A New Phase of Life...

My baby went to kindergarten yesterday.  I went out with friends to a celebration lunch!  ; )  I did not cry or feel sad at all.  I feel very excited for him, actually.  He is ready to be there...to learn and to socialize.  He was getting a little bored at home.  (That is totally my fault...I am just not very fun!)

But one thing has given me a little pause lately... this is my last year with any time at home with a young child and my last year of having all of my children in my home.  (Even as I type the words, I CANNOT believe they are true!)

My oldest has started her senior year.  I swear that just a couple years ago, she was three and dancing around my family room in her purple tutu! (I know that sounds cliche...but just you wait--that is exactly how it feels!) There is a very good chance that she will go to the same college that my husband and I did (BYU) and it just doesn't seem like 18 years since we were there ourselves!

Just a couple days ago, there was a perfect article for me on my FAVORITE mom blog:  The Power of Moms.  It was titled: Before They Fly.  It made me face the reality of it all: We have just a few precious months left to all be together.  To create memories that will bind my children to each other.

And with the crazy schedule of my Senior daughter--4 AP classes, Seminary Council, Choir President, teaching piano, and working at a local deli--those moments are becoming harder and harder to find.

But I am ready to seize those moments when they do come.  And I will probably need to re-read that article every month just to remember that all those moments and memories really are more important than a perfectly clean and organized home, or actually getting the kids in bed ON TIME.  Because, let's be honest, I struggle with that balance. Oh, do I struggle.  : )