Perfect Moment Monday isn’t about creating perfect moments, but about noticing them. Head over to Weebles Wobble to see more perfect moments.

Saturday morning I had fed the zerker at 3am and 6am. By 7am I pulled her into our bed. She always falls right back to sleep if she is touching some part of me. So we went back to sleep and the next I knew it was 9am.

The Zerker and Nadie were still peacefully snoozing, so I crept downstairs, let the dogs out, fed the cats, made some coffee and fixed up my first batch of fried green tomatoes of the season….yum!

(This is a picture I found – not one I took – they weren’t THAT pretty – but I forgot to take a picture and they were soooooo good!)

Of course, I got the oil a little too hot and smoked out the house – but it was a really cool day so I could air it out pretty quickly…and by the time I got done making them, Nadie was trotting downstairs with the Zerker.

It was perfect.

Sometimes, though, I can feel these moments being created…not intentionally…or even by me…I did not make the sun shine this weekend…I only saw that it was coming and took advantage of the situation…

So this weekend Nadie and I took the Zerker to Cataract Falls. I love going here because it is simple beauty. It is not part of a large park, and there are only a few things to do there. There is just enough to fill a Saturday afternoon…..

We ate a picnic lunch.

Looked at the big waterfall.

Looked at the Covered Bridge.

Drove down to the lower falls and walked the trail in a loop twice in our new Jogging stroller (I am totally stoked that I got this stroller for $45 at a garage sale).

There were so many beautiful things to look at.

And by that time we were all pooped and ready to go home.

And it was good.

It was an afternoon of perfect moments. Even the time when the Zerker was crying on the way to the car before the walk because she wanted a bottle and had a dirty diaper. Her cries are getting so character-like. You would think she was experiencing a major life crisis whenever she decides that she desperately needs a bottle or changed right this instant….My ‘oh no! mommy must fix it!’ feelings are turning into holding back laughter because she seems so dramatic. Not that I want to hear it for long periods of time…but that doesn’t happen too often.

It is honoring the sacredness of these days we call life.

This memory of this moment struck me a few weeks ago, and I thought it would be best to write it down and share.

When I was a junior in college two of my friends came to my house for the first few days of spring break. The first night we went out into the field in front of my house and looked up at the stars.

The sky, in all it’s magnificence, was full of twinkling little stars. I never really thought much about it. I mean, I grew up with those twinklers, so why would I think they were especially brilliant.

My friends though, being city-folk, they were amazed, befuddled, in awe, substitute any other word for amazement.

You see, I grew up in a cabin in the forest. It is on a hill in the middle of nowhere, where on a clear night you can see the night sky in its true form. I never thought much about it, I had never lived in a city at that point – even my college was out of the way. And when I visited city lights I was always in awe.

That night I realized that there are very few people that get to live with that brilliance on a daily basis. I need to get back to that brilliance. I need my daughter to know it too. I hope she knows it so well she takes it for granted too. I want nature to be, well, natural for her. No fear of bugs or dirt – just a part of life.

Appreciating what I had been giving all those nights in the 18 years I lived there – and really recognizing/understanding it – that was a perfect moment.

Check out what other people are sharing at her blog, and maybe share your own!

Here is a perfect moment for this rainy and cold Monday.
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Children mentioned.

Our dogs are so sweet. They really do want to please us in every thing they do. Still, I know they need to feel valued and loved. They are really very great with the Zerker, they steer clear except to smell her. Er, well, sometimes Gus (the mini-aussie)will give her a quick lick. Also, I know Starbuck (the golden) has begun to recognize baby crying on television shows. He has wanted a kid for several years, and he always gives us this look when he sees them – like ‘Can I have one of those, please?’

I don’t think he has yet realized that the Zerker will be his best friend sooner than he knows it.

I am going to be honest here. I know they need more attention. We haven’t been the best dog owners since the Zerker came along… and I am pretty sure we will get better at it…being able to care for the baby and the dogs and cats at the same time. Right now, though, they are probably not as content as they were before. They don’t show it, of course, always uber excited to see us and ready to play.

This weekend I went and bought a brand new batch of tennis balls. I sat with the Zerker on the couch and tossed the ball across the room. For a little while Nadie held the zerker and she just watched the dogs go back and forth. She smiled and looked interested in their athleticism.

And that was a perfect moment…giving the good boys some TLC and knowing they were having a fantastic time….

I know this is a day late, but I was two days late on the Show and Tell…so I am catching up!

I really like Perfect Moment Monday because it is about recognizing the good in our lives, the blessings we have been given. So many times we can move from one thing to another and really not sit back and realize how much we have been given…how many perfect moments we have…

My perfect moment happened yesterday morning. On the days that I go into the office Nadie takes the Zerker to the fabulous caregiver. I pick her up. When he loads her into the car I have been tapping on the window to say goodbye. In her first months she would sit there oblivious, hearing the sound but not understanding that it came from someplace and that was right outside the door.

That changed yesterday. I tapped on the window. I tapped again. And to my surprise the little beauty turned her head and then saw Momma acting like a fool outside the window. It was perfect.

When I picked her up I did it again and she looked again. I also tapped from the driver’s side window and saw her get a big smile and look wildly around her to try and figure out where the sound is coming from. She never saw me (I am not sure what her vision range is these days) but just the wonder of her looking and laughing was enough to warm my heart.

It is no small thing that they, who are so fresh from God, love us. Charles Dickens.

Now go find other perfect moments with Lori at Weebles Wobble and try to acknowledge the perfect moments of your own!