February 26

It's not lost on me that my babies are growing up at warp speed. I still think of Abby as a spunky four-year old with ringlets who sang the Outrigger Island song ad nauseum as she dreamed of being a hula girl at VBS, yet she's now a middle schooler. So this afternoon when Brady plunked down in my chair with Bear Bear and announced that he wanted to cuddle while watching Arthur, I happily complied.

I love how it feels to sit with him, maybe in part because I'm keenly aware that he's my caboose and the days of him wanting to sit in my lap under a blanket are probably more limited than I'd like, but also because the little moments matter so much. I love smelling his hair and admiring the tiny freckles that dot his cheeks and leaning in close as I listen for the steady thump of his heartbeat. It's all such a gift.