time flies

this has been a strange week for me. lots of friends (mine and sunny's) are getting ready to go back to school on monday. for some, it will be their first day of kindergarten. so i have had lots of opportunity to think about my decision to keep him home another year, and lots of opportunity to feel bittersweet along with my friends who feel like they are saying goodbye to a precious piece of childhood.

on tuesday we had a playdate with one of my preschool friends. we met when we were both pregnant, and sunny and caitlin have been having playdates since they were only months old. we get together every month or so (sometimes less, sometimes more - especially in the summer) to catch up and let the kids play. and for the last two years, sunny and caitlin have been in the same class at preschool.

but on monday, caitlin starts kindergarten. and playdates, at least for the school year, are probably at an end. no more mondays at the austin zoo, or fridays at chick-fil-a - things we've been doing for five years now!

our next door neighbor is starting kinder as well. we met her and her mother at the children's museum this morning, and i had the same feeling of loss. she won't be outside anymore on friday mornings to ride scooters, or be around to come swimming in our baby pool in the back yard.

at the same time, i am so glad to have more precious time with my little boy (who is really not so little any more. :) it may be a little cowardly of me, and it wasn't a (conscious) motivation for us to keep him back, but i have one more year - to make playdough, to take nature walks, to go down to the park and swing. i am going to give him some extra hugs today... because truthfully, it does go by so fast.