Saturday was a rocky sort of day, in ways we hadn't seen in awhile, and so had been lulled into complacency. It started out rocky for different reasons, but peaked when later that afternoon, for a frightening twenty minutes I couldn't find L. in our Target store--not because he had absent-mindedly wandered away but--and this is the terrifying part--he walked away from me in a fit of anger while I was checking out, and disappeared into the yawning behemoth that is any Target store. One minute he was in line behing me kicking me in the shins, and the next he was gone. It is one thing, I quickly realized, to lose your child for a few minutes by accident (been there--no fun), and quite another to have them lose you--on purpose. Because you can't just pick up your 11-year old and carry him out of the store, the way you could when he was three, or even six. Because the older they get, the angrier you get when they pull a stunt like that, and the anger is scary, too. Because I know that one day, when L. is old enough, he could just walk away, and there's nothing we could do about it.

But we're not there yet; he's not allowed to just walk away and disappear.

And he's not allowed to imagine I wouldn't miss him, or not care.

***************

Somehow, in an almost inconceivable way, my little Sweet Peas are turning 3 and 6 this week.

In the day after day after day monotony of parenthood, it is easy to lose sight of how precious and fleeting these parenting moments will seem someday. I look at pictures of me from 3 years ago, with a precocious 3 year old and a newborn, the exhaustion hidden behind a smile for the camera. I remember thinking how long those sleep-deprived nights seemed to persist, but now, they seem almost a blink of a (very weary) eye.

Last week was one of the greatest of my professional career. Truly. The week was one long defining moment. One of those weeks where all the hard work, all of the training, all of the collective disappointments and successes collide to make magic. I’ve had weeks that were like last week, but none that was quite as uplifting; none that made me feel as good about myself, my colleagues…and, yes, even the world. The week was just that good.

And then in the midst of the celebrating on Thursday…the phone rang.

Like many of us, I’ve been spending somewhat significant amounts of time unlocking the keys to my past. I’ve reconnected with many old friends from my childhood, high school, college, summer camp and then some. I’m talking, of course, about the magic that is Facebook.

There are two kinds of people I've always been somewhat jealous of: those who are insanely creative and follow their creative passions - wherever they lead, and those who have the ability to live in "the moment" and enjoy it. Don't mistake this for being drawn to those who live wildly, without boundaries. I simply mean people who are always able to see the forest through the trees. That, however, seems a bit like an oxymoron - after all, how do you keep your eye on the future while concentrating on the now?

Friday summer nights are special. There’s a local outdoor area that hosts an amazing concert series. Families come out en masse and either grab a patio table at one of the various restaurants, or bring a picnic. Kids run in circles, play in the fountain and dance like crazy to the killer tunes (each rockin’ song bringing another hour of blissful, uninterrupted sleep!). Tonight is gonna be another great night, and K-Man is hooking up with three (count ‘em, three!) of his favorite girlfriends (saving his all-time favorite for a one-on-one playdate Saturday night).

You don’t have to be a sports fan to know that Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open earlier this week in dramatic fashion. Battling knee and leg injuries that will require surgery, the world’s greatest golfer overcame unimaginable pain to win one of golf’s Major Championships. It’s truly a phenomenal achievement. But, he won a golf tournament. The way the media is covering his win, you’d think Tiger had done something truly important – like curing disease.

I’ve always liked the movie, Parenthood. Besides it’s killer cast, anchored by Steve Martin, the writing is great (which is what always makes or brakes a movie for me). But, last night, for the first time, I watched Parenthood as an actual parent. Hard to believe that I’ve seen the movie at least 20 times, but never in the last two-and-a-half years. The funny thing is, now that I have a kid, the movie’s not quite as funny.