The playground seems to have shrunk

I took the kids to the local park/playground for the first time in several years, and suddenly all three big kids looked so...big! And the slides looked small. Thankfully Ari is still little and she had a blast. But Julia commented, "Mommy, the park doesn't seem quite as much fun as it used to..." It's a little sad that I have big kids who are starting to outgrow the playground! But they still had fun, and we had the place to ourselves today, while probably most smart people are at the beach. :)

Summer is a good time to slow down and savor the moments, both little and big, but it's also causing me to notice more just how fast the kids are growing up. Sam has grown at least 4 inches since last September, and is only 3 inches shorter than me. When I stop and consider that Josiah is now the same age Sam was when we took our trips to Battleship Cove and Plimoth Plantation (four years ago), well...it's just a little crazy! I am extra thankful that God gave us Ari, so we will still have a "little kid" for a while...but yes, I know it'll still go by too fast with her, too. It is sometimes exhausting to deal with the toddler challenges, but super fun to get to explore and discover things with a little one all over again.

So now the big kids zip all over the playground "making a Star Wars story," and the little kid zips around doing her own thing or joining in with them. I sit and watch, slapping mosquitoes now and then. (The playground may have shrunk, but some things never change.) It's a beautiful day to savor one of these little moments.