As time goes by

Life is funny.. When you are a child, you can't wait to grow up. Once you are grown, you wax nostalgic about your childhood.
In my current stage in life, I am nostalgic for the hectic days as a parent.. Well I am still technically a parent and will always be a parent. I mean, the time when Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) and I would run from football practice to soccer practice to choir practice. We would gripe and complain about the busy lives we had with four children. We would look forward to summer when there would be a lull.
Now our youngest, tiny dancer, is 17, and will be a senior in High School in September. A little more than a year from now we will be empty nesters.. We used to look forward to it. Like you did when graduating High School, but then 10 years later you miss those carefree days.. Our days weren't care free but Saturday mornings, all of the kids would come jump in bed with us. We originally got a king sized bed so that we could hold everybody.. Then I would get up and make pancakes (chocolate chip of course) or waffles. Friday and Saturday nights were movie nights, we would go down to the video store and rent a couple of VHS movies. We would then make pop corn, turn off the lights, and watch what ever the new release was.. Sometimes I would make root beer floats which was always popular.. They had to be IBC root beer and Breyers real vanilla ice cream..
For a short time in the 90's we decided that there would be no TV during the week, instead we read books to our children. I read Charlotte's' Web, The Hobbit,and the first two Harry Potter books to them. Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) read all of the Little House on the Prairie books. This all ended when #1 Daughter begged us to let them watch TV.. Seems she was somewhat of an outcast because she didn't know anything about any of the currently popular teenage shows..
So we gave in...
I referred to us as The Loud Family, based on a Saturday Night Live skit. Our house was always noisy.. Someone was always yelling, crying or fighting. Now the house is quiet..
We now have a granddaughter.. #1 Daughter's little girl.. She looks just like her mama.. She is coming to visit for a few days and Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) is delirious with excitement. I am too.. It will be nice to hear the patter of little feet in our now too big house..

If you still have young children at home, hug them kiss them and let them know that you love them.. Enjoy the mania that is your life with kids. Because before you know it, they will be gone, off to lives of their own, the house will be quiet, empty, and it will be too late..


I added this video after it was suggested by Big John..




Update, September 2, 2014; The passing of an era for  Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) and I. This morning was our 21st, and last 1st day of school... After all of these years, it was rather anti-climatic... I of course took a picture of our Senior as she walked out the door, and snuck one as she was getting into her little yellow truck to drive to school..