The sweet days of summer are nearly upon us.

It seems like just yesterday we were getting ready to put the presents under the tree. It doesn’t seem right that I spent time last week lining up a babysitter for the summer. But I did.

Is it me or is it, that as you get older, time goes by more quickly?

I was thinking ahead to long term plans the other night – where we are now as a family and what I need to do to prepare for the future – and I nearly cried. You see, I need a new car. Now, I love my car. It gets great gas mileage, and even though it’s a four-door, it looks sporty enough not to be thought of as a “mom car.”

I need a new vehicle because we can’t take anyone with us if we go anywhere. Plus, it’s getting harder and harder for the trunk to hold three bat bags, a camp chair, dance bags, two batons and my go-to-the-wreck/fire/drug bust coverage kit (yes, I do have one of those because it’s terrible to try to trek through weeds in three-inch heels).

What I need is a (gulp) minivan or mid-size SUV. In mapping out my purchase plan, I nearly cried, not because of the payment that will need to be added to my budget, but because I can kiss my trade-in good-bye.

While that in itself isn’t enough to reduce most to tears, the following thought was – it clicked for me that my nearly-14 year-old would be 16 in a year-and-a-half – which means a driver’s license and a way to go.

A year-and-a-half is no time at all. Four years after that, she’ll graduate and head off to college. By then, the middle one will be in middle school, and the youngest one will be a grade behind her. In 10 years time, they’ll all be gone. Poof, just like that. Gone on to bigger things and living their own lives.

When your baby is small, it seems like it takes forever for them to walk, to talk, to run and to read. Every milestone is a steppingstone to the next milestone. After high school, they’ll head off to college, to a new career, then a family – and in that order, if they know what’s good for them.

It chokes me up because I know the next 10 years will go by too fast. While I do complain about the lack of sleep and free time now, I wouldn’t trade the nights at the ballpark or Saturday fun runs and dance shows for anything.

I’ve heard it said that a busy life is a full life. It’s true. I’m full of happiness for the life we have now, full of love for my family and full of the knowledge that I need to make each hug and kiss count.