A day to remember

I woke them up at 7am, hoping to give them the most sleep possible.
They wanted Lego Eggo Waffles and Milk. (Woohoo! Easy!)

They got dressed and watched a few minutes of cartoons while I scurried around getting everything out to the van. Jaron said he was 'too old' for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - his favorite morning show last year.

I took pictures.
We went to school.
There were no tears.
Everyone had a great day.
It was so normal - more so than I anticipated.
Then it was over.

Thoughts about the day:

My kids have begun and perfected this habit of NEVER LOOKING AT THE CAMERA the moment the shot is snapped. (Partly because my camera is super old and slow and cheap and it flashes about 3 times before 'the real moment' happens; partly because they are being honery and don't actually want me to get a good picture...)

I feel blessed to have 2 kids who are still at the age where they say cute things and still have a teensy bit of squishiness on their elbows. That is the true mark of a baby. Squishy elbows.

They are beginning to act differently - more grown up. We are just beginning to deal with more 'Big Kid' issues. And I see them more and more as big kids interested in bigger kid things and labelling things that have framed so much of our lives for so long now as "babyish."

I do love to see their development. I do.

I also miss that baby love. There really is nothing so sweet as the breath of a baby on your chest while you sleep. Or the tender, trusting looks that without words tell you that 'you can do no wrong' in their eyes.

I begin to wonder how many more times my kids will ask me to hold them. How many more times will I have them appear in my bed at night? How many more times will I have the gift of bathing them?

Their basic needs that once seemed to consume my world are slipping away from my list of daily duties as they gain their independence. I am at once relieved and remorseful. I never realized how much I needed them to need me.

Gone are the days of strollers, cutting up their food, and dressing them in outfits I chose for them.

They are now - all too suddenly - little people with vivid imaginations, strong opinions, and sweaty armpits. Tears.