When Did They Get So Big?

(Today's date is 9/9/09, and I didn't even think about how cool that is until I wrote a check tonight and realized the pattern. Wouldn't it be neat to be born on this day? :) But on to serious stuff...)

Every so often, a moment will come along that stands out to me with suddenness and clarity, reminding me that these sons of mine, who all started as tiny beings within me (too small to be seen with the naked eye), are growing up and have, all at once, become HUGE! :)

I've had these moments in regard to each of the boys recently; and for fun, I decided to record them so that I can someday look back, when my boys are grown men, and remember some of my thoughts at various stages of their growing years. Here are my recent "aha! he's getting big!" moments...

Josiah: I was folding the laundry when I held up one of his shirts and thought how big it looked...could such a big shirt possibly fit him?...well, yes, it could--and does...he's not wearing little boy shirts anymore because he's not a little boy!

David: seeing him in a pair of pajamas that Josiah wore as recently as last winter...when I had moved those pajamas into David's dresser, I had thought that they would be huge on him this year...but actually, much to my surprise, they fit just fine!

Tobin: realizing that much of the time, he is in a vertical position...I don't know if that makes sense, but I'll try to explain...I remember some months ago, I tried to picture what he would look like when he was standing and walking; but it's always a hard jump for me to imagine this little body that mostly lays or sits suddenly able to be upright and sustain himself in a vertical position...but now, Tobin does it without noticeable effort...and though he may not be fluidly walking yet, he certainly does spend quite a bit of time standing and cruising...I know it changes his perspective tremendously to be able to do that, and it also changes my perspective of him--from the horizontal Tobin to the vertical one

Shav: looking at him in his cradle and noticing how long he is...it's true that he's lengthened since birth; but I guess my perception of him is also changing because he's spending more time stretched out, rather than curled in the typical newborn ball so he looks even longer than his actual growth would account for...in any case, he seems to take up so much room in his cradle these days!

And now, pictures from one of the most exciting, yet heart-wrenching, when-did-they-get-so-big days: the first day of school!

Yesterday was the first one for us, and here is Josiah, our second-grade scholar...

...who is often serious, but can also be a bit of a goofball. :)
David "officially" started preschool yesterday and has been so excited about this. It's a BIG DEAL to him so even though I was planning to not put much emphasis on organized school for him this year, I've revised my thinking since he is so very eager to do school.

Gotta have a picture of all four boys...and gotta put a link to the first day of school last year and the year before...hey, every year, another son gets added into the picture! whew, I don't think I can keep up at this rate, so don't expect a 5th son by the time Josiah starts 3rd grade :)...

...and apparently, we also need one of Mommy and three of the boys. So said Josiah, the photographer.
David had to have his turn with the camera; that's a given. As I looked through the pictures he took, this one struck me. Something about Tobin's expression stood out to me, so I took this SOOC image...
...and edited it a little to get this...
...and edited it still more to get this.

That image, more than any other, sums up everything that I've been trying to express in this post. When exactly did he get so big? When did Tobin change from a baby into this boy? Tobin wasn't even born yet when I started this blog; in fact, I wasn't even pregnant with him. And now, look at him. Just look at him.

Time marches on and waits for no one. I want to grasp it in my hands sometimes and hang onto it with all my might, but it slips away regardless. For that reason, tomorrow I'm going to stop what I'm doing to listen intently to Josiah, to watch David do his silly version of jumping jacks, to blow raspberries on Tobin's tummy, and to rub Shav's sweet, soft head. That's the only way I can fight against this too-fast thing called time.