Where do the years go?

Something about this time of year makes me feel a little nostalgic.

I miss Thomas the Tank Engine . I miss the sweet, non violent shows. The sound of the train whistle filling the house. I miss seeing my little boy spending HOURS upon hours playing with his train table nearly to the point we thought he was obsessed.

Now it's Ben 10, G.I. Joe, Star Wars and Transformers. There are explosions, death and destruction. Instead of a train table there are legos, built and destroyed in battle. Army guys ready to defend the fort.

I know, you can't stop them from growing up. He's a boy. About to be 7 in less than a month. Where did the time go? Yesterday we were in Mississippi in a lousy apartment taking an afternoon nap together. The day before that he was just coming home from the hospital.

I love to watch him play. To see him immersed in his imagination. I love that he can get his own snack and talks to us during dinner about his day. I like seeing him figure things out, chew the end of his pencil in thought, just like me. It makes my heart melt a little to see him and his Daddy talking Star Wars and football like grown men.

But, I'll always, always miss the sound of that sweet little train whistle blowing through the island of Sodor.