Babies growing up

So much has happened in the last few weeks for me professionally, have got my act together as a non mummy/cook/friend and been the other side ie work. Its a bit unnerving when you go back to work after a few years and then it comes together and you find your footing. All good, but now a pause until the holidays finish.
This has actually been secondary compared to the children's activities, I come home, and there's this calendar of activities - again, resulting in another piano grade for my daughter and a guard of honour at Edgbaston for my son (not sure of what it means but know what he did).
Its true, what the old ladies at Sainsbury's checkouts would tell me when they were babies - it will all get easier and you will miss this time. They are no longer 'carryable', do their own tasks etc, have conversations with me and play on their own (mostly).
Watching them grow into normal children is what makes parenting worth it - all the sleepless months breastfeeding, and then still sleepless nights, clinginess, toys, exhaustion, doing the same thing over and over again etc is all temporary, and then.........as our friends with teenagers point out, it happens all over again, but in a different way......