Shoes

 You know the old parenting cliche - the days are long but the years are short?  I am feeling that so much the last couple of weeks.  Busy work and travel schedules for both me and John. Soccer and dance for both girls. The daily juggle to manage the calendar can leave me feeling worn out by it all.

And then I get these reminders of how fast everything goes.  How on Earth will I remember all these small moments with the kids?  I think I will remember forever the look, the conversation, the funny saying and then it is gone.  This morning Amelia told me she was "totally used to Kindergarten already."  How funny is that?  And I looked over my shoulder at Ava, who was riding in the backseat with a totally dreamy, contented look on her face and I felt so grateful that my sweet Patito has such a good heart.

When Amelia was little she put her shoes on the wrong feet every.single.time.  Over and over. No matter the shoes, no matter the occasion, they went on the wrong feet.  Except now they don't anymore.  I watched her this morning get her shoes, set them down on the ground, line them up the right way, put them on and tie them herself. A totally tiny thing, but I was struck by her efficiency, her independence and wondered where it came from?  When did this happen?  When did she stop being the girl who always put her shoes on the wrong feet?

I mean, look at this crazy girl.  This is the outfit she picked out this morning....

Bonus picture - the girls and I took Orbit to the dog park, but it required a pause to play on a dried tree stump and pose for a picture.  We couldn't get Orbit to hold still to be in the shot!