My son invites the neighbor kids over. He then directs them in films…

…this particular film being boys beating each other up to Justin Bieber songs.

(in case you didn’t catch it, the first kid is supposed to be Justin Bieber, and the second kid is supposed to be Justin’s ex-girlfriend.)

(my son is behind the camera… I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.)

This…

… is the face that is stoking the fire that is my midlife crisis. It’s the face that used to belong to a baby, but now belongs to a chatty toddler who yells “no way, suckers!” in response to everything I ask him to do. It’s the face that belongs to a child who used to need help with everything, and now wants help with nothing. (Nothing! Step the hell back, mom! ) It’s the face that used to get stuck in the neck-hole of onsies, but now gets stuck in the neck-hole (or, sometimes, arm-hole) of the t-shirt he has selected for himself…

It’s the face of time pulling away from me… shoved into a stranger’s car and barreling away as I chase after. Yes, it sometimes induces that kind of panic. It’s the face that has shown me meaning behind the phrase “enjoy it while it lasts”. It’s the face that makes me teary, knowing that he may very well be my last little face… his growing, changing face and maturing nature signalling the end of an era for me. An era I’m trying desperately to cling to even as it runs through my fingers like sand.

You see this face? I take pictures of it a lot. Because that’s the only thing I can do.

I think I need knee surgery now.

I know I brag a lot about my yoga prowess, but this game throat punches me.

Also, Zoe decided to “wait… time out… take a break” in the middle of it.

Yeah, no problem, take your time… I can stay like this all night.