I always heard that as a parent, you should not blink or else you will miss your children growing up right in front of your eyes. Well, they were right.

Last night, after a long Sunday Funday at the Zoo, my oldest son looked at me and proudly proclaimed that he was a big boy and could put his socks on himself. And so it begins.

There is a small part of me that misses the boys when they were infants. They were great to hold and snuggle with, but there is something that is great about having the boys grow up and interact with them. I love being able to ask them about their day and they respond. I love being able to laugh and joke with them, and they get it. But at the same time, there is a little sadness to it as well.

I had this same conversation with my mom this morning and she laughed. She laughed because she remembered me saying that I was a big boy and that I could walk to the mall all by myself if I wanted to at the age of 3. Not that I would have walked 5 miles on my own, but it was the fact that I could say it and the determination to try on my own. But as my mother was telling me this story, I realized, I’m just grateful to have two amazing boys that I get to love and hold and play with each and every day.

So today, I know that my little boys are quickly turning into big boys and I’m going to cherish today and the moments, as soon, they will be asking for the keys to the car for the first time and I’ll remember back to when to when he said, “I’m a big boy”.