I know we all get a little older every day. With the kids, I mostly celebrate their growing. It’s fun when they take joy in a new skill, or get a new privilege that comes with being older. Sometimes it just hits me like a punch in the gut, though. I’ll look at them and just wonder where the time has gone.
Elias
Elias lost his first tooth the “normal” way today. He had to get his first one pulled by the dentist a couple of months ago. This tooth has been hanging on by a thread for quite a while, and I was really ready for it to come out. But when he came running in with his toothbrush in his mouth, and his tooth in his hand, I have to admit I was both happy and sad. Soon he’ll have a big honkin’ tooth in the front of his face and every time I look at him I’ll be reminded that his childhood is slipping away a bit each day. He does look pretty cute with a hole in his smile.
Simon
Simon is really enjoying his pre-kindergarten year at Prince of Peace. Each month they have a shape theme, a color theme, letters of focus, a science theme, a Bible theme, and of course, a color theme. One day each month they have a special day to celebrate their color, and they are supposed to wear as much of that color as they can. I always take a picture of him on those days for his end of the year school memory book. Last week he had “happy blue day.” I took his picture as usual, and later that day when I was going back to actually look at the pictures I was just hit with how big he looks. He’s lost a lot of his baby fat, and really has more of a boy build now.
Caleb
Caleb, my baby, is now two. He wants to be super independent. He, of course, wants to do everything his brothers do. Physically, his motor skills are shooting off the charts these days. And finally, he is starting to put some words together when he speaks. I was really hit by how much he is growing up, though, yesterday when we were playing outside after school. He wanted to use the big boy swings instead of the baby swings, and he could do it! He was thrilled with himself, and giggled with joy in the beginning. Then, I could see his pride take over and he was practically beaming. He’s growing so fast!
I know in five years I’ll be reading this post and think about how they all were just babies. It’s all a matter of perspective. I’m trying to enjoy as many minutes as possible (because we all know enjoying every single minute is not). They are such amazing human beings.