On Fridays, Sophie and I usually have the house to ourselves and much of the time is spent playing babies, barbies, dress up, momma, and more babies.  Sometimes all that pretending, especially when I'm "pretending" to be the momma, can be exhausting.  This morning, as I switched loads of laundry, I realized that it was kind of quiet.  No one was asking me to dress a barbie while I loaded the washing machine.  I didn't have to try to put any impossibly small Polly Pocket shoes on shrimpy little feet.  I didn't give the wrong answer to questions like "are you hungry?" or "are you the momma?".  I poked my head into Sophie's room to see what she was doing. 


Her nightstand had been transformed into a dressing table.  "I'm a teenager," she told me.  "I have hair and makeup," she said as she brushed lotion on her face.  "You can sit down," gesturing to the waiting area that just moments earlier had been her toddler bed.  "If you're hungry, you can have some candy," she said as she passed me the soapdish filled with Starburst.

As I watched her then, I thought of all the times I've heard friends, family, strangers tell me the same thing - enjoy it, this time goes so fast.