Milestones

They say that the older you get, the quicker time goes by. I totally agree with that statement, and I'll one-better-it by saying it goes even quicker when you count the years by how old your children are.

My son, Paden, turned 5 on the 21st of August. Five years old. Where did five years go? Poof! Gone. Amazing.

Five is big. Five is huge. Five means you're big enough to reach the bathroom taps without using a stool, big enough to get dressed all by yourself and most definitely to pick out said clothes without mom's help, big enough that you're too big to play in the 'little kids' play area at the mall, big enough to go to kindergarden.

Five means that most of your sentences start with "Mom, remember a long time ago when I was four.....?" It's all I can do not to burst into tears. Where did my little bear go? I mean, no matter how big he gets he'll always be my little bear, but wow!!! He's been in shorts all summer, now all his pants are too short!! Off to the mall we go, where we can get 'big boy' pants, and 'big boy' shoes, the list - the 'big' list goes on and on, but not to the play area cause he's too 'big' now.

Next week he starts kindergarden. I'll no doubt be a wreck, a weepy sentimental blubbering fool...I did it when he started daycare, I'll no doubt be the same next week. It's one of those right of passages moments. Paden's so excited about starting school, he's already met and loves his new teacher - his first school teacher. That's when all the baby pictures come out...there's the little egg roll in the nursery, pictures of firsts; first meals, first halloween (my little bumblebee), first christmas, first birthday, first steps, first skate, first bike, first fish, first boat ride, first soccer game...

There will be pictures to add along the way - first day of school, first dance, first girlfriend...but I'm getting ahead of myself, I won't have to count to those years just yet....not just yet...just not yet.