::this moment:: Halloween parade

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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:: October in Maine

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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."

My daughter hopped on a bike this week and rode without training wheels for the 2nd time.  She first rode a bike without training wheels 2 years ago but has refused to do it again ever since.  This week she was motivated by a little friend who was over for a play date who can ride a bicycle.  So she jumped on the bike, had me help her start, and then took off.

We had about 20 seconds of pure joy as she realized what she was doing.  When she tried to start up again on her own, she was having a very hard time, and she didn't want my help.  She couldn't figure out how to get the peddles up and over so that she could just get going from a dead stop.  And she wanted to keep up with her friend who could. So she dropped to the ground in the middle of the street and refused to get up.  And she melted down for about 20 minutes.

I'm trying to hang on to the feeling of excitement and pride she had when she took off riding for the first time.  And trying to remember that these little people are stuck between a place of wanting independence but needing help and balancing excitement with frustration.  This picture reminds me of how complex their lives are but how simple the joys can be.

If you stop by, please feel free to share a link to your moment.  And don't forget about my giveaway going on here.  Today's the last day to enter!

::this moment::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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."

2 candles plus 1 for good luck.  I had a tough time choosing a picture for this week because we had several really wonderful moments.  But nothing beats my baby turning 2.

::this moment::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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."

My little reader.  We visited the beach last Friday to celebrate her sister's birthday.  Her own birthday was a few days earlier.  She got the sunglasses, dress, and book as gifts.  I love this image of her.

::this moment::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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."

Feel free to share your links to your moments below.

:: this moment ::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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."

Mother Nature created a little hideaway for my girls this morning.

If you've stopped by, please feel free to  leave a link to your moment from this week.  Thanks!

::this moment::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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."

I'm thankful for an almost 70 degree day in March in Maine.  And that we made it almost an hour at the beach before the little one fell in the water and we needed to go home.

::this moment::

From soulemama: 

"{this moment} - 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."

OK, 2 photos and some words, but not many.

My 1 year old loves puddles.  There's nothing extraordinary about that.  Most 1 year olds do.  But I love the expression on her face when she's splashing in them.  I feel like a kid again when I wear rain boots.

And slowly but surely our snow is melting away and spring is coming.

If you've stopped by, please share your moment in the comments.  Thanks!

{this moment}

From soulemama:

"{this moment} - 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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see."

this moment (or something like it)

On Fridays, soulemama blogs {this moment}: in her words "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."

I've been seeing these posts on her blogs, and others inspired by hers for a while now, and I'm finally joining in.

And I love Waldorfmama's spin on it: adding the things she's grateful for.

So here's mine:

I know I'm not supposed to add any words, but what I'll remember from this day is not just the peacefulness of walking by the ocean on a warm winter day. It'll also be that my 4 year old fell into a tidal pool and had a complete meltdown because she couldn't figure out whether she wanted to stay on the beach in her soaking wet clothes or go home. And that as I packed us all into the car, I could hear the words to Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" in my head. Because we seem to leave a fair number of places going down in one.

Here's what I'm thankful for:
An unusually warm day in February that gave us a reprieve from winter and hope for spring
Living close enough to the beach that we can go whenever we please
Having observant children who found this heart shaped rock wedged into one of the bigger rocks
A daughter who has so much energy and passion inside of her that sometimes she doesn't know what to do with herself

If you'd like, share a link to your moment.