Letting Go

You know, at some point we all have to decide to let go. Well, I am letting go, but not completely. Watching your kids grow up right in front of you is so rewarding, scary and sad all at the same time. You never want to let go. You want to keep them young and innocent for as long as possible, but you realize that to be a good parent you have to loosen the slack on the rope.
Taylor is my oldest child. He is only a week and a half away from turning 7. This means two things to me. One, I am 7 years older than I was when I had him. haha Two, He is seven years older than he was the day he was born. That means he is growing up. He no longer wants the reassuring hugs and kisses when he leaves for school. He no longer needs me to hold his hand when we cross the street. He's capable of doing so many things on his own. We look for those milestones when they are young toddlers and babies and we get so excited about their accomplishments. You can't wait for them to be able to pee in the potty without having an accident. As they get older, you wish there was something left for you to do for them. Isn't it ironic?
Okay, so enough about the realizations that we have come to, and more about letting go. Today I decided to let Taylor walk to school by himself! He was so excited about this. The school is literally a driving minute away. There are crossing guards on the main road, and Taylor is familiar with the path we take to school. We walk to school the same way everyday (when we walk), and we drive the same way to school every time we drive. The walking path is along the exact route as the driving path, so I'm confident that he will get there in time and all on his own. Walking to school on his own is such a big accomplishment for him. I'm sure all of his friends and teachers will hear about the freedom he was given this morning.
Off to other "letting go" topics. Austyn has stopped "letting go" of his pee in the middle of the night. lol. He has not had a single accident since Mark has left! We are so proud of him right now. Mark has declared that today we must go to the store and let Austyn pick a surprise for doing so well! He will be thrilled to hear that he gets a prize!
And then there is Ryleigh. She isn't really letting go of anything these days. Especially not me! She is almost always glued to my side, although she really does enjoy roaming the house and playing alone or with the boys. She knows where all of her toys are and knows exactly how to make a big mess! She won't be letting go anytime soon, and I'm okay with that!
Here are some pictures of my oh so grown-up kids! Taylor has begun to bald! Not really of course! Mark just thought it would be funny to make him look like a little old man while he was shaving his head!
And here is Austyn and Ryleigh. They were waiting for Taylor to finish taking a shower so they could take a bath in their "new" bathroom. They are so cheesy! And Ryleigh is so "mexican" compared to Austyn! haha