I've always found September to be kind of a cathartic month.  The start of Autumn.  The start of school.  Saying good-bye to seemingly endless summers and another year of childhood.  This year seems especially poignant.  River turned 4 months yesterday and I already find myself mourning his babyhood.  He's not my little newborn anymore, all small and wrinkled and old-man like.  He's blossoming into infant-hood and has a personality all his own.  I sometimes feel overwhelmed by all of the things I promised myself I would do this time around...send out official welcoming announcements, preserve his footprint in plaster, document every day of his life with a journal or photo.   Lately, it's all that I can do to make sure that everyone is clean and fed by the end of the day!  Sage is also going to first grade and is no longer my "baby".   First grade is the start of homework and spelling and math and a classroom with desks and no longer tables and play centers.  Barrett and Triston are getting older too, this is Triston's last year of elementary school.  He'll be off to middle school next year and is already planning on riding his bike and going to the store on his own.  This is probably the last year that all of the kids will believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.  Somehow, I just never figured this would happen.  I watched other families grow and their children get older, but somehow I always thought in the back of my mind that my kids would stay...little.   With summer coming to a close, I guess I'm just feeling overly sentimental over everything.  I just want to hold onto them with all of my mama-power and keep them snuggled and innocent and small.  River, don't grow up too fast.  I'm just not ready yet.