Little Things

Charlie and Chanelle love to watch old home videos.  They love to watch their younger selves in action and laugh at the silly things they used to say and do.  While they enjoy watching all the home videos, one in particular ranks above all the rest. 

In the favorite video Charlie is just shy of three years old and Chanelle is just shy of one.  Together they use all their strength in an attempt to take down Chad in what was our  their almost nightly wrestling matches.  In the video we watch our white-haired two year old pummel Chad with pillows and declare his victory while sitting on his Daddy’s back.  Chanelle, not even walking yet, crawls around Chad as if circling her prey before making herself as tall as she can on her knees and beats on Chad’s back with her open hands.  The squeals and laughter that echo from the of t.v. are infectious and any viewer is bound to catch them. 

Probably about the time Meadow was one or two months old we began hearing, I can’t wait until Meadow can wrestle with us.  Almost on a weekly basis we hear those words as Charlie and Chanelle anticipate recreating that scene. 

Tonight it happened.  After dinner Chad subtly made the announcement, I think Meadow’s ready to wrestle with us. 

Oh the excitement!  Before bed there were excited squeals and laughter as one more voice was added to the evening wrestling match.  It was loud.  It was happy.  It was good.  And as I took it all in, I was reminded, once again, that it truly is the little things, not the big things, that matter.

Sometimes I forget that the little things matter as much as they do.  While I can get caught up in the big vacations that we don’t take or the cool toys that we don’t buy, Charlie and Chanelle never mention those.  From them we hear about nightly wrestling matches or the time they waded in the creek, or the night when I snuggled with them in bed.  Those are the things that really matter to them.  Just us, being us, being together.

I’m so thankful that it’s the little moments that matter because when it comes to little moments. . . we’ve got advanced degrees. 

Like last week when we woke up to beautiful sunshine that lured us outside before the sun even hit the treeline.  Donuts and hot chocolate in a park that was all our own?  A little moment that we will talk about for a long, long time. 

Nearly three hours passed as Chanelle, Meadow and I meandered through the park and drank in the beauty that is everywhere this time of year.  Red, yellow and orange leaves danced their way to the ground as I watched my girls do their thing. 

Chanelle and I went hunting for the biggest, most beautiful leaves we could find while Meadow just, well, ate the leaves.

Our kids are not immune to the advertising trap.  When Star Wars breaks for a commercial or when Dora bids her farewell we hear the appeals for yet another pillow pet or a Nintendo DS.  Or the cookie factory or a Nintendo DS.  Or a pair of Pillow Pet slippers or a Nintendo DS.  We’ve gotten quite affluent in the language of “no” and I’ll admit, sometimes I feel bad about it. 

However, nights like tonight, I’m reminded. . . it’s the little things.

Girlfriend going ghetto on me

Long after the Nintendo is broken or the slippers are lost. . . I hope we’re giving them memories that will last a lifetime.

Running through a park, climbing a tree, discovering the world around them. . .

. . . even wrestling in the living room.  You can’t convince me otherwise. . .

In the end, it’s the little things that mean the most.