Sometimes our life is so full of those moments when you say, “Man, I really want to remember this,” or “I have to write down what she said when we get home.” Of course, many of those moments never get recorded, being put off until they slowly fade from memory. And I think that’s okay because I certainly don’t want to miss those moments by worrying about how I’m going to remember them. I like to record things but I don’t want to be the dad that sees his kids growing up through the screen of the iPhone.
But I did want to take some time tonight to remember today. The afternoon was more hectic than usual (if that’s possible) because Sarah had to be somewhere and it was “open studio” night for Keana’s ballet class. This meant I had to take all three kids and keep two of them somewhat tame for an hour around dinner time. It turned out better than expected because both Maia and Aliya are in ballet too, so they enjoyed watching the older girls and practicing some of the moves they knew along with them. Not only that, but it was such a joy to see Keana practice. I don’t usually get to go and watch her, and she was amazing. Poised, confident, struggling, succeeding…it was such a gift to be able to take the time to really see what she does every Tuesday night in ballet class.
After dance class we were on our own for dinner and what’s a dad to do? That’s right, burgers and fries. It was actually pretty relaxing having the three of them out and about, and man, did we enjoy those burgers. Aliya insisted on helping me with everything. She handed the pager-thingy back at the counter when we got our food. She insisted on coming back to the condiments with me to pump the ketchup. And I took the time to hold her up and let her try even though I knew she wasn’t going to be able to do it.
On the way home, Keana was remembering foods she didn’t like and the word “lambroids” popped out of her mouth. I exploded with laughter. LAMBROIDS. Classic. I think I figured out that they were lamb meat balls. It was a fun ending to a fun dinner out.
And the fun wasn’t over. Sarah got home and started brushing Maia’s teeth—I was in the kitchen helping Keana with her homework—and the bathroom erupted with excitement. I whipped out the phone and began recording and, well, you can see for yourself:
Pretty great way to end the day. And no, not every day is like this, but every single day there are moments that I would love to write about, or photograph, or record. For that, I am thankful—even if I don’t catch them all.