Friday, October 30, 2009

Today.

Today
when I least expected it

my kids somehow grew up
before my very eyes.
I thought I would try letting them
cut out their own pumpkin tops
(after I had drawn the line to follow)


and they just kept going
without looking back
to find out what to do next.

Ben even remembered to tell us that
you have to scoop it out good
Apparently they HAVE been watching and listening.

I never touched Ben's pumpkin.
He was all business
and not to be interrupted.

I did help Bethany just a tad,
(and it was a VERY small tad!)

but the plan was all hers.

Really, who knew that Ben could cut out letters like this...freehand?



Bethany carefully drew and executed her plan.

She cut out her whole cat
all by herself.
And when I was amazed
she gave me a giant hug.
She had also amazed herself.




I did not cry when they were baptized
or when they sang their first solos in children's choir.
But today, as they carved their own pumpkins
and talked about who they wanted to go trick-or-treating with
and did not mention their parents' names
I was tempted. Very tempted.
I took pictures instead.
Because they are still
just as delightful
as when they were really little.
I want to savor the growing up, too.

13 comments:

Givinya De Elba said...

Oh that's good to hear! As a Mum with tiny little ones who melt my heart every day, it's GREAT to hear that!

stefanie said...

"(after I had drawn the line to follow) ... and they just kept going
without looking back
to find out what to do next."

has undone me

Dea said...

Aw, this is so sweet, what a great way to put it. Your kids did a great job on thier pumpkins, and dont be sad they will always be your babies!

Dea said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Heather of the EO said...

Love the pictures!

These moments are what it's all about, no?

Happy Halloween!

Betty W said...

I sure wish we had digital camera´s back then, because the pick´s will help you to remember. Great photos!

Joy said...

I'm very impressed with their pumkin carving skills.

Your kids are two of the most expressive little people I've ever seen. Your camera loves them.

Great job B & B

Hope you got loads of goodies tonight.

Joy

Melissa B. said...

I've always suspected that Bethany was a Kat Woman...Happy Halloween, Mom!

StitchinByTheLake said...

Firsts can be so difficult - even when they're adults! :) blessings, marlene

Mayhem and Moxie said...

Such a fantastic post. As mothers, I think we sometimes long for years gone by too much, rather than actually living in the moment with our kids.

Glad to see that you aren't doing that. :)

Skeller said...

...and a resounding "awwwwww!" was heard throughout the blogosphere...

Tracy- you beautifully captured this sweet, monumental, stepping-stone moment ...

Kudos to your kiddos for their awesome carving!!

The Accidental Housewife said...

This is a gorgeous post. Thanks for sharing!

Skeller said...

oh yah. I loved this post just as much the second time thru, one year later (because, of course, I linked thru from your IHF Orange post) ;-)