Pray not to miss this!

I heard some of the best advice regarding motherhood this week ... to pray not to miss "this" - whatever stage "this" is. In the early days, pray at night when you are up feeding them to not miss the sweetness of a hungry newborn that can only be nurtured by his mother. And, pray in the wee hours of the morning when the little one decides to start the day early, not to miss the play time in your pajamas as the sun comes up. Well, today I found myself praying not to miss the moments where Ryan reaches up for my hand without looking (to lead me to where he wants to go) ... knowing that I am there to help him and to keep him safe.

You see, Mom and I took Ryan to the Yellow River Game Ranch this afternoon for a few hours. For those of you that have never experienced this cool place, it is a mile-long trail through 24 wooded acres where you will encounter birds and animals indigenous to the state of Georgia, including white-tailed deer, bunnies, buffalo, sheep, kid goats, and black bears, all waiting to be fed, admired and petted on a "nose-to-nose" basis.

Ryan LOVED feeding the animals, especially the sheep and deer. He held onto our hands (or more like a finger) and led us from one animal to the next all the while motioning for some more carrots or graham crackers to give out. It is so much fun to watch him explore the world around him and experience new things such as all these exciting creatures!

I love being able to be in the moment (not distracted by the computer or the phone) and soak up this time with my sweet little guy! I pray not to miss this!!