Three days of milestones

We parents are a curious lot. We brag all the time about new things our kids are doing and make plans for their futures. Yet we lament the rapid passing of their childhood! If the truth be known, I fall right in there with the rest.

This week marked three "age milestones" for the kids in our family. Tuesday was not only Caleb's first day of preschool, but also my one month warning for his third birthday. Somehow answering "He's two," makes him still seem like my baby boy ~ even if he isn't. The signs are all here, he's speaking so much more clearly now, he's able to completely dress himself, and he now knows how to count to 12! Yet I'm gonna cling to his days of being two with everything I have...

Tuesday his class was on the toddler playground when I picked him up. This was just before he made eye contact with me. Doesn't he look so tiny?

Then yesterday brought Darcy's "2 1/2 birthday." She may not live in our house yet, but she is fully ours! We celebrated by baking some Pillsbury Big Deluxe Special Edition Cinnabon Sugar Cookies. (If you haven't tried them, you really should! And perhaps it is a good thing for my weigh in Wednesdays that they are a limited edition...) Both Kylie and Caleb sang Happy Birthday to her and if I'm going to be completely honest, I shed a few tears about the fact that she is still on the other side of the world.

I mean really, wouldn't you be going crazy to bring her home if she were yours? Six months ago I saw her face for the first time. And I think that with the first glance, I knew...

And my big girl turned 3 1/2 today! She's so articulate these days. Just yesterday she approached me in the kitchen with a request for gum. But she didn't just ask, she skipped across the kitchen, did a twirl, and then sang her question to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle. I smiled at her creativity and she asked, "Did you like my technique?" Really, where did she get that word?
This morning we discussed that her friend Abbey was in flight to China to meet her little brother and Kylie squealed, "I'm SO CITED for her!" And then today she was talking to my mom on the phone. She was laying on the floor of my bedroom and I heard her saying, "You mean cousin Tisha? Well, she's not my cousin, but she mommy's cousin. Hmm, I think that's correct. That is correct, isn't it Gra-ma?" Love how her little mind works!

We haven't quite settled on the way we'll commemorate half birthdays, but we've been having fun trying to figure it out! Tonight I think we hit on what will end up our family tradition ~ Donuts. Not a whole cake, but a fun way to celebrate ~ and besides, the "half birthday" celebrant gets to pick their favorite flavor!

Even if the favorite flavor is chocolate ~ at night.

And who doesn't love a donut ~ even if it isn't your half birthday!