Moment Not Captured

This morning, my son found his tanagram puzzle set. I allowed both of my children to pour the pieces out of the box to play with the shapes while I finished cleaning and prepping to paint another wall. About half an hour later, I hear, "Mom! Look what I made!" We also celebrated my son's 4th birthday today with a few friends at a local restaurant. I let him sit at the head of the table with his balloons, which tickled him pink. I was struck by how much he has grown in a year - last year, he was embarrassed when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Today, he didn't mind sitting away from me, was joining in conversations, and loved the attention he got from the waiting staff. He blew out his candle prematurely (oops!) while we all sang the birthday song to him, giving a big excited smile to everyone. I was soaking in his moment...my little boy growing up...so much that I forgot to take out my camera before it was too late. I may have failed to capture the moment but the smile and joy that I saw in my little boy today lives in my mind.