Friday, May 24, 2013

Before and After School

Lest you think I have slacked on my 31 days of picture takin', I am here to say I have not.  I've been taking pictures everyday.  I just haven't posted them.  That's always been what's held me back from doing one of those 31 day/365 day projects.  It's the posting of the pics that I seem to run out of time for. 

I will share with you the last 9 days of pictures tomorrow.  Today, I want to share a before and after picture of sorts.  Yesterday was the last day of school  YaHoo!!  It is bittersweet.  I love summer.  I love having my kids home and I love going to the pool everyday and not having to set my alarm and not having to feel like we have to eat dinner right at 6 so the kids can get in bed at a decent time and not having to be in bed at a decent time and having no real schedule and not having to be sure everyone has a coat before we go out and not having to wash and sort so many socks since everyone will be wearing flip flops and I love watermelon and Popsicles and cookouts....and I could probably keeps going.  *big breath*

However, I can also appreciate the time I have when my kids are at school.  This year was a first for me.  My youngest started Kindergarten.  I was an emptynester from the hours of 7:45 and 2:45.  And I'll admit, it was kinda nice.  I remember when my youngest stopped napping in the afternoon.  That opened up the whole day for us.  I no longer had to be home at 1 so she could take a nap.  I had more time to be out.  Having them all at school all day was kinda like that, only better.  Cause this time, I had more time to be out by myself.  This last week of school I went into a kind of panic mode.  All I kept thinking was, ohmygosh!  I only have 4 days left to get anything done kid free!  And then the count down ensued.  I think I was pretty productive those last 4 days (and 2 of those were early release). 

And, aside from my struggle between my love for having them home and my love for running errands by myself, the end of another school year means they have grown some more.  Why won't they just stop already!!??  In the fall, I will have a 5th grader!!  Which means next year, I'll have a middle schooler!! 

I remember an episode of Modern Family.  The old dad, Jay, was defending his decision to get botox to his much younger wife.  He said to her, that in his head, he's still 40 years old.  And he walks around acting and thinking that he's a prime 40 year old man.  Until he happens to see his reflection in something.  And he thinks, "who's that old guy?"  (He's really supposed to be in his 60's).  That's kind of how I feel.  Except in my head, I am in my 20's.  But then I see my reflection or look at my ever growing older, getting bigger kids and think, "whose the old lady, who is obviously not in her 20's anymore, with the 3 not so little any more kids?"

There are fun things about them getting older.  There is so much stuff we can do now that we could not when they were younger.  Our conversations are getting more mature.  I can even leave my 10 year old home alone for a little bit, by herself!  But you do kind of miss those little kid days when they were so cute and said the cutest little things and wore those tiny little clothes that you got to pick yourself.  Alas, my younger sister is at that stage (as well as my husband's brother and his sister as well), so I am fine to be aunt to little ones and then give them back after a while. 

Nonetheless, I have babbled on for too long.  Here is what I wanted to show you in this post;


This first picture is from the first day of school, 10 months ago.  Left to right, my middle child was starting 2nd grade, my oldest was starting 4th and my youngest, kindergarten. 



This picture was taken yesterday, on the last day of school.  Look at how much my youngest's face has matured!!  She started the year with a mouth full of teeth and now she is missing quite a few.  And when those grown up teeth come all the way in, she'll look even older!  They all look like they have matured some over the last 10 months.  My oldest will be getting braces soon ($$$) which will change her look even more. 

*sigh*  I do love my growing little kiddos.

 For now our job as parents is to love our kids and to "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."  Proverbs 22:6
Amen.

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