Swinging

Paul picked up his old pile of Ladybug magazines the other night as he got ready for bed and handed them to me saying, "I don't need these anymore." At the back of each of those magazines was an installment of "Mop and Family," a cartoon-illustrated little tale about a shaggy dog named Mop and Justin and Julie, the children who own him. For years Paul couldn't go to sleep without Ben or me reading about Mop and his exploits. We all loved these simple, charming little stories. But now, those days are gone.

The sandbox our neighbor made for Paul is also gone. How Paul loved playing there. But he doesn't need the sandbox anymore, either, and that area is now covered with grass. Our little boy is now a big 11-year old and is growing up.

But, thankfully, he still needs his swing. Ben made it for him years ago, and we thought we might lose it when the new porch was put on this spring. But there was just enough room to safely continue to swing on it, much to Paul's happiness. Usually he'll just swing happily back and forth, sometimes singing to himself, but when he sees me watching he'll often start doing tricks on it for me.

It will be a sad day when he outgrows his swing, but I suppose it'll be here before we know it.

But meanwhile, what fun!