Don't hate me because my kids are older

I know what it's like to be sitting there with the 3 and 2 year olds ... reading blogs about hiking and science experiments and art projects ... and you look back to see the 2-year-old sticking their hand in their diaper so they can taste their poo. You don't think your life will ever be full of these kinds of things.

I've sooooo been there. Please trust me, however. The day really will come when you can go to the hardware store, buy a couple of switches and a soldering iron, and watch your kids create their own connections to power lights and motors.



You really will be able to hand your 11-year-old a wood burner, some goggles, and tell her to put everything up when she's done so she can play in the sprinkler some more.



I promise you. Right now it seems eons away. It's coming. When it gets here, you'll find yourself freaking out that drivers' licenses and graduations are looming. For all the wishing they'd hit a new phase, you'll be wishing you could slam on the brakes.

In the meantime, I won't lie to you. This part is really, really cool!

(sidebar: I do not allow the six year old anywhere near the soldering iron/wood burner - just giving her free reign with the hose today; Mar took her turn with the wood burner, made something really pretty and did NOT burn anything inappropriate - yea!; Rocky was finally able to perfect burning things with his magnifying glass, and did in fact wonder what would happen if he did the same thing to his finger, and YES he did attempt such a hair brained idea, and NO I do not think he'll be doing that again, ever)