Onward and Upward... Errr... Downward?

When it comes to my children, people are always telling me to "keep 'em little" because you know, "they are the best at that age."

I find this to be more than mildly disturbing.

Not that I don't think my children are fabulous... but because of what these kind of statements inherently say about the future: "Older kids suck" or perhaps "Life: It's all down-hill from here."

I don't believe that to be the case. In fact, I believe, if parents do their jobs right (which mine evidently did) older children are a blast. They come to your house with their own families and drink all of your wine and lie around on your couch while you care for the screaming grandkids...

oh wait.

*ahem*

I digress...

All this was merely to say that we are now a non-highchair family!
Forward ever forward. Onward and upward. All that jazz. Although... it was a HIGHchair so maybe we are technically onward and downward? Hmmm...

A while ago Nils decided he was ready for the booster seat (we have a window seat in our kitchen so he graduated to sitting in a booster at the table) and the awesome wooden highchair Chris' parents found for us when I was pregnant with C moved to the garage. Well, Nils isn't looking back... so we aren't either. And thus, as of yesterday when someone in need of a high chair picked it up from our house, we are now officially out of the highchair phase of life.

Just like that.

And despite the many recommendations of older people in the grocery store that I should somehow find a way to freeze time and force my sweet Nils to stay in a highchair forever, I am in fact not sad about it at all. Not in the least. I'm joyful that he is proud to be out of the highchair and in the booster. I'm happy that he is moving forward and would never purposely do anything to hold him back. I love that little guy with all of my heart and want nothing but the best for him. Why then would I try to force him to stay a baby forever? I'm thankful that Nils is growing and thriving.

So, red highchair, goodbye. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen. Goodnight. Thanks for holding my babies. The littlest has announced that he is a highchair baby no longer and we know that another family is now thrilled to have you. 

And now we shall see what glorious things this next phase will bring... like not having to clean a highchair any longer (not that I did that very often anyway). And yeah, while we're at it I got rid of all of those little teeny tiny baby spoons too. Onward. Forward. Upward. Here we go!