I had the ‘big’ kids at the park yesterday.

No chubby toddler legs to chase up and down the stairs.

No panicked heart when those little legs beat me to the slide.

No stroller loaded down with sippy cups and snacks.

No ‘Momma, PUSH me!!!!’

No trips to the bathroom or diaper changes on a park bench.

Nope.

Just ‘big’ kids old enough to cross the monkey bars without help or pump their legs high on the swings all by themselves.

‘Big’ kids squealing through a playpark game of ‘the Ground is Lava.’

‘Big’ kids I spent YEARS chasing and pushing on swings and strolling home from the park with sippy cups and snacks that now I watch play from my bench in the shade on blue-skied afternoons.

As I watched, I noticed all the busy younger mommas chasing and pushing and feeding and diapering their babies and toddlers.

I smiled at those chubby little toddler legs.

I asked a few mommas how old their precious babies were.

And every once in a while from my perch in the shade, one of my kids cried out, “Hey Mom! Watch this!!!”

So, I marvelled as my now ‘big’ kids mastered the climbing wall without my typical instructions of grabbing here or putting a foot there while keeping a hand close below their bottoms to catch a fall.

I clapped and cheered!

I soaked it ALLLLL in.

And I wanted to remind the younger mommas to absolutely CHERISH the baby years (gosh, I miss chubby little toddler legs!!!).

But I also wished I could tell them, this next stage???

It’s pretty incredible, too!

It’s days filled with laughter and fun and ‘Mom, watch this!’ as strong, growing arms cross the monkey bars all on their own. It’s the beauty of a triumphant look from one of those now ‘big’ kids as they holler, “I did it!” And it’s the gift of watching our precious babies grow into EXACTLY who they are meant to be.

Soak it ALLLLL in, mommas.

I promise there is so much to cherish with 'big' kids too.