A bit of a personal post today.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen this photo already. I wanted to share it here too because it really captures what life has been like lately. I don't know what happened exactly, maybe it was our trip to Disney World or the start of the new school year, but whatever it was, somewhere along the line my baby disappeared. These days, we have a bona fide kid in the house; a child who's 4.5 but talks and acts like a 10 year old. One who outgrew clothes that she was just wearing two weeks ago.

Chloe couldn't be more different from me. I thought I would have an easy-going child (like me!) but  wonderfully she is loud and social, determined, strong-willed, fearless. What a gift she is. We negotiate a lot these days, everything from what clothes to wear to what she will eat and when she will go to bed. And in those moments when she seems more adult than child, I am reminded that time is fleeting, and my heart aches just a little bit. When was the last time she stood alongside me, instead of running ahead of me? Has the last time I could soothe her cries with a simple kiss already passed?

We don't get any warning when those 'last times' come. As we prepare for the holidays, I wonder what lasts have happened in the past year. I find myself grasping at everyday moments that have already faded away. Moments like this, Chloe sleeping on her dad's chest on a Sunday afternoon. I cherish this moment because I know it might be the last.

Because this...


...this happens in an instant.

{a special thanks to Kati who reminded me of one of the firsts}