The end of the school-year marathon is always a bit of a whirlwind. It seems like we run, run, run ... from the all-school carnival to the earlier than usual buses for field trips to the sporting events ... and to the store or fast-food joints for all those last-minute meals because we planned even less than usual.
This year, though, has felt especially hurried and has made me extremely sensitive to just how quickly time passes. Why? My first baby is growing up really, really fast and it seems to be happening all at once.
I started noticing this bittersweet twinge about a month ago when it dawned on me that Karstin is not only about to finish 8th grade, he is on the verge of becoming a HIGH SCHOOLER. That means the collection of memorabilia I've been saving for 13+ years is about to become complete and it's high time I actually get working on the scrapbook I've been intending to make with it all before the whirlwind of high school takes over.
Adding to my awareness of how old he's getting is the fact he has been counting down the days until his birthday for about a month now. (Less than 5 days now, by the way).
This feeling was pretty vague until this week when Karstin handed me the high school registration packet. Choosing a career path, thinking ahead to what classes now will help in college... eeks. My kid is already at that point??? Walking into the high school Wednesday evening with him to actually complete registration for freshman classes ... and seeing a huge sign saying "Welcome Class of 2013" ... that pretty much made my stomach flip over. Not only had I never thought about what year he would graduate, but I'm pretty good at math - and 2013 is awfully dang close to 2009.
Ouch.
Then there's last night. Karstin's first official semi-formal dance. With a date he arranged almost three weeks in advance. A date with a girl who he is calling his official "girlfriend." Not just a girl who his friends told her friends they were "going out" and who he never actually speaks directly to but a girl who he actually hangs out with before school every day and who he blogs about. We couldn't resist dropping in at the dance for a few minutes with the camera. (I was FAR from the only parent doing this, by the way.) The kids were having a blast and dancing up a storm ... a far cry from his wallflower mama, that's for sure. Karstin even introduced us to his date and they let me take a couple photos of them together. It wasn't until I was looking at the photos last night (and yes, scrapbooking the event already), that I noticed they were holding hands in the photo. Gulp.
As if that wasn't enough to make me desperate to slow down the hands of time, we spent this evening at the dinner celebrating the fact that Karstin & 6 of his classmates will be confirmed during church tomorrow morning. Yes, I've had two years for that one to sink in while he has faithfully attended confirmation class every Wednesday after school. But still, it sure wasn't seeming real until this week.
I think I tend to be pretty level-headed most of the time and there are definitely times when I'm looking forward to the day when the kids are out on their own. I didn't even cry the first time I dropped Karstin off at kindergarten - I was just excited to see him growing & learning. But this whole series of milestones this month has made me realize just how much I am beginning to enjoy this person that started out as that cute little curly-headed baby almost 14 years ago.
We blog together (or at least in the same room). I absolutely LOVE to watch him play the drums in his school concerts. He's a great help with the girls. He actually gets my jokes ... at least most of the time. He notices things others miss. He's just nice to have around ...
Yeah, I love him. But I'm noticing just how much I LIKE him, too. And I know how fast these next four years are going to fly by. The realization that life as we know it - the six of us all living together in one house doing the normal, everyday family stuff that we take for granted - is so incredibly temporary and short-term... that's becoming a little too concrete these days.
So forgive me if I'm a lot more sentimental than usual (and take even MORE photos than usual, if that's even possible) and if my scrapbook pages get a little sappy.
... And maybe, just for a while, could we slow this train down a bit???
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