Extraordinary Little Moments

This week it was Anika's turn to help the older kids feed the sheep at the barn, so Wayne has been taking her over at 6 pm each evening. Wednesday I had an event at Whole Foods so he had to take all three kiddos with him. Of course then on Thursday and Friday they wanted to go again, so Noah got to go the first day and then Emma went with them last night - leaving just Noah and I holding down the fort at home for an hour.

I decided to do something that I don't do very often - for that hour I followed his lead and played with him, in that magical way that only a 4 year old can create. We tickled and tackled on the couch - playing pretend with bouts of giggles in between - when suddenly he turned to the window.

Four large birds were gliding in the wind over the trees that lead down to the river, and he was in awe. Normally I would just glance at them or mention to Noah that I see them too, but not this time. This time I sat there in awe with him - and just watched them.

I forgot how extraordinary the littlest things can be. 

For 30 minutes we sat there spotting out all of the birds that flew by, watching them soar or dart or dash by. This extraordinary boy is so observant of the world around him. I suddenly found myself back as a child, when there were no schedules, no deadlines, and no responsibilities - when nature was a big part of my life and when summer seemed to last forever. 

I miss those days. 

The Stanford Children's Health Hospital and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital have been the top-ranked children's hospitals in Northern California for over a decade, and like me, they believe that what makes kids extraordinary isn't just the epic stuff - it's the little things. It's those little moments that maybe only you as a parent can see and celebrate daily, and they've created a site to help you remember the little extraordinary things by creating a video for your kids - and it's really easy to do.

Here's the one I created for Noah last night. It brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

"Your kid is extraordinary. Show them how much you enjoy every moment together by creating a special video of your own."

~Melissa

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.