The two of us, sitting on a bench in a square near Liverpool Street station, watching our girls laughing as they chased each other about. The camera perched on the buggy on self-timer mode, the three bobbly legs of the Gorillapod wrapped around the handle to keep it steady. One moment in time, a brief pause to focus on being just ‘us’, captured and preserved.
So much of married life post-parenthood is about those briefest of moments. The fleeting touch whilst being handed the early morning cup of coffee, the quick glance across the table at breakfast, the hurried kiss when heading off for work. Half-hidden secret smiles when one of our girls says or does something naughty and yet funny at the same time, a whispered “I love you”, the shared look that says “we’re a team”. Making the most of the small windows of time where we can be alone together – whether snuggled up on the sofa together at home while the children are sleeping or making the most of getting the opportunity to have a night out together.
It’s the little moments that create the ups and downs of married life. Disagreements over the small things – dirty dishes left on the counter instead of being put in the dishwasher, socks thrown on the floor next to the laundry basket, not putting down the toilet seat. The unkind words that slip out, spoken out of irritation, frustration or exhaustion. The little day-to-day challenges of parenthood that sometimes threaten to overwhelm. A thousand tiny arrows, leaving pinprick wounds that can start to fester if left unhealed.
It’s the little things that heal. The brief phrases – “thank you”, “I’m sorry”, “I love you.” The tiny thoughtful gestures – the job that gets done without me needing to ask, the loving note left on the fridge, the bath run at the end of a long and stressful day. It’s the moments shared – the smiles, the laughs, the hugs. The moments when we work together and everything seems so much easier as a result. The days where happy memories are created, milestones shared together and celebrated. Those lightbulb moments when I suddenly think “this is what it is all about.”
We are a team, you and me. We’re still the two people that met and fell in love all those years ago. Sometimes we just need to make the most of those brief moments to stop and really look at each other, for just a second, and see the person behind the parent. One moment in time, a brief pause to focus on being just ‘us’, captured and preserved.
This is so sweet! I have just posted a tongue in cheek apology to my hubby and now I feel sooo guilty. What a lovely couple you are, so strong together. Lovely post xx
Thank you Sarah. I loved your tongue-in-cheek apology to your hubby – no need to feel guilty about it, it was a great post! 🙂
Such a lovely post 🙂 it’s important to capture those moments as well…Thsnks for sharing #TwinklyTuesday
Thank you – have been making an effort to capture those moments regularly and it is lovely to reflect on us as a couple
You have really captured something that rings true to me here. Relationships change and there is no time for prolonged romance. But there are still those moments and those looks, where you know you are a team, where you can read just what they are thinking and they can read you. It is very special to be known by someone so well and to be working through life with them.
Thank you Kirsten – those moments are special and working through life together is a lovely way to describe it.
Such a touching post! Lovely photographs! It really is so important to cherish these little moments in between the chaos of parenthood! #twinkletuesdays
This is so true post kids its about the little moments that lead up to the bigger ones xx
This made me well up – lovely and so true. I’m sure many other couples will relate to this too.
Thank you Yvette, so glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂
This is beautiful. I do think that at least part of the demise of my marriage was because we had so few of these moments, the ex being overseas more than half the time. The bigger part, though, was the simple lack of effort to seek out these moments. We became roommates trying to stay out of each other’s way, instead of partners.
Thanks for linking this gorgeous post at #TwinklyTuesday.
Thanks Sadia – it must be so hard to try and seek out those moments when one of you is away so often. Lovely to link up to #TwinklyTuesday again 🙂
Lovely snaps. We take lots of pictures of the baby but rarely remember to take photos of us a couple.
#sharewithme
Thank you – we have very few photos of us as a couple for the first couple of years after becoming parents but am trying to remember to focus on us more regularly now.
Aww Louise this is lovely. You’re so right and you’ve written it perfectly xxx #sharewithme
Thank you Alexandra 🙂
Such a lovely post, i never get any time with my other half any more as we are always just mum and dad and so busy, i really must make more of an effort xx #sharewithme
Thank you Lindsay – it is hard to find time to focus on couple time isn’t it?
This is a really lovely post, such thoughtful words, and very true. Hard to take a moment to capture them sometimes though, isn’t it. Love this x
Thank you Sara – it is hard to find time to capture the little moments sometimes but am enjoying trying to do so regularly x
Awww as always a gorgeous post! |You are so right that we get a little bit lost int he world of parenting/work/everything else! It’s lovely to look at these moments and remember that they need to feature. #thankfulthursday
Thank you Lisa – it is so easy to get lost in everything else that’s part of day to day life and forget to focus on those little moments.
Awww, such a lovely post 🙂 #ThankfulThursday xx
Thank you Sarah 🙂
So lovely, it’s so important to find those moments to be together even if they are just fleeting seconds. I lvoe the fact that you get such lovely photos of the two (and four of you) I must try harder to get photos of us all!
Beautiful post and very lovely intimate photos. I feel the same about me and my hubby as aa’team’, it is good to stop, think and reflect X #thankfulthursday
Ahh what a lovely tribute to you both as a couple. Great captures too. Thanks for linking up to Share With Me I hope you are enjoying my blog hop and thanks for all the linky support! #sharewithme
Ah what a lovely post, and so true, sometimes we need a wee perk behind our parent front to see the people we were before #thankfulthursday
love this!! Little moments keep the spark alive.