I thought ages 4-12 months brought a lot of changes, what with the sitting up, solid food, rolling over, crawling, standing, learning to talk. But that was only because I didn’t know all the milestones that teen years would bring.
All the obvious physical changes, of course. And the removal of braces. Now the driving permit. Come Sunday, our first college open house.
And the end of trick-or-treating.
Yup, Catherine is not going out this year, for the first time ever (even the year she was sick).
She’ll answer the door this year until I get home from work, then turn the bowl over to me so I can ooh and coo over all the little witches, goblins and ghosts who stop by. Inevitably, there will be one kid who tries to stride right inside our house, another who won’t take any candy and a third who will try to take all both his hands will hold.
But Catherine won’t be among them.
I’m kind of sad about it.
Sad to think that so quickly we’ve run through the bunny costume, the pumpkin, Piglet,
Catherine as Piglet with Basil. She’s 3 here.
The fairy princess.
Catherine’s princess costume, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa. Age 4.
Catherine as Spaghetti and Meatballs. First grade.
the rock star,
Maybe 8 here? There was a lot of haggling over the midriff. She went out with a top under it.
the various witches
Which witch? Age 7, I think. (A good mother would have all these properly labeled.)
The kitty cat.
Cat costume. Last year.
It is the end of another of life’s many chapters.
Why do the fun ones go so fast?
Pushing on a Rope 
I enjoyed your post. As a mother of grown daughters with small children of their own now. . .I understand. The other side is – as time goes on – you might enjoy grandchildren dressing up or neighborhood children. That’s what helped me get through the girls growing up. Now I look forward to what the grandchildren dress up as, etc. Once again – I enjoyed your post. Reia from http://www.southcountrysides.blogspot.com and I’m following you also now. I look forward to future posts.
Posted by Reia Duncan (@reiaduncan) | October 25, 2012, 8:51 pmThanks so much! Your blog is lovely. Can’t wait to read more!
Posted by Terri S. Vanech | October 25, 2012, 9:00 pmThey do grow up so fast! Your daughter is beautiful! I saw your post on bloggy moms and I am following you by email now. I look forward to your futures posts 🙂
http://wvfrugal-wvsaver.blogspot.com/
Posted by Frugal Foodie in WV | October 25, 2012, 8:25 pmthank you!
Posted by Terri S. Vanech | October 25, 2012, 8:30 pmThis post made me cry. I am going thorough the same thing with my son now, too. They grow up so fast… 😦
Posted by Sam | October 25, 2012, 7:14 amIt’s true. I didn’t believe all those other parents when my daughter was born, but the time truly does fly. Bittersweet to see it all at once when you step back. Now go give your son a hug (even if it embarrasses him!).
Posted by Terri S. Vanech | October 25, 2012, 7:16 am