Movies. Check.

Just me and the 4 kiddos.  (My sweetheart is enjoying himself at the Deutsche Bank Championship PGA Tour.)  We had just come from an afternoon at Cherry Hill, our hair still wet from the shower.  After packing some dark chocolate M&M's and swedish fish in my bag lady sized purse we made the short commute to the theater.  We had easily agreed on "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days," a movie that had opened nearly a month ago.  A 4:30 start time + older movie = empty theater.  Completely empty I tell you.  It was just the 5 of us munching on our contraband and laughing unabashedly throughout the next hour and a half.  Movie heaven.

Afterwards we stopped for Chinese takeout and then Brayden drove us home, the windows down as dusk crept into the car and cooled my bare feet propped against the dashboard.  He is a confident driver, moving comfortably into the position of "man of the house" when his father is away.  It makes me feel wonderfully safe in my husband's absence.

The other night the two of us took a late night drive along the darkened Legacy Highway.  Our conversation fell to his childhood memories (he has a crazy memory for details that date back to his toddler days) as Allison Krauss sang softly in the background, the way she did as I'd rock him to sleep as an infant.  He is growing so quickly.  A firm handshake.  An easy smile.  Direct eye contact. Quick wit.  There's just no stopping it . . .

      my boy is growing up.