The Best Days

I am sitting at the table drinking my morning cup of coffee and in walks Gabe with his Under Armour shorts and Detroit Tigers t-shirt and I notice. The softness of his cheeks is disappearing, the roundness of his belly is gone too. He is almost as tall as my Mom and he suddenly looks like he is all arms and legs. We talk about books and friends and the latest PG-13 movie we just watched together.

As we’re laying on the porch reading books, I look over and notice Matthew’s shorts seem to have shrunk two inches and his face looks less little boy and more pre-teen every day. He’s more into Minecraft than Legos. We talk about the book he’s reading and who he wants to have over for a sleepover.

Olivia asks me to turn the radio station to see if we can find a better song. I look in the rear view mirror and almost don’t recognize what I see. Who is the girl with the long lashes and high cheekbones? When did her legs get that impossibly long? We talk about music and movies and what’s going to happen next.

I could look around and get incredibly sad at how fast it’s going. How one day I was wondering how I was going to make it through the day with two babies and now I have three almost teenagers. How one day they were all chubby cheeks and sausage legs and heads full of blonde curls and now they look like they could go hang out at the mall with friends. Sometimes I am wistful for those times when I was more in control, when I was needed more, when they would snuggle and kiss me. But most of the time I remember that some of the best days of our lives haven’t happened yet.

I think about how, God willing, I’ll get to watch them grow and see them change into teenagers and grown-ups and experience all kinds of wonderful things. The truth is, when I remember to think about that, I just can’t wait to watch them grow up. I feel so lucky to be their Mom.