Don't Blink: They Grow Up So Fast

I hope you will indulge me today while I get a bit nostalgic.  My first-born son turns fifteen years old today, and I really cannot believe how fast the time has gone.  It feels -- well, maybe not quite like yesterday -- but like just last year, that I held my beautiful baby boy in my arms for the first time and felt myself bursting with love for him.  I remember that moment so clearly, whereas I can't tell you what I had for lunch yesterday or where I left my keys this morning.  My mind can't quite wrap itself around the fact that it has been a whole fifteen years since then.  Of course, I've gotten to know him better over the years as he's grown into a wonderful young man, and I love him now more than ever.  So I really can't come to grips with the fact that he will be going off to college in just three and a half years -- which I know will pass in the blink of an eye.  I'm trying to treasure every moment. 

Anyway, so instead of writing the blog I had in mind for this week, I thought I would share a few photos of some of the murals and furniture I painted for him when he was little.  His current bedroom is a typical teenager's room with rock posters on the wall, and not a thing made by mom.  ;-)

I painted the "Owl & Pussycat" nursery while I was pregnant, inspired by the classic children's poem by Edward Lear.  I happened to find the Laura Ashley border paper just as it was discontinued.  The "pussycat" is a portrait of our beautiful cat inaptly named "Stinky" (courtesy of my husband).

For my son's first birthday, I painted him

this table and chairs set.  It held up to 

lots of abuse and still gets use when 

the baby cousins visit.  I still love the 

tortoise shell pattern on the seats.

For his second birthday, I painted my son this circus rocking chair.  The chair was inspired by a trip to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin as well as my son's love of his toy circus trains.  This chair in turn inspired the theme for his "big boy" room, two years later.

The circus train on the back of the chair.

My son's "big boy" circus room, from about age 4 to 7, had wide-striped circus tent walls, hand-stained two-toned furniture, vintage circus posters, and miscellaneous hand-painted items such as shelves, wood finials, and of course, the rocking chair that started it all.