Oh how they grow...

Sometimes art imitates life. Other times, life imitates art. 
It's hard to believe that it was four years ago when I painted these little watercolor illustrations, and was pregnant with Eowyn, my oldest daughter. For the initial sketches, I had photographed my friend Esther's little girl Chloe doing various cute-little-girl-things. Then, she was just a little older than Eowyn is now and I was blissfully unaware of what parenting would really be like--and oh, was I in for such a beautiful surprise at how absolutely amazing it would be too!
After our family vacation--a week of fun and lots of reflection--this week I watched my little ones heading off to Kindergarten for the first time. And suddenly it struck me that my life was imitating my art. I am finally to one of the parenting/childhood stages I always dreamed of when I imagined having kids! My little girls are growing up--a little bit at a time, of course--but they are growing up. They are still only two- and three-years-old (almost three- and four- years old!) but it's amazing the difference a week like this can make. They know they are getting bigger, and they are sooo proud. :)
I made it through the week, I did, but I'm still processing! Penelope, my littler one, was testing the waters and watching big sister take the lead; she officially starts in her class on Monday. On Eowyn's first day I was there with her the entire morning, but I was fighting back tears the whole time--and she's my "big" girl! We'll see how I do next week once I have to let my "baby" go too...
But this is what we do, we parents. We send our children out...it wouldn't be fair to keep them entirely to ourselves! Of course, it's still hard to let go (and I know I'm only just getting my feet wet, just a rookie in this letting-go-thing). But it helps me so much, in taking these first steps to let them go a little, to remember that my daughters are precious little souls who each have a light of their own--they are meant to shine so that others may see the brightness of that Love within their hearts!  

Linking with Studio JRU and Paint Party.