Seven on Sunday

This seven revolves around the light-bulb moment we had last week that we are pretty much entirely out of baby mode.  Wow!  It's been 8 1/2 years of almost continual baby, and now our 'baby' (don't call him that, he gets really mad) is 3!  So, seven things I am glad have passed:

Madison and Clayton 7 1/2 years ago!

1. Diapers.  No more mess, cost, etc. 
2. Bottles.  No sterilizing, preparing, feeding, burping.  Everyone eats actual food, and all the same thing.
3. Spit up.  No more stains on all my clothes - at least not from that.
4. Naps.  My kids get up at the same time and go sleep at roughly the same time.  I know if someone falls asleep they're sick or had a real rough night.
5. Getting up at night.  When I infrequently have to, I can hardly function, so I'm not really sure how I managed to function getting up numerous times for almost 6 years.
6. Wondering if someone doesn't feel well or is just cranky.  I have verbal children now, which is not always a blessing, but at least they can communicate that they don't feel well.  Or, as Spencer says, "I feel weird".
7. Not being able to all participate in family activities.  Over the summer we have hit this incredibly new level where everyone can participate in pretty much all the same things: everyone swims (without diapers!), rides a bike, plays on the playground, understands the rules to most games, enjoys similar movies (mostly Spongebob) and can sit in a theatre, rides waterslides, can swing a baseball bat and play the game, kick a soccer ball, throw a ball, and on and on.  The ability levels vary, but everyone can participate in some form or another.  No sitting out with a baby and watching the activities go by.  Sometimes I find myself just watching until one of the kids asks me why I'm not playing, and I realize it's just because I've been on the sidelines for so long I'm used to it.  It's been such a fun summer getting out there again!

I realize that I have only gotten through baby phase and that there are other, even more demanding phases about to broadside us.  We get a glimpse of them everyday.  I mean, can you imagine that in a few years we will have 4 teenagers, 4 drivers, 4 daters, 4 in school, 4 leaving home, 4 missionaries, etc... (We figured out the other day that if all the boys serve a mission right when they are 19 and Madi decides to go too we will have at least one missionary, and sometimes two, out for 6 years straight.  Yippee!)  So for now I am trying to really enjoy this exciting time when problems are relatively small in the grand scheme and we can all have a good time together.  Maybe we'll lay a foundation for what's to come....