With a good month of school now under our belts, we’re well established in our household routine.  I like routine and the comfort of knowing what’s in store.  Besides, I think the presence of a routine helps make the deviation from it special and exciting.  Today, was not a deviation and given the state I was in I was profoundly thankful for that small fact.

I’m not sure why, but when we arrived home for lunch today, I noticed how automatically the kids took care of their backpacks, hung up their sweatshirts, and slipped off their shoes.  My they’re growing up.  The routine and greater independence of pre-school is certainly evident in both my children.

As we gathered around the table for lunch, I smiled thinking about how blessed I am to spend this time with my kids, to hear them talk and laugh, and argue with each other while enjoying their Mac n” Cheese and being reminded not to push back in their chairs.  For whatever reason, Calder was eating especially slowly today, so I headed upstairs with Seneca and told him what to do when he finished.

“Buddy, when you’re done eating, you need to wipe your hands and face with this cloth, go potty, and head into your bedroom, OK?  You can play with your LeapFrog until I come downstairs again.  I had no doubts he would do just fine with this since, it’s much the same as it is everyday, except he’s usually done first and playing in his room by the time we trek upstairs for pre-nap snuggles.

A few songs, snuggles and cute conversations later, I came downstairs to find Calder heading toward his room.  We snuggled and sang and read a chapter in his book and I hauled my tired self to the kitchen to clean up.  That’s when I realized that not only had Calder done all the things he was asked to do, but he even scraped his plate and put it and the washcloth in the sink.  Each day, I’m amazed at how quickly his toddlerhood is giving way to childhood.