Thursday

Today is Thursday. It is 2 p.m. on Thursday. This is the end of the week to most. This is one week after our Grace's birthday. It has been a whirlwind. Actually, life is a whirlwind. It seems that one minute I was getting married to the love of my life, throwing that beautiful bouquet and 20 minutes later, our baby is blowing out the candles on her 16th birthday cake.

Really. REALLY. When our babies were born, I remember hearing friends and family say things like,"Oh, they grow so fast!"......"Treasure this time in your life"......"Enjoy the baby time because later.....".....on and on and on. I remember thinking. I do treasure this time. They grow so fast....it seemed that folks who had that bittersweet message to share had raised their children and were looking back to their baby days.



Well...here I am. A mom who has spent almost everyday with these babies since they were born. Wow....it really does go so fast. A minute ago, Biff and I were pulling Grace and T.J. in an L.L.Bean Sled and now they're talking about what kind of car they want! We went from Cozy Coupe to "Do you think I could get a Jeep?"

It is bittersweet. These days have been more than I could have dreamed of.....mostly the good....the love, the sweetness and the fun along the way. Even as I write, I do look back at those Kodak memories....you know...with the music, the shiny happy faces, the beautiful scenery, the adorable faces of families and puppies. That's the way we look back.

AND THEN, we have the other memories. The days where we didn't have a moment to get to the bathroom....and if we did, we had company...those innocent faces who just needed us nearby. The ringing doorbells that ended naptimes. The runny noses that turned into ear infections in the middle of the night. The tantrums. The broken bones. The tantrums. The homework. The cranky days.

Somehow, those days seem few. Somehow, memories allow us to see the joy of it all....and the difficult times mellow in our minds. Unless, of course, we look back. exaggerate and laugh at the whole adventure. And, it has been an adventure!