Phone Free Friday

We had a great Friday night. There aren't any pictures in this post because we decided to declare it "Phone Free Friday" and after last night it is safe to say that it is a new tradition in our family.  We wanted to take the boys to do something fun because we have a busy weekend coming up so we decided to go to dinner and Chuck E. Cheese.  We put our phones in the floor board and left them in the car when we went in to the restaurant.  Instead of playing on our phones our boys colored.  Instead of checking the time we took our time.  We just enjoyed each other and were able to see other families who were tuned out and constantly checking their Facebook and kids busy candy crushing it up.  It really reinforced that "Phone Free Friday" was a great idea!

After dinner we went to Chuck E. Cheese and let the boys run wild.  They were so excited that they just run around hunting for the perfect games to play.  They were more excited about putting the coins in the machines than the actual rides and games. They enjoyed the rides for a few seconds and then they were on to the next one.  Instead of seeing my boys through my iPhone camera I was able to see them through my own eyes and no picture can compete with that.  I was able to talk to other mothers that I normally would not and enjoy their children as they rode around the carousel with my own. 

Pictures are a fantastic way to preserve memories and I think I take so many because I want to remember every second of this life with my boys.  I do not ever want to forget a minute we spend together but I realized that sometimes when I am looking through the lens, I am missing the moment.  I am trying so hard to get the perfect shot for scrapbooks that, in that minute of taking pictures, I have missed the experience.  I pray that I will do a better job of being there in the moment with my children and not so worried about the perfect shot.