It's All Going Too Fast...

Lately it has felt like it is all going by too fast. Lucy is about to turn 4 next week and Tommy is 2. We are thinking about getting started on potty-training the boy ASAP. We're going to get them both in twin beds this summer (currently, Lucy is still in her plg toddler bed and she is getting tall!).
They are easier at the park, the pool, and in general, less maintenance than ever before. I can leave the house with a diaper and wipes in my purse and know we are all set for a morning out and about. I have graduated from diaper bags. I have graduated from shopping at Babies R Us.
But before I get too sad about time flying by, I have really been trying to consciously stop and smell the flowers every chance I get with the little, adorable people they are now.
Holding their hand. Making them giggle at the park. Reading them stories together, with each one at my side. Snuggling two, clean little chubby, healthy kids in my lap. Morning silliness when getting dressed for the day. Kisses and hugs after clipping them in their car seats. Catching one of them playing pretend when they think no one is looking.
Just the little things I hope we never, ever forget.
I feel like this blog has been pretty shmoopy lately - with lots of kid-isms. How many times can you read about the cute thing Lucy said or what Tommy is doing, right?
But really, that was the point when I started this blog two years ago. I wanted to write down the little things that made our day to day happen. I want to give this to them as a gift, so they can see how their mom handled their lives as little kiddos. I want to remember how I did it and I want them to know the mom that I was at that time in their lives.
I was reading some of my 2006 archives the other night and was already blown away at how fast time flies. It's hard, now, to even remember Tommy as a little, tiny baby and I am so glad I wrote down a lot of my experiences. Lucy was so little when I started this. Even though I have always thought of her as a "big girl," she was just a little squirt, not even two years old yet.
I am making a conserted effort to really try and spend the quality time with them. To pay attention to everything they are doing, saying and feeling. I see some friends struggle with this, and while I pass no judgement on them, it serves as a reminder to me to always remember what is most important. Quality over quantity. Smell the flowers. The simple pleasures or unplanned events are sometimes the most memorable.
It's all bittersweet as I head into this summer with my 2 and 4-year-old. What fun ages to hang with and how precious is this time. I am one lucky mom.