We mark the boys height every six months, and every time I am surprised. Every time I find myself thinking "OK-this is why Josiah's pants got so short...and it must be why Sam is so hungry lately...and why Caleb needs new shoes already... " Yet I rarely put those obvious clues together without the ruler right there.
Why is it that my children growing up is a perpetual shock? 
The process is always the same. Heels against the wall. Head back. No deep breaths at the last minute to lift yourself that extra 1/4 inch. And as Mom marks the spot with a Sharpie, there are 2 brothers watching closely, to make sure you don't cheat! This time Caleb grew the most in six months, at 1.5 inches. Sam at 1 1/4 and Josiah at 1 1/8 inches taller.
In 2003, the boys were 8, 6 and 4 years old. I remember how Sammy wondered why Daddy and Mama weren't on the marking wall? So we tried to explain how adults don't change every six months (well that's not factual, but we can only grow out, and no longer up...which annoys me to no end) But the boys wanted us on there, and so we indulged them. So that little red MOM mark has been my eldest child's goal, his target, his reason to finish that glass of milk, for over 2 years.
At least once a month someone says "Wow! You are almost as tall as your Mom now, aren't you?' and that satisfied grin spreads across his face...
So. You see that 1/2 inch there? That's all I got on him now. Most likely, if he keeps growing 1 to 2 inches every 6 months, the way he has been? That means by this autumn, Josiah will have passed me by...
And the DADDY 12/03 mark will be the next target in his sights...
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