"The Girls" Reunion, 2014

I have written about the precious friendship I share with these girls here, here and here. Had I known in college how much we'd be spread out - literally opposite ends of the country - I maybe would have done a whole blog about our adventures. Oh wait - Xanga did that.  Anyhow, these girls know me in ways no one else does. Our couple of days together were wonderful.  Our first night together we spent catching up, laughing and reminiscing while the children slept.

The next day was the first time since this moment that all our kids were together. And there are were two more to add to the mix. It was so fun to see these kids together; wonderful to get to know their personalities.

You readers pretty well already know Cooper. He is an adventure-seeking boy. He would rather be in the water, run around, or pretend to be mario than hang out with actual people.

Gavin is a sweet boy. He kind of just fits in wherever he's put. I see him being and "all-around guy" one day - doing it all, fitting in with everyone. He is a mama's boy and LOVES his food. I won him over with goldfish. He also won over the seagulls with his love of food.

Addison is a rule-follower. She's an observer and more on the shy side than the other kids, but is loving and very smart. It was fun to do girly things with her, run with her, and scoop her up for hugs. She also has the cutest little voice. I think she's got a bit of a wild side to her. It will be interesting to see how that plays out as she gets older.

Molli is also an adventure seeker. But instead of water, she chose sand. Molli is also a smart girl, with a kind heart. She was quick to take Addison's hand and lead her around. I see Molli being a trend-setter and a leader. I don't think she'll be quick to follow anyone. She'll go her own way, to her own beat, with her own brightly colored drum. 

Audrey is little, but her smile is big. She's a firecracker and she's fun. She was perfectly content in her mom's arms, or on the blanket. I have a feeling she'll be like Gavin - put her anywhere with anyone and she'll be ok. Maybe it's the 2nd child way. 

Getting all these personalities together was quite the experience. It's crazy to think about how spending time with these girls has changed quite a bit. It now involves a whole bunch of littles running around us. It involves halted conversations to run after, reign in, discipline, sooth, or love on a little one. It involves tears shed and fight intervention. It involves a lot of laughter, a lot of "go with the flow" moments, and a lot of love. Taking the kids to the beach with just the three of us could have been an absolute disaster, but I left that day thinking "that wasn't so bad at all." It was actually quite wonderful. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Amanda has become quite the multi-tasker.

 

He's reaching for the phone in this picture, but I like to think he's really reaching for the goldfish.

The next day, we played at the splash park. I only got these two photos. 

I was really excited for Molli and Cooper to be together. Molli is the closet in age to Cooper, and can keep up with him. I had always imagined them being 2 peas in a pod, escaping together to get into as much trouble as they could. They had a bit of a personality clash, though. I think they liked each other, but they are both stubborn and leaders, not followers. That, mixed with my only child syndrome child made for some interesting moments. No hitting or aggressive behavior so I'll take that as a win!

I hope they don't hate us for these forced friendships as they get older.

The thing about having kids is they make everything harder. Parenting is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Marriage is now upturned and you have to work harder to love each other. Friendship is no different. You have to work harder to maintain friendships. These girls have made long distance friendship doable. They have even made friendship with kids doable. While there is so much the same out each of us, there is also so much that's different. We each parent differently: each one of us a great champion for our children. And even though we are different, there is no judgement. Instead, a deep love for the other person; a desire for the best for our friend. Thanks for being my friend, girls. I really couldn't imaging going through life without you girls with me. 

Liz and Allison, we missed you!

Amanda wrote about our time together and you can read her post here.