Another Mommy Moment

I think sometimes I forget that my children are getting older with each passing day. I get stuck in the same old grind of the everyday get up, get dressed, get them off to school, go to work, come home, badger them into doing homework, dinner, chores, and bedtime, that I forget that that was one of the finite number of days I'll have them here with me.

And then something reminds me that each day is indeed another step to their leaving the nest. Case in point; B lost her very last baby tooth today. That very last molar that has been hanging on for dear life to her pink little gums, finally gave up the ghost and went the way of all baby teeth.

How did she let me know of this momentous occasion? Via text "i just lost m tooth"

That was it. No exclamation points, not capital letters, not even an emoticon. I sighed softly, and then gave her my equally calm response...
"Cool! Well not cool to loose it on the bus."

But it was a small and poignant reminder that my sweet little girl is growing up and not too long from now she'll be dating, driving, then going off to college. It made me a bit weepy, just to think about it, to which my husband commented, "It's just a tooth Sarah."

And he's right it is just a tooth, but it was the last one, there isn't anything baby left. She's well and firmly on the road to adulthood. It's enough to make a mama lay down and bawl. Or get up and go get the dishes done, the car cleaned out and the oil changed, because after all life goes on.

Mommy Moment: 5th Grade "Graduation"

Today I had several of them. Well really they started last night, when I was lying in bed going over my schedule for the next day. It was then that it really hit me that we have two days of school left and that the little ceremony would be in the morning.

In my children's school they do not have graduations, as they feel the children do not graduate until the end of twelfth grade. So it is called a Learning Celebration. Whatever they want to call it, it is still that heart wrenching moment as a mom when you watch your child move through a milestone.

So, all through the slide show I held it together! Then they started calling names;


I started to get misty, but I held it together.


Then B's name was called!



I got a little misty again, and again held it together.


She recieved her certificate and stopped for a photo:




After the ceremony she recieved her "graduation" gift:




At this point I choked up, but kept the tears in check. (You can't see them, but there are earrings that match)

She's such a little lady! I am so very proud of my girl and I'm scared and worried for her. I know though that she is as prepared as she can be for this next stage of her life.

Now if we can just make sure she keeps her sense of modesty...


Then I went from this to buying teacher gifts and I lost it in the middle of the greeting card section at Family Christian Store.