Pardon the tears, my kids are growing up...

Who knew getting rid of toys that have been in our home for nearly 13 years would be so hard?

It's not even about the toys, it's about the memories made with them and the little boys who are now young men (or just bigger boys on Jackson's case at only 5).

The trains and Bob the builder duplos were some of the first real toys E ever had, really connected with and brought us into his world with. He would sit and watch the Bob the builder videos over and over and knew the song by heart (he probably still does!). He played with the blocks and trains daily, at first mostly in his way of just lining them, and later by building elaborate cities with Jason and his brother, Alex. Later when Jackson came along, the older boys would play with him, too, showing him how to make the world's and playing for hours. Now they've moved on to Legos and those items have sat collecting dust for a few months. When I asked if they would like to keep them or pass them on to a friend's 2 year old, they readily agreed.

It's the end of a chapter and as silly as it is, I'm over here holding back tears, thinking about all the things past and all the things in the not-so-distant future. E will be working on his second year of high school, Alex is starting his last year of middle school, and Jackson will be doing his first formal year of school, too. When I think about all the time that has passed so quickly, I am sad that I didn't live in those moments more and grateful for the memories I have. I am looking towards all the great things on store for our future and hoping to slow down and enjoy these crazy teenage years with my older 2 and early years with the little guy and not put off the things I want to do with them any more. In other words, find a way to experience life more fully with them before it's too late.