How things change

I've become increasingly aware of how things change over time.  Ever so slightly or lives are in a constant state of change, sometimes for the better and other times for the worse.  Usually the change is so gradual that we can't notice day to day, it seems that all of a sudden things are just different.  Kids getting bigger is a perfect example.   Things like loosing or gaining weight, money in savings or debt on the credit card, even dust on the book shelf. Those things we hardly notice day to day, but those things that also make a big difference in our lives.

I've always known that parenting philosophies and especially practices change with time.  Even having my kids close together I can't avoid the fact that I am different with my older ones than I am with my littler ones.  One small example is Johnny's hair.  I would have never let Caleb's hair get long like I did Johnny's.  I started cutting Caleb's hair monthly at six months.  Johnny on the other hand just got his first hair cut at 10 months.  I kept it trimmed around the ears, but I just couldn't give up that head of adorable baby hair.  Or maybe I just didn't want him to look so grown up.

Regan has been our nanny for the past month.  She has been so kind with the kids and helpful around the house.  I am in heaven with the extra help.  Unfortunately for us Regan is moving back East for a and finishing her time with us, but before she left I had her give John his first hair cut.  (She is also a beauty school graduate.)

Last night we got the kids set up with their bikes for the summer.  Before having kids you think of them needing new cloths each season because they grow out of them, but I'm not sure we thought about them growing out of their bikes.  I pointed out to Josh, "look at all them money we are saving by having five kids.  One kid grows out of a bike and we just pass it on to the next one."  I said, "we are saving so much money we are practically making money."  Of course it is all a joke, but hand-me-downs are a wonderful thing, and not just for cloths.  Here Cara is showing off her "new" bike since she has grown out of last years bike.

Andy is also moving up in bike sizes.  He has been using and LOVING his balance bike.  What he doesn't know yet is that he is balancing and doesn't need training wheels.  It should only be a few weeks before he is set and going on two wheels.  The little two wheeler and balance bike will be too small for him so Ali will be moving into it.  We had a cute tiny pink one for Cara, but she is a bike riding fool and totally wore it out so no one tell Ali that she is riding a boy bike.

I don't think she would really care about the boy bike thing.  Notice she is wearing Johnny's jacket.  I've told her over and over that coat is John's, but she doesn't seem to mind that it a boys coat or that the sleeves are too short.  Of course, she doesn't mind that her shoes are on backwards have of the time either.