closing the door

So, they say these guys are ready for kindergarten. But, I am not... not at all. Though all of their five years are accounted for, they seem to have passed by much too quickly. And, to add to the emotional milestone, their entrance into kindergarten means something more in my life. When Kylee started school, I was entering into a new season of motherhood; with the boys starting, I am ending an entire season of motherhood. A season, in fact, that will always be remembered as some of the best years of my life. The years have been full of amazement, excitement, fun, wonder, awe, teaching and learning new things and a whole lot of "firsts". They have been wonderful. I have loved (nearly) every moment. In fact, as a young one myself, these younger years full of babies, toddlers and preschoolers were the ones that I imagined, dreamed of and longed for. I cannot believe that they are over - that I am now a mommy to a handful of school aged kids. They are growing up. I am, against my will, being forced to close the door on the season of young motherhood and run, full throttle, into the next - the school aged years.

Ready or not, kindergarten, here they come!!

I will truly, honestly, desperately miss the days of doing this:

and learning at home:

and taking trips to the zoo whenever we wanted:

and baking cupcakes in middle of the day because we felt like it:
and losing track of the hours we spent in the basement shooting hoops:

and dressing up and pretending, inside and out:

and all the creativity and play that graces the floors of my home constantly:

and all day jammy days, and days full of games:

Oh goodness, these have been some wonderful years.