Wow! It does go fast...

Now that it's 2014 we are on the down hill slide to the end of C's kindergarten year. I look at her and still see that sweet little baby that I nuzzled up against when she was first born. But I also see something else. The sweetness is still there, and probably always will be, but I can also see her strength and determination brewing just under the surface.

From time-to-time, lately more often than not, we will see that determination manifest itself in various ways. It could be her repeated attempts to master the cartwheel flipping over and over in our living room, kitchen, basement, yard, etc. Anywhere that appears to be a flat surface...but that is not even a requirement. The look on her face when she knows she's nailed it exactly how she should is priceless. She radiates confidence and pride.

It could also be the way she looks around the gym at gymnastics for us when she's finally conquered the rope and is waving from high up for us to see. She fell many times trying to get up that rope but kept trying and trying until she got it.

It could be the way she redid her classwork that she had rushed through and the turned it back in to her teacher to show she made the effort to try again. Or the way she is sounding out words she sees as she progresses her way through learning to read.

She doesn't always need us anymore. Which breaks my heart most of the time. But it also warms my heart to see her run off and be independent and thriving. I still cling to those nights when the little baby comes out and she wants to cuddle because I know they are fleeting.

I am shocked by how fast this school year has gone. It's been a blur of uniforms and lunches (she was eating hot dogs almost daily until we figured that out and went back to taking her lunch) and fundraisers and learning new things. She's no longer scared to walk into her school and jumps out of the car with ease still overwhelmed by the size of her backpack. We've cried and laughed...sometimes about the same things. We've learned being a kid is not easy and being the mom of a kid is not easy either.

I knew early on when I started blogging about being a mom I wanted to do so because I tend forget things as time goes on. I forget the sweet details of experiences as other parts of life overshadow them. I don't want to forget.

I want to be able to tell C that on 1/9/14 we braided her hair the night before school because she wanted to wear it wavy this morning. She had some pep in her step. I want her to know that she ate corn dogs for dinner and mandrain oranges both with her hands even though it drove me nuts. I want her to know that I discovered a pile of stickers and decorative tape under her bed where she'd been dropping her trash behind her bed instead of throwing it away.

So, I am writing to preserve the details. The minutiae that gets lost in the empty spaces in my brain but are some of the most important things to remember. Cause man, it all goes by to fast.