Back to School

Summer is winding down and it's back to school time. My boys changed schools this year and are attending a smaller, private school. We did the usual back-to-school shopping at Target and Wal-Mart. The Incredible Hulk was a favorite of my youngest boy, Noah. While my oldest boy, Walker, opted for less obvious accessories. My husband took this picture of them under our arbor before they left for their first day of school. Since I work out of the house I am not one of those moms who eagerly awaits the end of summer, glad to return her children to the academic world so she can finally start getting her life back. Often I feel like I am watching someone else's life whiz by at a fast pace. I look at my children and find myself trying to burn into my memory the sweet things of their childhood: Noah's cheeks are like cool, round ripe peaches with a little bit of fuzz on them I can only see when he stands in the sun. I watch Walker ride his bike with a crushed water bottle stuck close to the tires so he can make noise like a Harley. I still lean in close to them and smell their hair and skin after a nice bath in the evening. I love that they get chocolate ice cream on the tips of their noses when they eat ice cream cones after dinner. Yes, I am a mom who loves watching her boys grow up, but I also know it goes by way too fast. Before I know it they will be big, hairy eating machines who want to take my car!