"You'll Blink"

My baby is 4.  It's kind of strange that my littlest is getting so big.  I knew this day would come, but didn't realize how fast.  Everyone who has "big kids" warned me.  You hear it all the time..."You'll blink and they'll be grown...etc."  And how true it is.  The girls are far from grown, but they are growing fast.  And I'm excited that they are changing and learning and growing, but also wish time would just freeze sometimes!  I love how fun they are right now.  I love how the biggest issues of the day can be if they play Legos or do a craft.  How it's the simple skinned knee that causes tears and not the issues of middle school friends!  I love how they still want to snuggle and sit beside me and want me to tell them stories.

Yesterday we had a picnic after church and Steve asked me if I was able to have any conversations with anyone.  I told him I was able to have a lot of half conversations and one full one.  The others were met with "I need to go to the bathroom" or "Mom, can you look at this sandman's head?" or "Mom, look at this (dead) fish I caught!"  And the cool thing is, as much as I would have loved to have had a full length grown up conversation with each of those friends, I'm grateful to be in the season of interruptions.  I hesitated for a couple of minutes to jump up and take one of my little ones up the hill to the bathroom, because I had been wanting to have a conversation with this friend for some time now, but when I did get up and take her, I was so glad I did.  As she skipped along and laughed, I thought it won't be long and she won't need me to go with her.  She won't need me to help her wiggle back into her wet bathing suit back up or turn the knob on the sink. So, instead of feeling frustrated, I actually, by God's grace, was able to enjoy the so-called interruptions.  And I'm slowly learning that they really aren't interruptions.  They are opportunities to teach and train and enjoy the little people God has given to us to care for this season.

So, my baby is 4 as of yesterday.  And she loves elephants and the color purple and blowing bubbles.  She loves Popsicles and Magna Doodles and playing with her beads and drawing with chalk.  She carries her pink Princess Softy wherever she can and she likes to wear dresses and brown sandals.  She wants fish kisses and worship songs before she falls asleep at night as she's being tucked in before her prayers.  And next year this time she'll probably have a different favorite color and toy and I'll be happy she's 5, but I won't wish away this season.  I'll enjoy learning and growing with her!