The Things We Would Miss

It was sometime after 8 that "the wheels fell off the bus." I had just spiked the final, final bonus foam tennis ball into the air for the boys to catch, and since Collin was again the winner, I began playfully dropping the ball behind me for Aaron to grab. Collin was unimpressed...so much so that he sulked into the backyard, refusing to come into the house and get ready for bed.

I cut my losses and took Nolan inside, hoping Collin would eventually depart from his stubbornness. We are near the end of many successive nights without Adam. He was out of town Friday-Sunday at boys weekend, an annual high school gathering at Matt's farm near Glenwood. He had a mandatory work commitment at the Twins game on Tuesday night which would have been a "CLM" if missed, and tonight he is playing a season determining tennis match at number one singles at Baseline. Patience is a virtue...and mine is near the end, so it was in my best interest to walk away from this one.

While I was preparing to issue a timeout, Aaron barged into Nolan's room declaring Collin had caught a butterfly. After laying Nolan in his crib for the night, I walked outside to find the boys playing amongst butterflies near the play set in the backyard.

Mesmerized, Collin and Aaron stood perfectly still, watching the butterfly flutter around them, waiting ever so patiently for it to land.

While frustrating at times...I think they are trying to show me some of the delightful experiences we would miss if they listened to my every demand.

Tonight, I made a promise to try to listen better, too...because this is just too good to miss.