Just BE

It was just your average Saturday morning. The family had been dressed and breakfasted. Everyone was settling into their groove for the day: My oldest was outdoors with his friends, the baby was napping, I was cleaning (not that you can tell from the photo), and Daddy was playing with the girls.

In typical toddler fashion, each girl had brought him a toy, a puzzle, a brush, a book. One book turned into two, then three, and pretty soon playtime turned into story hour. The girls listened and watched as Daddy spun the adventures of the Little Engine that Could. Madeline picked up a baby brush and started fingering the soft bristles. After an attempt to brush Emily’s hair that was promptly thwarted by the twin, Madeline found entertainment in running the brush through her Daddy’s cropped hair.

There, amongst the rubble of toddler playthings, the girls listened patiently for their favorite parts of the stories: They waited while Daddy read the Hungry Caterpillar’s Monday menu so they could chime in that the caterpillar was, “Still hungry!”. And when Little Critter’s dumptruck went “Vroom, vroom!” the twins happily repeated in a chorus of squeaky vroom-vroom’s.

Each week of this series reminds me to slow down and just BE with my family.

This week’s photo wasn’t staged or planned. It just happened when a daddy took the time to engage with his daughters. A daddy who, no mistake about it, is no sissy. His preferred attire of jeans and a plaid flannel shirt go hand in hand with his no-frills personality. Before we had children he was breaching doors and taking down bad guys. But on this morning he was perfectly at peace with his little girls, having his hair brushed and reading picture board books about furry animals.

These are the moments I treasure in my #52project, documenting the memories of 2015 in weekly photographs. I encourage you to do the same, and share your photos on Instagram (#52project). May you find time to just BE this week, and keep your eyes open for the good things around you.