Sisters and Family Fun

Tonight I have two images in my head that keep bringing a smile to my face. The first was from this morning. Ben was working from home, so I decided to take advantage and take Molly alone to get her some new shoes. When Ben asked if I was taking anyone else with me, I looked down into our den where the other two had been playing. I saw one of our big blankets on the couch with two bumps underneath where the girls' heads should have been. They were "camping out" under the blanket watching Ava play her Leapster. It was the cutest scene, and I am so sad I don't have a picture to share. Those two are such good friends, and I pray it may always be so.

The second was the chaos I can only loosely refer to as dinner. There is a local restaurant here that has a Family Fun Night each Tuesday night, where there are different themed activities the kids can do while the family dines. Tonight we went with two other families - 13 people in total - and crammed into a table that should really only seat 6. It was SO ridiculous! I can't even imagine what other people around us must have been thinking, we were truly a sight to behold. As we were sitting there, though, I took a quick moment to appreciate what amazing friends we have. Among us moms, Sharon, Amanda, and I parent in pretty different ways. And yet, we are all the same kind of parent - we hold the same values we are teaching our kids, and view family and life in much the same way. I have never felt judged by either these women for the way I'm raising my kids, and I hope they feel the same. As time has gone on we've let our husbands join in on the fun, and often all get together to create scenes such as the one this evening. Seeing all our families enjoying sitting around this little table, defying laws of physics and personal space, I realized how thankful I am to have friends such as these, and can't wait to see all our kids grow up together so we can tell the horrifyingly embarrassing stories and wonderful memories we all share.