{this moment}

{this moment} - Inspired by SouleMama. A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

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I know this is supposed to be just one photo, but I couldn't resist sharing all of these photos. It's the best way to display the joy that our boy has when reading books with us.

What's for Dinner?

There are so many "firsts" to celebrate with a little one. But I think my all-time favorite "firsts" to observe and document involve food. The other night we had spaghetti for dinner and well, it was definitely worth documenting. Once Little Man got over the fact that the noodles were for eating and now swinging around in the air, he "pulled up his sleeves" and dug right in. Actually it was more like we pulled off his clothes and got him down to his diaper and socks...

Today

{this moment}

{this moment} - Inspired by SouleMama. A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment}

{this moment} - Inspired by SouleMama. A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

An Elephant Never Forgets

Little Man is getting bigger and bigger with each day. I can't believe he's going to be a year old in just one month. Ba! How the time flies. Since he's growing so quickly, I find myself rushing to have him wear clothes or shoes that are super cute that he might not fit in soon.


Last winter, my mom bought these wonderful shoes for him from Magpie Lovely and he can now finally wear them. And surprisingly, he wears them without thinking twice about it.

My Name is Stegosaurus...

...I'm a funny looking dinosaur.
On my back are funny little plates,
And on my tail there's more.

My front two legs are very short.
My back two legs are long.

My body's big,
My head is very small,
I'm put together wrong.

I learned this song when I was in kindergarten and I've always loved it. And now, I can teach it to our Little Man, especially when he gets his very own Steggy for his birthday. The Hubby and I worked together on this, each using our own craft to accomplish it. The pattern was super easy and can be found in this book.

I can't wait for our Little Man to see this. He's really become interested in toys that roll and that he can drag around.

Remember

I was sitting in my 11th grade US History class when my friend Erin came in the classroom and said a plane had crashed into the World Trade Centers. At that time in my life I didn't know the WTC and the Twin Towers were one and the same so I didn't think much of it. My teacher turned on the TV and we began to watch everything unfold. Then class was over and the main topic of conversation was if we would get out of school early because the Pentagon had also been hit and that was 3 hours north of us, so of course every selfish teenager's thought was what kind of deal can we get out of this. The magnitude of this event just hadn't hit us yet.

The school day was over. I was supposed to get a haircut that night, but Mom said we weren't going anywhere that night because of everything going on. I remember being mad and throwing a fit about it. School pictures were coming up and I needed a haircut. Again, I didn't realize what our country was going through.

And then it started. The constant images of the planes, the ball of fire, the ash-covered city. (I don't think we turned off the news for 2 weeks straight.) That night, as we sat down to dinner, I asked if I could say the blessing over our meal. I don't think I ever did actually thank God for the food. Instead I cried. I cried and prayed for the families, the country, the President. It was too much for my 16 year old mind and heart to grasp and handle.

Now, ten years later, as my husband and I are raising a child in a "post 9/11" world, it still seems so surreal. I still tear up at every story. That sick feeling comes back into my throat when I see the images. And I'm reminded that we are a resilient country and that even through the hardest time known to any American, God has had His hand on us. Guiding us, comforting us, loving us. He is in control even when control can't be seen in the chaos. He is our strong tower. Our refuge.

So today, I pray. I pray that each person in our country would taste and see that the Lord is good and know that His love heals all wounds and strengthens every defeated heart. That when hard times come, God hasn't left us. If anything, He's holding us tighter as we walk through this crazy thing called life.

{this moment}

{this moment} - Inspired by SouleMama. A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

While It Was Still Summer...

...We took our first family vacation together.

Desitination: the Outer Banks of North Carolina (2 weeks before Irene gracefully made her entrance).

For the past week I've been sorting through the hundreds of photos that we took whilst enjoying the shore and since I'm not completely finished with sorting and editing, I thought I would share a few snippets taken via Instagram. Boy, do I love that app.

So while we're all beginning to enjoy some lovely fall-like weather, here a few photos that still have the sweet sent of summer time and salt water.

My Little Bookworm

And look what we found at the local antique store this weekend. I highly recommend New at the Zoo. It got me and the Hubby laughing during bedtime story time.

Today We...

...stayed in our PJs all day.
...crafted in our own creative spaces.
...opened the windows to enjoy the fresh, fall-like air.
...went for a walk.
...ate smores like little kids (the grown-ups did).
...and enjoyed having time together...just the three of us.

Can we have more three-day weekends, please?