Another one.....

When I had my kids I thought the spacing between their birth dates was pretty cool. You know how when you go in to the doctors office for that first "I think I'm pregnant" appointment and they ask you the date of the first day of your last period....well when I was pregnant with Joel the date of the first day of my last period was actually Jade's birthday, which I thought was kind of cool. Then when Joel was born, he was born at exactly 21 months and 12 hours apart from his sister. Jade was born on April 8th at 10:45 AM and Joel was born on January 8th at 10:45 PM. That's just been a kind of cool little tidbit for their births. But now......Jade is gearing up for leaving the nest and going to college. We are still waiting for responses back from two of the schools, which should be coming soon because they have to let the kids know by March 1st. I hope she picks Lambton. It's a bit of a smaller school and it seems to have the same principals and goals for making the kids succeed as NMDHS does. I think I am prepared for Jade to go off to college and start her own life and "come into her own" so to speak. She has been away quite a bit in the last couple of years; Germany for 23 days, then working in Woodstock for the remainder of the summer and then last summer she was in Woodstock all summer, I think she came home twice, and this school year a couple of weekends a month she is in Woodstock working. So she has kind of eased me into her being away. But yesterday, Joel (my baby) comes home with College books because he has to pick his courses for Grade 11 and he has to make sure they are courses that he needs for the career choice he is making. I'm not sure I thought this through. I'll only get 2 more years with Joel in the house and then my nest will be empty. What will I do with all my free time. Will I stamp? Will I read? Or will I sit and wonder if the kids are okay away from home. I'm sure they will make good choices as they move into their own little worlds....but I'm not sure I'm prepared for not knowing what they are doing and where they are every minute of the day! I don't think I am an overprotective mom, or a mom that hovers, but I do like to be kept in the loop and I'm not sure I'm mentally ready for all this change!
I feel like I am still coming to terms with the fact that my "baby making" chapter is done. Don't get me wrong, I really don't want another baby - but just knowing that it is never going to happen again was a big thing to grasp. So the thoughts of my babies going off into the big scary world is making me think. I'm not really stressing yet....there is still lots of time for that! But I'm not sure I like all these chapters of my life slamming shut on me!
I guess I'll just have to spend the rest of my time getting all the quality time and hugs I can! I don't tell them too often cause I don't want their "heads to swell" (ha ha) but I am truly very proud of my kids and I love them more than they will ever know. They are good kids - I am very lucky.
I just don't know where the time went for them to go from this to this.
Chow for now,
Jacqui