So this happened today:

This kid is a kindergarten graduate. As we sat there clapping for his little self and watching him walk in to the commencement song (that song always makes me get choked up, which used to always surprise me about myself until I made my peace with it: I am a school-program cryer. Christmas programs, class musicals, graduations...I just am. Deal with it.), looking at him sitting there waiting for his turn to walk across the stage (his feet still don't touch the floor), it occurred to me that this is our last kinder graduation. The last. And I simultaneously felt like, "We did it! We did all the toddler years!" and like, "Oh. It's over. That was it, and it's gone." 

Mostly, I think it's just as it should be. I loved our years of having littles. There are many parts of that stage that I'll miss, and some parts that make me glad to move on (having littles is just. so. physically. tiring.). And I love now that they are growing older--it's amazing to watch them develop. (And they get so funny as they get older!) But on the whole...it just is all going so fast. The older they get, the more time picks up speed. Everyone tells you to enjoy it because it goes quickly, but when I was doing babies and toddlers, time never felt quick. Those were sloooooow years for me. Now, though, I feel like I can't grasp it fast enough. Makes me grateful I am learning mindfulness...to be present so I can breathe these moments in instead of missing them.