before she took a nap

January 6, 2014

It dawned on me last week that the days of naptime are soon coming to a close. Not today or tomorrow or even this month, but my youngest daughter is…my youngest. I know there might be a day that my kids are older and choose for themselves to take a nap – that’s different. I’m also very aware that I don’t know what tomorrow holds, so my youngest may not always be my youngest. But today she is. For ten years the afternoon usually means someone in the house is taking a nap.

It is very strange when your youngest begins passing milestones.

It is very strange to spend so many years having babies and toddlers in the house…followed by more babies and toddler.

And then to have a toddler. And to not have a baby.

I’ve never had a toddler and not a baby too.

In August, I will have four elementary aged kids and one toddler.

No babies.

So very weird. Not a bad weird or even a sad weird. Just a strange-I’m-getting-older-new-phase-of-life weird.

So I took a few shots of my last napper before she fell asleep. Recorded her snuggled with her lamb. Remembered a little boy who used to nap with a Lightning McQueen car. And I thought about how grateful I am there is much to look forward to in the future, otherwise all this kids-growing-up stuff would be really sad.