Who knew...

It would happen.

I mean they TELL you it will...but, when you are in the middle of it, you think NAH, it won't happen.

But today, it did.

Today, my heart broke a little as I watched Toy Story with my kiddos.

It has safely been 3 or 4 years since we watched it together.

But today, after church (for the boys--baby girl is still running low grade fever) we baked cookies and snuggled in their room and watched.

You have to know that my Nathan is eleven and used to carry around Rex and Buzz when he was three.

Elijah is newly 7 and back when he was 3, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were in high rotation on his DAILY watching menu. His words were very few at that time...but his love for Toy Story & Five Monkeys On The Bed (book) was vast.

So today, we watched.

Anna-Elizabeth met Woody for the first time.
I can't wait for her to see the second one and meet Jessie the Cowgirl.

But then it happened.
My older boys totally got the adult humor.

"Buzz Lightbeer'' did you hear that Mom, FUNNNNNNNNNNNY.

Elijah still enjoyed it, but when I looked over--there was this big kid sitting where my silent 3 year old was supposed to be...

And I did that Mom thing, where you sit there and you feel this pain--akin to a growing pain, because you realize that your ''littles'' are so.not.little & they've become these big kids, seemingly overnight.

My heart was happy. I was sitting there remeeting my kids. Meeting their next phase.

My head was overwhelmed with how quickly the time has passed.

I wanted to stop and roll around in memory. I wanted to remember Nathan holding those mini action figures and taking them everywhere. I wanted to remember the day our VCR edition of Toy Story broke and it made for a very sad day for Elijah. I wanted to be there again...to make some better choices, to love more, and fuss less and kiss them and cherish those moments...I wanted to tell them, to ask them to just stay little there, because the world is scary and Momma's can protect little kids. :)

But I couldn't. I can't.

Life keeps on going. The days turn to weeks and the weeks to months an the months to years, until you are sitting there questioning exactly HOW the time got away from you.

So instead, I laughed with my big ones, enjoyed seeing Elijah's seven year old response & got to see love bloom for the movie in AE's eyes.

I can take that
well, that and knowing the third installment will hold more memories for us.