Today has been reflective and joyful. Yesterday my sweet 5 year old "baby" asked to play with the baby toys. We keep a box of them on a top shelf in Emma's bedroom to entertain young guests. I got them down for her and she played made music with the noisy toys and stacked up the alphabet blocks. Today as I was putting them away I felt a bit of sadness as I remembered purchasing those toys for my babies and knowing that I would never again be buying baby toys for my own babies. I have passed that stage of life, and most of the time it is with little regret. I don't miss the long nights and the diapers and worse--the potty training, but I do miss the first smile, the first belly laugh, and the first steps. And while those early firsts are but a sweet memory, today I experienced with my children several other firsts.
The first of my motherhood firsts today was our graduating from the "baby pool." At the Lehi Legacy Center indoor pool there is an area reserved for babies and children 5 and under. Many of our first times visiting the pool was spent there. Today it was the first place Sarah wished to go. She is proudly 5 1/2. I took her there after assigning my other four children a "buddy." Estelle needs one because she is to young to be left to her own devices and Taylor because I need him to have one for my peace of mind. After five minutes Sarah was ready to leave. We ventured to the "lazy river" and even to the larger play area with an even larger slide. Granted it is not too large for a adventurous toddler, but today was the first time she had mustered up enough courage to try it out for herself. After having gone down it once in the protective grasp of her big sister Estelle, she was ready to go by herself. After that, there was no looking back. It was "goodbye to the baby pool." I was proud of her and she was proud of herself.
On the drive home fourteen year old Spencer told me that there was a stake dance tonight, but he thought he was too tired to attend. He, however, called a friend and made arrangements to ride to the dance with him any way. He has been nervous about going and has had other friends trying to coax him into it. But Brevin is just a couple of weeks younger and having another newbie was comforting to him. So instead of staying up late with babies, I get to stay up waiting for teenagers to arrive home. Upon his return he was all smiles. My tender-hearted son asked girls to dance and had a great time. He wants to go again. It was a joy listening to him talk about the night's events and I realized our family was opening a new chapter in our lives. In three years more of my children will be teenagers than not.
While we may not have the joy of new babies in the house, we still have many more years of firsts. First dates, graduations from elementary, middle, high school and college are a few of the upcoming firsts for my children. There will be other small firsts like the ones we experienced tonight. I especially look forward to first temple trips and first letters from missionaries. There are many more "firsts" to look forward to in the future and I can't wait!
The first of my motherhood firsts today was our graduating from the "baby pool." At the Lehi Legacy Center indoor pool there is an area reserved for babies and children 5 and under. Many of our first times visiting the pool was spent there. Today it was the first place Sarah wished to go. She is proudly 5 1/2. I took her there after assigning my other four children a "buddy." Estelle needs one because she is to young to be left to her own devices and Taylor because I need him to have one for my peace of mind. After five minutes Sarah was ready to leave. We ventured to the "lazy river" and even to the larger play area with an even larger slide. Granted it is not too large for a adventurous toddler, but today was the first time she had mustered up enough courage to try it out for herself. After having gone down it once in the protective grasp of her big sister Estelle, she was ready to go by herself. After that, there was no looking back. It was "goodbye to the baby pool." I was proud of her and she was proud of herself.
On the drive home fourteen year old Spencer told me that there was a stake dance tonight, but he thought he was too tired to attend. He, however, called a friend and made arrangements to ride to the dance with him any way. He has been nervous about going and has had other friends trying to coax him into it. But Brevin is just a couple of weeks younger and having another newbie was comforting to him. So instead of staying up late with babies, I get to stay up waiting for teenagers to arrive home. Upon his return he was all smiles. My tender-hearted son asked girls to dance and had a great time. He wants to go again. It was a joy listening to him talk about the night's events and I realized our family was opening a new chapter in our lives. In three years more of my children will be teenagers than not.
While we may not have the joy of new babies in the house, we still have many more years of firsts. First dates, graduations from elementary, middle, high school and college are a few of the upcoming firsts for my children. There will be other small firsts like the ones we experienced tonight. I especially look forward to first temple trips and first letters from missionaries. There are many more "firsts" to look forward to in the future and I can't wait!
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