It’s the 4th of July….again?

When you were little did you seem to think that the summers were soooooo long?  Do you remember the four-ish weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas being an excruciatingly long time to wait until Sana came? …I do! While I was growing up it seemed like time stood still, I would see aunts and uncles or my parent’s friends that hadn’t seen me in a while and they would always say “Oh my, I can’t believe how much you have grown?” I thought to my 10 year old self “really, I look the same as I did last month.”  

I remember my mom and other adults saying “The older you get the faster time goes.”  While I know every minute is still 60 seconds and every hour is still 60 minutes, Time really has sped up. I think that I could get a unanimous agreement from other parents when I say, when you have a child you no longer feel there are 60 MINUTES in your hour, your hours go by like seconds and your years go by like minutes.

Cardinal's game 2010 (pregnant with Jake)

I am a sucker for a holiday; be it Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day…I love them all! I don’t know if I am the only mommy that does this but every time another holiday rolls around I think back to the previous year and am always astounded at how much my babies have changed and grown. I have been with them almost every day of their lives so I don’t see the small changes day-to-day, but when I look back on the holiday last year I am flabbergasted.

Cardinal's Game 2012 -Jake's first game (Pregnant with Jimmy)

As you may be able to tell with the blog and if you are on my Facebook, I am incessantly taking pictures and jotting down conversations from my little guys. It goes to fast! The first week you bring your baby home, time kind of stands still as you fumble your way into being a parent for the first time, but you no more then shut your eyes for a second to get some much needed rest from that new baby and they are turning one.  

Cardinals Game 2013

Now having two little boys that are two years apart I often find myself taking a picture of Jimmy (our baby) and thinking “It seems like Jake should still be that old.” I see Jimmy scaling the rock wall in our back yard and think back to last year when he was not yet walking. I like to foolishly think that it will slow down, “babies first few years they just change so much” is what I naïvely say to myself. Because just as I was told when I was little that time goes faster as you get older, I have heard parents with grown children talk about how they put their baby on the school bus for kindergarten one year and it seemed like the next year they were sending them to college.

Cardinal's Game 2014- Jimmy's first game

Jake & Jimmy,

I am sure you will inherit some of mommy’s love for holidays as I have continued to dress you …and myself in the theme for each holiday, accordingly. As 4^th of July approaches again this year , Jacob and James, while you have put my life into hyper drive, you have made each year better than the last.  I have many moments that I think to myself “it can’t get better than this” ….and then you prove me wrong.  Every stage of your lives I think “this one is the best” but they continue to get better and better. You two little boys have continued to empress your daddy and me with how funny, creative and smart you each are. I love to see your individual strengths come alive.  Jacob you are so kind, smart, and inquisitive and ask questions that make me think about the world differently. Jimmy your personality is just now starting to show and you are hilariously funny, tough as nails, (Darwinism at its best) ornery, dangerous and incredibly affectionate. You have proved strength is not in the size of the person but how hard he is willing to try.  

Your biggest fan,

Mommy

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4^th of July holiday and can sit back and enjoy a little time with your family and enjoy the ‘now’, because next year will be sure to get here faster than we think.