Whew, It’s Hot!
I can’t get over looking back on some of our summer pictures from last year to this year and seeing how much my kiddos have grown. It kind of sneaks up on you and you don’t see it at first.
And then you see it and you cry.
Why, Speedracer could barely handled a popsicle at all last year!
I mean, how does it happen? One year they can’t walk without tripping over their own socks, and the next year they’re running and playing and carrying their own backpacks and “potty-tainned” and you can’t even remember where you put the diapers any more.
Boy, time flies.
As a parent, you suddenly notice things you never thought about before. Like the first time you see your little one running along on his chubby little legs, barely keeping up with the rest of the pack at VBS, and suddenly he leaps mid-stride over a puddle and just. keeps. going…
What?! That kind of coordination is reserved for “big kids” and NFL players–not my baby! How did this happen? When did this happen?
And when did stepping over a puddle become a rite of passage into adulthood? I swear, the way my heart was thumping when I saw that you’d think the kid is bound for Lambeau Field any day now!
"And those summer days sit so heavy, but don't they flow like the breeze through your mind, when nothing appears in a hurry, to make up for someone's lost time." Lyrics by Alan Jackson
Suddenly my Ladybug not only does her own hair, but it turns out so good I don’t have to find a way to sneak in re-doing it without hurting her feelings! I find myself having to shoo her out of the bathroom for the next person in the morning and I could’ve sworn that was something you didn’t have to deal with until high school at least.
Isn’t that written down somewhere in the Big Book of Everything Parenting?! That you don’t have to deal with teenagers until they’re actually teenagers?! That’s part of the contract, right?
The scarred face says "little man", but those sweet, chubby hands still say, "my baby!"
I can’t believe I’m getting all sappy about the fact that they can eat popscicles without ruining their shirts anymore, but there it is. The Cowboy can even open his own Captain America fruit snacks now. All. By. Himself. A few more weeks and they won’t even need me around. I’ve become superfluous. (I can’t imagine ever using that word out loud because I wouldn’t know how to pronounce it–but that’s what I love about blogging! I can wow you with my vocabulary without you laughing at me–well, without having to hear you laughing at me anyway!)
The dangers of expecting your kids to smile on command! 🙂
If you’re looking for me this weekend I’ll be hiding out in my bathroom crying into a set of out-grown dinosaur jammies that are headed to the Thrift Store on Monday.
I love your pictures! What a wonderful blessing you have. It’s funny how we mom’s make a BIG deal out of the smallest things! LOL! I think we have many good cries before our kids are grown and on their own. My last one was at High School Graduation in 2010 and she wasn’t even going off to college. She is going locally! I don’t cry too much anymore! I’m pretty sure the Lord knew what he was doing. By the time she leaves I am going to be ready to celebrate! LOL! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Oh, I can’t even think about it! 🙂 Committing them to the Lord is the only thing that eases my mind sometimes. And even letting them go to HIM can be hard! LOL!
Stop! You’re making me weepy!! 🙁 I’m in complete denial that my kids are growing up. This summer in particular they all seem to have matured so much. It’s a good thing in many ways because they are more responsible too — lately they actually get up right away and move when I ask them to clean up!
I also went through a closet of outgrown clothes and am having quite a difficult time letting some things go because really…they MUST still fit into some of these, right?
But, I’m pretending at the moment that school DOES NOT start in less than a month and it truly is an endless summer.
Sigh.
Too true–some of it is beautiful and wonderful, but some if it’s so hard! I can’t believe my girl has moved on from tablet paper to “real” scissors and binders and loose leaf this year! She’s excited, but I’m not ready!
That’s funny – the way Ruby is holding her two fingers out in that first picture – you do that too!
Ha! Ha! I never realized that before!
oh sweetie – I admit it. I’m laughing. With you, not at you. {I promise!!}
Love the post – so true about one moment they are barely able to walk and the next they are vaulting over a hurdle.
They will always need their momma 🙂
As parents we’re always trying to help them grow up, but man, if they only knew how much we wish they’d stay little!!
I hopped over from MOB and wanted to say I LOVE this post! I have four sons, but they’re quite a bit ahead of yours, but what you’re feeling is universal to all moms. Just this week I wrote about Letting Go and Holding On! Hope you’ll come by sometime.
That’s the rub, isn’t it?! We want them to grow up to be self-sufficient, Godly, leaders–but we don’t want them to grow up and not need us anymore! 🙂
Stop it! I am laughing through tears, LOVE this post