The date was January 10, 2007. I remember it like yesterday. My dad drove me and my older brother, Jeff, 30 minutes from our home in Antioch, Tennessee, to Memorial Gymnasium on West End in Nashville as the Vanderbilt Commodores faced their rival, the Tennessee Volunteers. We took our seats in section 2L among a sea of fans—most Commodore fans were wearing white t-shirts to cheer on the hometown team. The recently ranked number one Tennessee Volunteers went up by one point with 3.7 seconds left in the game. Vanderbilt had one more chance to win the competition as they were bringing it inbounds from half-court. Vanderbilt drove to the basket and missed a layup, but it was quickly followed with a putback to win the game at the buzzer! The crowd went crazy! I remember when I looked at my dad and both our hands raised in the air in excitement. Fans were hugging fans they didn’t even know. This was an incredible moment in Vanderbilt Commodore men’s basketball history, and a memory I will never forget with my dad and older brother.

When we least expect it, a moment can quickly turn into a lifelong memory. These days my wife and I are raising our two children—a six-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. The older our kids get, the more we realize the importance of creating experiences like the one I described with my dad and older brother. We understand we don’t know how much time we have with our kids, and the here and now matters a great deal. The purpose is not to wake up and think, “How can we create special memories today?” This can unintentionally become as exhausting as chasing a two-year-old to the bathtub. Yet, we wake up and entertain the normal while inviting the possibility of these moments becoming lasting memories.

Here are three encouragements for parents that desire to instill a culture of fun-filled lasting moments and memories.

Embrace the time you have. It’s no surprise to any parent—the time with our children goes by entirely too fast. Our daughter was born in 2014. A few weeks ago, we celebrated her kindergarten graduation. I was just holding her as a baby yesterday, or so it seems. I pray every day we hold these precious moments we have together. When families embrace the time they have together, they are strategic with planning, open-handed in relationships, and forgiveness is freely given. Parents be active and available—your kids will remember this more than anything else.

Memories can be cost-efficient. I love the memories of going to ballgames with my dad and brothers. I also love the memories of simply going out to the backyard and playing catch. Moments and memories don’t have to be expensive or always entail a weekend experience to a new and exciting place. This cost money, and financial times could be hard right now. One of our kids’ recent favorites is sand art. My wife recently found a $5.00 sand art kit at a dollar store and our kids have loved doing this activity. They can’t wait to see what shapes are included in the package, mix up the colors, and then gift their new sand art collection to friends and family.

Celebrate the ordinary experiences. We had been to hundreds of games before January 10, 2007. Going to a game wasn’t new; it was normal. Yet, the normal turned into a life-long memory. My son loves to get his toy guitar out and play it when I get out my guitar. He always asks me for a pick “like yours, Daddy.” He carries on while I attempt to play a song he recognizes. It will be no surprise that we find picks all over our house or in the dryer after we wash my pants. My daughter loves to read books with Mommy. They find a book and dive in as my daughters’ excitements grows the more she reads her books with “no adult helping her.” Then, to end a busy summer’s day, they ask if they can have popcorn while they fall asleep on the couch watching a movie. Capitalize on these times—you never know how many of them you will have.

Not all moments will, in return, be lasting memories. However, if you lack in the memories category, it might just be because you have neglected some possible moments. Clothes will always need to be washed, the dishwasher may still be full from the night before, and that work email’s last line may still be in your head and not on your computer screen. Don’t allow the busyness of life to distract you from the God-given children right in front of your eyes.