I am blessed to have a large, active family.

We have birthday parties and poker nights and camp together in the summer on all the major holiday weekends. The whole crew of grown-ups and kids and almost as many dogs makes for a chaotic, but fun time.

This fourth of July weekend was no exception. And this year, we are blessed to have four little ones under the age of 3 in our family.

So many little voices. Laughing, crying, screaming, running, playing. They have so much energy. Where does it all come from?

I lost count of how many times they sang the ABC's or how often their cute little voices asked to go swimming.

Watching the little ones playing in the sunshine, splashing in the kiddie pool or chasing each other at the fireworks with their inflatable baseball bats made me reflect on how quickly the years are flying by.

What feels like just yesterday when my boys were that little was actually more than 10 years ago. I look at them now; one who towers over me, and the other who is catching up quickly, and I sigh.

I left them alone for a split second...and they grew up on me!

I miss those days...or at least parts of them (you can keep the diapers!).

I miss how sweet and innocent they were, how they would snuggle up when they were tired, how they would look around for me after they had been playing for awhile and suddenly realized I wasn't right next to them.

But I love the ages they are now too.

The conversations I have with them, the moments when they show their good character, being a passenger in the car while my older son drives, and the many lessons I learn through their unique lenses are a constant source of pride and amazement.

I am watching them grow into men right before my eyes, and part of me is terrified for them.

It's a tough world out there, and they're going to have to learn a few lessons the hard way. As much as the mom in me wants to protect them, I know it would be a disservice to them if I sheltered them too much.

So I do my best to not sugar coat things for them. I talk to them openly about life, and the things I've learned.

Hopefully, the perspective they are gaining will help them work through the hard times and treat them as building blocks that shape their lives.

I pray that I model resilience and strength as often as possible. Or, if I don't, that I show them how to recover, admit my mistakes, and learn from them.

Gone are the days when I had to chase them around the yard, worried that they might fall in the pond or run into the busy highway. Gone are the diaper changes, sleepless nights and constant demands for my attention.

But now I have to worry about them jumping off the roof into the pool or crashing on a dirt bike as they race around the front lawn.

That's what teenage boys do, you say? Get used to it, you say?

Yeah, yeah, I know.

I'm trying, but they're still my boys. And I love them fiercely, down to the very depths of my soul.

I swear I only left them alone for a split second...