3 and a half?

I looked at the calendar this morning and realized my boys are three and a half. How has that happened? Yesterday morning, as Ben stood in front of me trying to rationalize his naughty behavior, I was struck by the fact that my boys are getting BIG! The remnants of "baby" continue to fade every day, although I know in my mind, I will always see mannerisms or expressions that can instantly take me back to my first few days with my children. A certain way they stretch, a chubby-cheek look of innocence, those early smiles that can melt a mama's heart -- I still see them!

I worry every minute of every day about the boys' adjustment and understanding of their new life, but that isn't a discussion for this very public forum. To state the obvious, this is hard, and I want to make sure that any decision that is made is the absolute right decision for the boys -- and I certainly don't have that certainty about any of this.

Sam informed me the other day that he has a girlfriend, Chantelle. She is in the 4-year old classroom at his school, and he is quite smitten with her. As he tried to tell me about her, Ben kept interjecting -- for example, I asked what color eyes she has -- and Ben yelled, "RED!" Sam got upset, and informed me she does NOT have red eyes. Her eyes are brown and her sneakers are pink and blue. I asked the boys' teacher about her, and the teacher informed me that Ben actually spends a lot of time with Chantelle, and Sammy apparently admires from afar!

I had a conference with the boys' teacher several weeks ago, and she asked me how I felt about splitting the boys into separate preschool rooms. The school thinks the boys will benefit from a bit of independence and space from one another, as the teacher recently moved Sam from the "teacher's table" during lunch time to the "independent eater" table (Ben sits next to the teacher -- any surprises there??). They have put the boys in separate rooms for short activities, and they seem to do well when separated, but are always very happy to see one another. I am conflicted about this -- if the boys need space from each other, I will definitely support that switch. I worry, however, that their presence in the other's life is the only constant they have right now, and I don't know that now is the time to make that change ...