Let's play pretend!

A few nights ago I was making Owen an egg for dinner. He was sitting on the counter; he likes to watch. An empty vase was next to him. He picked up various bottles of vitamins that are on the counter and began pretending to poor them into the vase, shaking them as if putting salt on his food. Then he reached in and pretended to taste whatever it was he was making. Then he offered me some! I realized we were playing pretend together! Thinking back on it, he plays pretend at work with Izzy all the time. They fix things with toy tools, cook in a little play kitchen, and lately Owen likes to play with a baby doll. He carries it around and feeds it from a little plastic bottle (which I catch him trying to feed himself with sometimes). But it was the first time that he initiated a game like this with me at home. It was so fun! I can't believe how big he is. He really is a little boy now. He sits and "reads" to himself, always making sure the book is the right side up :) He likes to walk everywhere and insists on pushing his stroller instead of riding in it. He's got quite a pitching arm, and loves to play baseball. I even think his first hair cut is on the horizon! It's an amazing privilage to be able to watch him grow and achieve things that we take for granted as adults. It's a little sad though too. Every new thing he learns takes him that much farther away from me. I hope that he can understand someday just how much I love him.