No longer toys

I can not tell you specifically where I have been today, but I will tell you it was not in the Toy Department. Gone are the days birthday gifts were purchased on toy store aisles, debating with myself if my daughter would rather have the Fisher Price Doll House Bathroom, or Living Room set. I have exchanged picking up toys strewn across my family room floor, to young women and men's sizes 7.5 and 8 shoes. No longer staying home for Quiet Time at 1:00p, I am still busy running errands with only our toddler puppy in tow.

I used to remember calling my husband towards the end of the day, secretly crossing my fingers that he would say, Yes, I am on my way home, so that the last bit of stay-at-home-mommy-role-with-toddlers was doable. There were days that I needed an instant break as soon as he walked in, and then other days when life just seemed to work and I could manage a good dinner, bath time, and bedtime, while he enjoyed a turn of relaxing from a hard day outside of the house.

Now those end of the day phone calls are made to double check that we are in the right place at the right time whether that is practice, lessons, or classes ... some one in our family has something going on most nights of the week, and sometimes that means tag-teaming. But the check-in are not to say "Help me escape" it is "Let's do this together" while we enjoy the conversation of our Teens.

While I would not replace any part of my children's growing up years: the terrible threes, the whining fives, the giggling sevens, or the attitude tweens ... I will admit that it would be fun to travel back in time and visit their voice, their laughter, heck ~ even their misbehavior for a chance to keep them where they are right. now.

Growing up fast is an understatement. I was reminded of this over the weekend when my oldest Niece drove her mom and herself over in my Niece's new car. Not a Tricycle, but a four-wheel-steering-wheeled-engined-car. And then for my Niece to follow-up in conversation, "Ohh - I can't wait for next year when my cousin will be at my school!!!" Her cousin is my girl. The first and only time the two will be on the same campus pre-College is when my Niece is a SENIOR.

No longer toys.

They do grow-up.