When my oldest was about three years old, he pointed out every irrigation pivot we drove by. He got so excited about seeing them that we pointed them out if he hadn’t noticed them. He wanted a toy pivot, like the one his uncles got when they bought a real pivot. We took him to watch pivots running because he was so fascinated with them. And then one day, I don’t remember when, it stopped. My husband mentioned it the other day, and I realized that I had completely forgotten about it.
For a while when he was two, my middle son liked to have all of his Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals with him in his carseat. You couldn’t even see him over the mound of Roo, Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet, Pooh, little Pooh, and Tigger. He would get so upset if one of them fell off while we were driving. Then he stopped wanting to take them with him everywhere, and now they are abandoned on the bedroom floor.
Their current obsession is taking people’s noses off. My husband’s family taught them this. They even “eat” them, put them in their ears, or all sorts of other crazy things. It gets a little painful when my 13 month old does it though since I think she is actually trying to remove my nose.
There are so many other little things that they did for a while, and they just fade away. Some may be forgotten forever, some may be recalled some day when the right thing triggers the memory. Living life a day at a time, it is easy to not pay much attention to these daily routines, but it is a little bittersweet to look back on them. While I enjoy watching my kids grow and change, I still miss things that they did as younger children. There are so many “lasts” that I don’t remember, but wish I did. It seems like the firsts get all the attention, but the last time is often what I enjoy remembering more. I can’t remember the first time my oldest walked, but I do remember the last day we spent as a family of three before his younger brother was born, and forever changed the dynamic.
There are so many days with three young kids where it feels like I am just trying to survive until bedtime, but I try to remember on the days where I have a moment to think, to enjoy the little things that I know won’t last forever. My oldest is five now and I know the time when he will want to sit on my lap in my chair or hold my hand won’t last much longer. I don’t want to feel like I missed out on enjoying all the little things that I take for granted so easily every day. Some day my daughter won’t think that every article of clothing she come across, even her brother’s underwear, goes on her head, so I better enjoy laughing at how cute it is now.
About This Blogger: Kaitlyn Sexton
I was born in a small town (less than 2,000 people small, thought I would clarify since I have heard some people refer to 30,00 as a small town and there’s a big difference) in southern Michigan. I grew up on the farm my family has owned since the mid-1800s. My grandparents lived across the road from us. I love books and learning so I have taken a college class on about every subject there is, and I just got my own library in our new house. I also enjoy baking and sewing. My husband farms too, and we just moved into a farmhouse we have been remodeling for the last year. It turns out his parents went to school with my dad and our grandfather’s were friends. In a small town, everyone knows or is related to everyone else. We have 3 kids- a 5 year old boy, a 2 year old boy, and a 4 month old girl. I am homeschooling our oldest, although with his love for numbers, I often think he is teaching me. I recently completed my pre/postnatal fitness specialist certification and I am working on completing my personal trainer certification. I also sell baked goods and children’s clothes from home, when I am not refilling sippy cups of milk while wearing the baby in her carrier.
