Hey mom, did ya see that?

So we've been going to the gym alot lately.

I really love it

and having David do it with me

makes it much more enjoyable.

When one or both of the boys go with us

the workout usually ends with a raquetball game.

On this day it was just David and Michael playing.

I have absolutely no desire to go into that room

and subject myself to a viscious game of dodge the

bouncing blue bruise making bullet ball,

so I watch from a bench in the hallway.

As I sat there, I noticed something.

After every single hit Michael made

he looked back at me and smiled.

Every single one!

And sometimes he'd glance over at me

with a sheepish look on his face

when he missed one.

I let my mind wander to when he was three years old.

"Watch this mom!" he'd yell from the other end of the pool.

He'd get a running start and do a cannon ball right into the deep end.

He was such an adventurous little guy

and I loved watching him accomplish all of his

rambunctious feats.

But, I have to admit,

that "Mom, watch this!" over and over again

during our visits to the pool or park

got pretty tiresome.

I was a busy mom with three little ones to look after

and we usually went to the pool or park with friends

so there was conversation going on.

Lot's of times I'd do the fake watching thing

that all moms do.

He'd shout "Watch this!"

I'd say, OK!"

but quickly go back to what I was doing

when his attention was off of me

and when I heard him resurface,

I'd say, "Great job!"

I don't think I realized then how precious

it was that my kids wanted so badly for me to be in awe of them.

Don't get me wrong,

I was a great mom who loved to have fun with them.

I'd roll on the grass with them,

toss balls, climb trees,

ride bikes, take walks

and build living room tents with them.

I cherished them as much as I knew how,

but I don't know if I really grasped the fleeting preciousness

of it all.

In those days of utter exhaustion sprinkled with

delightful exuberance,

did I really grab hold of all of the ordinary moments?

Did they know how much I enjoyed them

even on the fake watching days?

I sure hope so!

Now that my little dare devil boy is older

there are far fewer

"Hey mom, watch this!" moments.

They do still occur, but now there are more

"Mom I wish you could have been there to see it"

moments, because the natural flow of life

limits our time together.

Funny how something that got to be so annoying

is one of the things that I miss the most

about being a young mom with

three little ones under foot.

So, needless to say,

I was delighted to see that

the little boy in Michael will always want

mom to "watch this".

He still cares what I think about his accomplishments

and failures.

He still looks for the smile on my face

and the shouts of "That was awesome"

when he does something great.

And you know what?

I didn't take my eyes off of him for a minute

during that whole raquetball game!