In the grand scheme of things, I look at my children and think “Wow, time sure is flying by.”

This afternoon we are going to tour a private preschool in order to see if it’s where we would like to send T3 this fall.  THIS FALL!  T3 turns 3 in July.  Didn’t I just give birth to this precious (and precocious) little man?  And already we are thinking about preschool.

And my youngest, GG, his vocabulary is increasing.  Saying the obligatory “mama”, “dada”, and adding to the list “all done” and “go” and “stop”.  His growth is astounding.  In the span of a few weeks he has started wearing 2T clothes and size 5 shoes.

And then I look in the mirror and think “ok, wrinkles, I know your next.”  I see the tiniest lines forming around my eyes and have started a nightly slathering ritual of the best anti-wrinkle and moisturizing products in the seemingly fruitless attempt to make time stand still.

Where in the world does the time go?

With the passing of my dearest Dziadzu (grandfather) in December, the ticking away of time became more than real to me.  I was the luckiest person in the world at age 30 to have all four of my grandparents in my life.  I was even more blessed that they got the chance to meet T3 in person when we traveled to Poland, and even GG was there in spirit as I was pregnant.  Not a day goes by that I don’t miss my Dziadzu.

Mortality is a concept which has recently become emblazoned in my mind.  When I was younger, I was invincible and stupid.  Not worrying about time. Now, I think about what I eat and how much I work out.  I think about drinking more milk because I know after age 30 we exponentially start losing calcium from our bones.  I think about that pint of ice cream I sit down with every evening, and realize maybe that isn’t the best way to add calcium in my diet.

I live for moments.  Moments in time.  I try to savor every minute with my children, and take a mental snapshot.  Because before I know it, they will be all grown up.  It’s hard to think about preschool being a beginning rather than an end.  But I am so happy that my children are just starting their lives.  They have so much to learn and experience.

The best I can do is just sit back and enjoy the ride, and every once in a while remind them of my memories and snapshots that I took of them when they were little.

Oh, and I’ll keep slathering on my miracle creams, because I intend to enjoy the ride gracefully.