If only...

I have this wonderful and amazing gift running around my house lately. This gift comes in the form of one small little boy who enjoys taking things out of drawers, cabinets, and closets and putting those things in places you would never think to look.  Just recently I found my blush brush in his toy ball popper, two of my lip glosses under my bed and one of my necklaces in the bottom of our toilet paper holder.  This little boy loves to throw balls in the house and terrorize my dogs by stealing their balls (and of course hiding them).  This same precious gift of mine has been meeting me at the front door for the past two days with arms stretched above his head, which is his way of saying "up"; as soon I pick him up he leans away from me which is his way of saying "down." He enjoys brushing his teeth as long as it's with my toothbrush rather than his own.  He stomps his feet and yells at his little broom because it won't fit trough the bars of his baby gate.  When I insisted that he put the cheese back in the refrigerator rather than in the bottom drawer of our oven, he slapped the air directly in front of my face and pointed his little chubby finger at me and said "doe"(which is his way of saying "no").  As a mother who is determined to keep the upper hand in the relationship I got down on his level and said in my stern mommy-voice "Jackson, mommy said no.  Do not yell at mommy.  Be nice." As soon as he heard me say "be nice" he rested his head on his shoulder and smiled from ear to ear and threw himself into my arms.  In that moment I wished I could freeze time.  My precious little gift, the one that hides my things, terrorizes my dogs, steals my toothbrush, and smiles at my "stern mommy-voice"; is growing way too fast.  If only we could capture these moments in time and lock them away in a safe place, if only we could keep our precious gifts wrapped safely in our arms forever, if only...