December Days - 12.19.10

One of the joys of being around family during the holidays is getting the chance to spend some time with nieces and nephews we don't get the chance to watch grow up on a daily basis.  They seem to grow in what seems like bigger steps than the gradual growth we experience on a daily basis with our own kids.  I know our brothers and sisters feel the same way about our kids.

A little girl and her dogs

My own kids are past that toddler stage and they seem to be moving further and further from it at lightening speed, so it's been fun to be around my three year old niece and be reminded of when my own kids were at that stage.  I don't know if it's easier or harder when they are that little, but it sure is fun to reminisce about the funny things Makela used to do at that age or how my niece's obsession with her little toy dogs mirrors Kyron's own, at that age.  We smile and talk about how cute and funny it is and then someone steps on one of those little hard plastic dogs with their bare feet and you quickly remember why you're glad they grow out of these stages.  It doesn't take too long though before you see that little girl playing with her dogs again and your foot stops hurting and you just get caught up trying to slow down time and enjoy the moment, knowing you're going to blink soon and it will be gone.