I asked where they were going and Mike said 'to the mall.' First of all, I have to laugh because I swear my husband is the only one who actually sets off to go the mall on his own. Second, this little thrill at the thought of a couple 'alone' hours entered my head. Mike proceeded to tell me he needed to return some pants and look for some jeans for work. 'Plus,' he added, 'you look like you could use a break.' REALLY?!

So, here I sit enjoying my peace and quiet. I think I'll continue with my new obsession with 'LOST'. Hope everyone else is having as fabulous a weekend as I am.

Taking Note

I am realizing more and more that I complain about things way too much. Especially when it comes to Dylan. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with him each and every day. Some days I feel like I am at my wits end and others I feel like we've had the perfect day. Every time we go to a playdate, I am reminded that I actually have a very well behaved toddler. Lucky me.

This very sweet little boy has me in tears tonight. Not bad tears, tears of pure love and happiness. Dylan has never really been a song and dance kid. He actually gets mad and screams 'NO' if I try to dance around with him. He has never even attempted to sing a song and most of the time does not like it if I sing to him - except when he's going to bed at night. Each night when he hops in bed, I sing 'You Are My Sunshine'. I sing others, but they vary from night to night. I sing this particular song every single night because I feel like it helps him know just how much I love him. As soon as we finished reading stories this evening, Dylan told me 'songs Mom.' He immediately started singing 'You Are My Sunshine' to me! Words cannot express first, the shock and second, the overwhelming feeling of pride and love that I had for my child at that moment.

Dylan, you truly are my sunshine.

4th File, 4th Picture

I keep seeing this post on friends' blogs, so I decided to check out my files. Boy, does this one bring back some memories (and a little tear to my eye). This was taken just a few days before I was induced to have Dylan. My belly was huge! If you look closely, you can see that my shirt didn't even cover my entire belly, ha ha. Wow, I can't believe that was already two and a half years ago.

Nothing Sweeter

Most days, Dylan does not get to see Mike for more than 30 minutes or so. We all try to hang out while Mike is getting ready for work in the mornings, but I wouldn't really consider that quality time. There are a lot of days that Mike gets home from work just as it's time for Dylan to go to bed or after he is already asleep. So, on the days when Mike is home early enough to see Dylan, he makes sure that they get some Daddy/son bonding time.

One of their favorite things is to play 'Gotcha!' This is simply Dylan's version of 'Hide and Seek.' Since Dylan doesn't quite grasp the concept of trading off the hiding, Mike always hides and when Dylan finds him they both yell 'Gotcha!' Dylan then laughs hysterically and Mike runs off to hide again.

The other thing they like to do is wrestle. Under normal circumstances, I would probably be a little miffed that Dylan gets so worked up right before bedtime. But, it's hard to get upset when I hear the pure joy and contentment in my son's laugh. He truly loves his quality time with Daddy. These opportunities are so important, so I'm glad that Mike takes advantage of them. Watching the two of them play and laugh, I am often overcome with love for my little family. There is nothing quite as sweet.