Elevating the Elementary

There seems like a never-ending surplus of baby books out there to record all of a youngster's firsts - first words, steps, teeth.  Yet as my children enter the middle years of elementary school, I find them to be far more fascinating; their thoughts and actions way more worthy of jotting down to remember and reflect upon.  There's rarely a day that goes by that I'm not marveling or chuckling at their insightful and comical comments.   This weekend was no exception.  On the way to take our pup out for a run, Asher asks if there is such a thing as "cat parks."   The next day on the way to church,  Abbie out of nowhere comes up with her completely random question:  "Are humans at the top of the food chain, or are lions and bears?"  

Too me, these are precious words.  They beat the pants off of "duck" or "birdie" or whatever those first one syllable sounds were that they uttered years ago.  I'm getting a glimpse of what their expanding minds are thinking about, what's churning in there.  I'm so thankful that they are still open to asking questions, still wanting to find out the what's, why's, how's.  

It's not only Asher and Abbie's comments and questions I treasure.  Sometimes it's just simple quirky elements in their daily routines.    Like how lately Asher gets dressed, cleans his room, and pours his cereal in the morning while singing "The Nifty 50 States" song as fast as he can.  Or how Abbie will bang out "Heart and Soul" on the piano over and over and over again, altering the notes to some odd dissonant chord combination because she thinks it sounds better.  I feel like these are the days I'm really watching them grow.

So, I've decided not to fret over the kids' baby books which are nearly full, though perhaps not as complete as Hallmark intended them to be.  I'm enjoying these middle years even more, savoring the little moments which bring a sparkle to each day.