The days are long but the years are short, they told me. Those days of babies and toddlers were exceedingly long and in hindsight, simultaneously zipped by me unaware. How had that happened? The time flies, has flown, and those days of clutching toddlers with sticky hands are a distant memory.

Time flies. I miss those days and those little people. I miss chubby bellies, squishy legs, rolly arms, and gurgling drool filled smiles. I miss play pens and baby pools, days filled outdoors with three children under the age of three. I miss my arms being full and those little people all vying for my lap.

Time flies. I miss those matching John johns and smocked bubbles, red Keds, double buckle leather shoes, knee socks, blond curls, and clean boys and my lone daughter in hand me down soft charming pajamas.

Time flies. I miss their tan chubby feet and naked white fannies, quick and eager to spend a happy hour in a bucket of water. I miss those sturdy legs running to catch bubbles and the greedy fingers eager for purple and red Popsicles. I miss those lovely eyes, clear blue or green, depending on the baby and the way they would light up after I returned home from a few hours away.

Time flies. I miss cuddling my compact growing infants, their bodies warm and drowsy, nursing quietly and that one hand that always found a way to my face, tracing the mother that watched and loved. I miss those days you memorized me and I wonder what you tucked away into your growing mind.

Time flies. I miss those mornings of making my way to gather up small children from their beds. It was often too early and yet, gleeful squeals from cribs and a big boy bed never failed to charm me and we made our way down the 62 steps and began the long day. I remember thinking we have twelve hours and nothing to do, what will we do, I wondered.

Time flies. We loved, we laughed, we cuddled, we cried, we annoyed, we explored, we walked, we sat on top of the sand pile, I talked and they chortled and mulled. As time flew, we rode the days and lived in the moment, the seconds blending into years.

Time is flying too fast and yet, I love watching them soar.