This morning, as is tradition in our program, all of my ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders got together to showcase the “self portrait” videos the freshmen made based on the Where I’m From poem they write at the beginning of the year for my class and the iMovie skills they learn in Mass Communication.
It is one of my favorite days of the year because it is such a great introduction to the kids I will be spending the next three years in the classroom with. I love getting to see pictures of their families, the vacations they have taken, their friends, and the hobbies they have. It is a great insight into the person that sits in a desk and stares at me all year.
Today, however, I was kind-of emotional about them. (Blame it on the pregnancy again.) As the videos scrolled through photos of toddlers in Halloween costumes, siblings wearing matching shirts on the beach, and families sitting around the dinner table (complete with “All About that Bass” or “Shake It Off” in the background, of course), I couldn’t help but think about Sam.
Y’all, one day – and it really isn’t going to be that long from now – that precious little mess is going to be in high school too.
He’s going to be taller than me.
He’s going to play on sports teams, or be in the marching band, or star in the school play.
He’s going to ask a girl to Homecoming.
I literally cried through the presentations.
I bet those moms and dads – the ones in the pictures today – remember like it was yesterday when their “baby” was afraid of the dark, needed help putting on his shoes, and asked for piggy-back rides.
It is almost too much to bear for a Friday.
Have a great weekend you guys. Go make some memories!
E
P.S. The videos also made me feel strongly that I want Sam to have a lot of cousins. Kathryn and Jayme, I’m going to need you all to get on it.
P.S.S. One more thing: I will support mostly anything Sam wants to do in life. Except hobbies (like swimming) that require 5AM practices. At least not until he can drive himself. 😉
I regularly look at my kids and think, “Is this what I’m going to see when I watch him walk across the stage for his graduation? Or stand in front of the church waiting for his bride?” And I ask my mom if she sees us as those little people with chubby faces and sweet smiles.
It hurts my heart and overflows it all at the same time. It’s difficult business, this being a mom thing. We are constantly holding on and letting go, looking back and moving forward. And every day I wonder how both of those things are possible.
Love this. They all grow up “too fast.”
Sorry I have not commented all week, I kept meaning to go back.
Short recap:
– Heart the Poppy post – love your vulnerability
– I am a HUGE fan of Old Navy maternity pants (Full panel)
Aunt KK will take her darling to 5am swim practices… since she fully supports the sport, and understands the struggle of swimming at 5am..lol.. poor mom and dad, they had to drive me for 3 years!
I completely understand! I have had 2 meltdowns in the past few months….like hysterical crying meltdown about how I’ve already lived through what is essentially a 1/4 of what will be my daughters life at home if she leaves for college….if that all calculates out correctly! Craziness I tell you. They are almost 4 and almost 2 and I want to have another baby just so that the “having a baby” stage of my life isn’t over already! Being a total Type A…I take major issue that I can’t control time. I feel like its going soooooo fast….it is I guess. Sad but existing. They re growing into awesome little people.
Funny how it does catch up with us… it still seems like yesterday when I was a college girl, flirting with Michae, making the best friends of my life, and loved becoming a mom more than anything on earth! Now you are doing the same thing!! Time does fly, Every time I look at Sam and watch his gestures, his mannerisms, I see you, as the sassy little thing you were! The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree! Love you.
I never got that emotional about my kids growing up until the first one hit middle school. Seeing him dance with a girl at his junior cotillion class did me in. Now, he’s in high school and he just got his Learner’s Permit. He’s talking about going to college at Clemson, which makes me very happy. It does go by very quickly, but I’m enjoying every bit of it.