Where does the time go?

Have you ever looked around and realized that life is passing by too quickly? I could swear yesterday I was running around with bear feet, a bad perm, and a teddy bear on my t-shirt. Now, all of a sudden I am the mom, and my own children are growing up before my eyes, doing the same things that my sisters and I were doing not so long ago. This week has been one of those times when my fast paced life seemed to slow down just long enough for me to see life as the miracle that it is.

It all began with my oldest sister Angie and her new baby who we went to meet for the first time this last week. There's just something about a new baby, especially when it belongs to your sister who you have literally known every second of your life. Angie and I are only 13 months apart so we have shared a lot since we were babies. Toys, clothes, friends, and a multitude of experiences. Now we get to be moms together.

Baby Cal 5 days old.

So maybe I was already feeling sappy with the new baby and all that, but the next event of the week was Greg's fourth birthday. Four years has passed so fast. I, of course, know that everyone loves their kids and that all of them are special. But sometimes it just hits me how lucky I am to have my children. Greg is more EVERYTHING than I could have ever imagined. He is cuter, smarter, funnier, and crazier than Marc and I knew was possible.
Here's an example: A few weeks ago we had a ward service auction to raise money for the youth camps. People from the ward offered different services and then all families were given a paddle so they could bid while they ate dinner. Being the penniless students we are, we stuck to buying small items from the bake sale table and weren't paying super close attention to the actual auction. I left Marc to manage the boys while I helped the YW run the bake sale, so needless to say he had his hands full. Marc was chit-chatting with another couple in the ward when all the sudden they said, "Oh-oh, Greg just bid on something!" Sure enough, Greg saw everybody having fun with the paddles and wanted in on the action. So he picked ours up and started bidding away. He won too! Luckily it worked out OK. He ended up winning a free swimming lesson and it only cost us $15.
What would life be like without Greg? Dull, dull, dull. We are so happy and grateful for Greg in our family. Happy Birthday buddy!
Not to be outdone, Caleb is following right in Greg's charcter filled footsteps. Here he is-about to go swimming in Marc's parent's hot tub. He insisted on wearing the goggles. If someone had pulled me aside at 17 and asked me where I thought I would be in ten years, I would have probably told them that I would be a mom with a couple of kids. However, I never knew then that I would also be having the time of my life and loving, if not every minute, then almost every minute of it. Cheers to motherhood, childhood, and life!