the tradition continues...

It's impossible for me to believe that it's been ten years already since I graduated from high school. It happened in the blink of an eye and what seems like in the span of a million lifetimes.

These girls have been my core.

Looking at the ten of us now...I wonder what we would have thought back then about our lives, our accomplishments, our futures.
This I know for sure....I would have told myself to worry less, enjoy the carefree moments, love life for all that it was. In ten years, I would like to think that I've become a better person, a stronger person...(well...these wrinkles better be for something!)

I'm so thankful for all that each of my friends has offered me in various points of my life. Yes, we've grown apart, in distance, and communication, and sometimes just by life itself...but never in the heart.

Everytime we get together each of us quickly settles back into the comfortable familiarity of being around people who already know all the embarassing stuff about you...so you don't have to be anyone but YOU. This, in itself, is invaluable. I've been supported, loved and encouraged.

Every year for the past three years we have gotten together for a "Christmas brunch" (I was the first with kiddos in tow...but Anna quickly followed :) Our numbers keep multiplying with more on the way (NOT for me)! Each year has been such a special time for me to just talk and laugh...share old memories and make new ones.

"The Mean Girls" circa 1999----

Senior Class Trip to Hawaii
(left to right: Julie, Laura, Anna, Me)

(Missy and I-Senior Year)

(Laura....hmmm...should we really talk about this trip to Wisconsin?? :)

Missy and I....Senior Year Banquet

The last day of our Senior Year
(from left to right: Kim, Amy, Missy, Me, Laura, Julie, Anna)



Christmas Brunch Tradition Begins

2007

Missy and Carter's first meeting...it was love at first sight

Katie and Ella....such sweet babies

Julie, with Katie on her lap, Missy, Carter and I

Laura and Anna

Amy and Kim

Julie, Missy and Carter

from left to right (Anna, Amy, Kim, Missy, Julie, Laura, Me)

2008

We tried to get our babies to sit nicely for a picture...but this is the best we got
from left to right (Katie and Carter (mine, obviously), Ella (Amy's), Kate (Anna's)

all of us and a few in the oven...
from left to right... (Laura holding my Carter, me and Katie, Kim, Missy, Amy and Ella, and Anna and Kate.


2009

Me, Anna, Kim and Owen (Kim's)

Missy with sweet baby Micah (Laura's)

Laura....so happy and so calm, even with twins! She's a marvel. And Mackenna is beautiful!

my best friend.

I wonder if we ever dreamed that our kids would play together...or that we would all sit around and sing the "ABC" song at the brunch table with our kids and actually love it. And even those of us that don't have kids and get to see it up close before they take the plunge take such joy in these sweet little ones. We are all lucky, lucky girls.

Katie and Kate (Anna's) learning the alphabet....

Katie and Owen (Kim's)...apparently Katie is trying to teach Owen how to play with his own puzzle. He was a very nice little boy and didn't put her in her place!

Katie and Owen again

So we decided to try the whole line the kids up...take their picture thing...easier said then done when you have ages from 3-3 months. We tried...

Carter....the first to sit down on the couch, just looking around, checking things out...I think he was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the shrieking girls

sweet twins Micah and Mackenna (Laura's)

Carter and Kate (Anna's).....just chillin'

Katie, Owen (Kim's) and Micah (Laura's)....I think at this point we were trying to avoid disaster

Okay, here we go...all in a line. From left to right

Carter, Kate (Anna's), Ella (Amy's), Katie, Owen (Kim's), and Micah and Mackenna (Laura's twins). That's all of the "mean girl" descendents for now, although Kate's brother, Jack (Anna's) couldn't make the trip, and Anna and Amy are both expecting little ones this year!

All of us and all of the babies. One more time....from left to right....
Missy holding Mackenna (Laura's), Laura and Micah, Kim and Owen, Me, KJ and Carter, Amy and Ella, and Anna and Kate. Wow.

And all of us...my dear, dear friends. We missed you, Julie.

Missy, Laura, Kim, Me, Amy, Anna


Just for good time's sake, and because I've already made this the longest picture post ever, I thought I would put a few more of the memories we have shared along these ten years....

Here's to another ten!

I am so proud of all that we have done...the lives we have made for ourselves. It may not have been what we expected, what we hoped, what we dreamed or planned. But I think that's really the beauty of it...this is our life....we are making it as we go. And this is what I love about these girls...no judgement, no lies...we've all been there. I am proud to have these girls as my friends.

my GAP babies...

Well...I can't help it....it is my FAVORITE store :)

(2007)

(2008)


they are growing too fast!

Cookie Party!

This holiday season, my sister, Eric and I decided to start our own tradition of getting all the kids together and making Christmas cookies and writing letters to Santa. It was a really fun night (although not so fun to clean up)...and the kids had an absolute blast. I hope it is a tradition we continue for a long long time.

Me, my oldest nephew, Robbie and Melanie

Carter and Jake working hard to ice their cookies.

Brady and Katie...both just pretty much making a mess... :)

I love this gorgeous smile...if only she didn't have blue icing all over her mouth :)

Mmmmm......this tastes good!

Carter...completely distracted from icing cookies by trying to eat ALL of the sprinkles. That would be my icing-covered hand taking them AWAY from my toddler. As I remember, we were up pretty late that night.

Brady, Katie, Robbie, Carter and Jacob...Cousins and Best-Friends

KJ wanted me to help her decorate her blue Christmas tree cookie.

After the sprinkles incident, Carter needed a little assistance...

And the finished product of all of our kiddos...minus the ones Mel took home for the boys.
I was pretty impressed...by how many sprinkles and other decorations they could fit
on each cookie!

I'm looking forward to many more...

it was bound to happen...

It should probably be mentioned that I'm not a "chronological" blogger...in fact, I don't believe in it. I think it's silly. If I tried to keep up with everything in chronological order, I would never leave the computer. I think it's much more fun to just write.

That being said...before Christmas, Carter suffered his first "real" injury. While I was at work on Saturday, Katie, Eric and Carter were having a party at home. We have all hardwood floors and Carter decided it would be a good idea to go spinning in the office chair on the hardwood floor....that is until he went flying off into the corner of the wall.....uh oh.

The result was about ten frantic phone calls until Eric got a hold of me and a trip to the ER. My little boy had his first stitches...seven in all, to the gash in his forehead. He was so brave and didn't cry once, even when the doctor gave him a shot in the wound (I about passed out...)

I won't go into too much detail with the pictures, don't want to gross anyone out, but as you can see after he got the stitches...he wasn't worried about it a bit. Such a brave boy!

My Little Angel...

Hopefully KJ isn't getting confused (see post below) but she also participated in our church's Christmas Program this year as a little angel. She was really cute in a little cape that actually kind of made her look more like a ghost then an angel (hey, I didn't dress her) and a princess tiara. My three nephews were also a part of the program. Carter didn't get to participate this year, but I'm sure he will be excited about being a shepherd next year!

My mom was the director of the Children's Program so she's busy telling all the little ones where to go. Katie was patiently waiting her turn (right next to my mom with the tiara on)....

Katie, standing very nicely while the Christmas story is read by some older children in the Sunday School program. My nephew, Jake, is the shepherd holding the star (I labeled them to make it easier... :)

All of the children, surrounding the manager, as they marveled at the "baby Jesus." (actually a Cabbage Patch doll :)

Katie, for once, being a perfect little angel and doing all the motions to her dance... perfectly.

I couldn't resist the twirling ballerina move....such a cutie.