I have this piece of artwork on my wall I made just a few years back. The wedding picture of Erik & I surrounded by our kids. On the left, pictures of them as babies. On the right, pictures of them “Current day”. Or, they were at the time.

Some days it catches my eye and totally stops me in my tracks.

At the time I made it Denver had seemed so old. Older than his sisters, who at the time were a mere one and two. He himself was just 9. The same age as Kennedy is today. 9 little years old. Now he’s a huge, attitude filled, stubborn teenager.

Molly aged in photography early. Before our eyes she became ‘model-ready’ in every single photo, with her sparkling blue eyes and perfect posing.

Kennedy tricked us. We thought we were safe with our doe-eyed baby girl. Her big brown eyes and constant laughter, temper tantrums and childlike wonder at everything, she’d for sure be our baby forever.

Then this happened.

I mean, HOW? When did she get so mature?

I try to focus on the things that keep her ‘young’.

Her firm belief in magic (not her attempts to get concrete proof of such things).

Her crazy laughter in the light moments (not the near-tween-like attitude she shows from time to time).

Her love of Monster High (not the extension into loving scary movies as well ~shiver~).

I’d just love for her to stay my baby girl for a while longer. With one leaving the nest next year, and another entering middle school…I’ll just ignore that she’s following right behind her sister toward departing the elementary school years. I’ll just ignore this stunning picture where she looks too old for her own good.

She is, and will always be, my bright brown eyed girl.