Since my family is spread out across the US, when we get together it's usually a pretty big deal. The past week has been a crazy whirlwind of activity and I loved every minute of it. Only I wish it would have lasted longer. Last Thursday my beautiful San Diego sister flew in with her four and one year-old boys. (I make the cutest nephews!). Meanwhile my mom flew from LAX to Jersey to stay with the Jersey girl (San Diego and Jersey are gorgeous identical twins--brats!) and her six year old son. (Have I mentioned how adorable my nephews are?) On Friday, mom, Jersey twin and nephew made the road trip to Maine and were greeted with a beautiful rainbow in our front yard. 

Do the math...my five plus three nephews plus two sisters plus one mom makes...eleven! It was adorable watching the six kids--aged one to fourteen--interact. We get together once a year and 365 days makes for some major changes in the little guys. From magic tricks, to silly hide-and-seek games, to four-wheeling, to swimming in the pool, the cousins giggled non-stop.

We ventured to the blueberry field and picked twenty+ pounds of sweetness and then had a Maine meal with hubby's brother, sister-in-law and their two kids as well. Fifteen lobsters, grilled steak, corn, potatoes...all topped off with a few fresh blueberry pies. And if our bellies weren't full enough, we made a fire, cooked some s'mores and set off some amazing fireworks in the backyard. This has been a tradition when the cousins come up to visit and is expected every year. 

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. We said good-bye to Jersey girl and nephew a few days later after going to the trampoline park with the kids and feasting on our traditional Hibachi farewell dinner. It was so sad to say good-bye. With my mother here, we had a built in babysitter so San Diego sister and I took full advantage by taking off for a day to do some damage at the outlet stores. And then we had to say teary goodbyes to them. 

My mom stuck around another few days so hubby and I could have a much-needed day together. We hiked Mt. Washington yesterday and today I can barely walk (my kids tell me I look like an old lady trying to get out of my chair and walking down the stairs). Holy workout! Before putting my mom on the plane this afternoon we walked around Portland Head Light and the kids played in the water. And then another teary goodbye. 

I love making memories and starting new traditions with my siblings and their families. Hopefully my brother and his wife and daughter will make it out next year. We've never had all the siblings and cousins together at the same time. 

What are the memories you most cherish from childhood and what traditions do you like to keep with your growing families? 

Today was an errand day. Normally I love grocery shopping, running into Target for batteries and coming out with a cart full of...stuff...and $130 on my credit card. But I only love doing these things because my kids usually opt to stay home. Today, however, I was blessed with all three of the rugrats, I mean loves of my life.

Teenage Princess is a born shopper. She makes me proud scooting to the back of the stores to find the clearance racks before perusing the expensive stuff. Sports Girl is an in and out shopper. And only at athletic stores. We enter Olympia Sports, she be-lines it for the girls section, grabs some athletic shorts and a few T-shirts and calls it good. The Little Guy hates any and all kind of shopping and lets us know how torturous he finds the experience

This is how may day went: First stop, Target.
TP-"Text me when you're leaving"...and she bolts to shop on her own.
SG-"Something smells." She looks at the Little Guy. "Are you kidding me? Mom, LG farted again and he smells. I'm dying!!!" (Yes, the three exclamation points are necessary)
LG-In a fit of giggles. "It's not that bad." He chases his sister down the aisle
Mom-"I don't see any other children acting the way you do." 

I finish loading my cart with items that aren't on my list and proceed to the checkout, using my text to talk feature to tell TP we're leaving. Fifteen minutes later we're still waiting for TP. SG and LG are giggling hysterically, poking and kicking each other. Aw, brother and sister love. Finally, TP checks out--spending her money on more make up.

My sister and her boys are flying out from California tomorrow and LG asks lots of questions about his cousins, ages four and sixteen months. My sister texted me with the new words the baby has learned, and the kids' food and play likes.I read the text but the only thing LG picked up on was the last line: Colton likes to play with balls. He laughs hysterically, tears pouring out of his eyes. His sweet sister doesn't get the joke. LG can't speak he's in such a fit of hysterics. Finally he explains his inappropriate translation of my sister's innocent text. SG blushes with embarrassment (she's a good kid). He repeats the line, "He likes to play with balls" over and over and over again. 

We then venture to the grocery store to pick up a few items. TP takes off for the cafe` where she can take advantage of the free wifi. I shop with the other two.

LG-"Can we get ice cream?"
Mom-"We have ice cream at home."
LG-"Can we get popsicles?"
Mom-"I just bought a box of 20 two days ago."
SG-"He ate them all." Cough, cough, gag. "Did you fart again?"
In a fit of giggles LG jumps on SG's back and continues to stink up the entire store.

I turn the cart around and hurry to the next aisle, pretending not to know the two children wrestling, laughing, gagging, and being very vocal about what LG smells like. Unfortunately they found me and the scene continued in the check out aisle. There was no escaping the little mutants. Oops, almost forgot to remind TP that we were at the car. She found us, barked at her brother for the fumes emanating around his body, and glued her face to her iPhone the rest of the way home while SG and LG pushed each others' buttons (they're actually quite close and try to get mad but end up in a fit of laughter). I cranked up the radio and did my best to tune everyone out.

When we got home (the windows down the entire trip), I disinfected LG and unloaded the bags not remembering putting four gallons of ice cream, two packages of Oreos, a box of popsicles, a bag of pistachios, and a package of fake nails in the cart. The bottle of blueberry vodka, however, I did remember. 

This is why I shop alone. 

Teenage Princess had a boy over today. They hung out on the patio and swam in the pool for a while, with the Little Guy tagging along, splashing and cannon-balling in the pool...simply for the enjoyment of bugging his sister.

The Little Guy is nine and spent most of the afternoon  poking fun of Teenage Boy and TP, and making ridiculously loud noises from his tush. He cracked many inappropriate jokes--yet fairly appropriate for a nine year-old. Being the wonderful mother that I am, I stayed back, peeking throughout the windows and listening to the LG's heckling. TP wasn't impressed that her boyfriend was enthralled with the Little Guy. I, however, was. 

After drying off, gobbling down an entire pizza, a soda and a bag of chips, TP and the boy went upstairs into the playroom. Again, LG followed, asking important questions like, "Why do you like my sister?" "Why do you like girls? They're weird." "Do you kiss her?" All the while impressing Teenage boy with his belching and farting skills.

I encouraged and applauded the Little Guy for keeping the teenagers in check. 

Mother of the Year Award graciously accepted. 

I was kind of a nomad growing up. I moved to different cities, states and schools before I could grow out of  a pair of sneakers. I'd actually attended the same high school for three years (but had lived in two different places during that time)...the longest I'd ever been in the same school. You'd never know it now, but I was a super shy kid. It made it really hard for me to find friends.

I actually preferred to move in the middle of the school year. It was easier coming in to a classroom once it was already established and having the teacher introduce me as the new kid instead of sitting in the middle somewhere, waiting for someone to ask me my name. Yes, I was that shy. 

We had been in California for two years and I'd made some wonderful friends in junior high. My heat ached and I sobbed for days promising to write letters every week (which I did...for a while) and call when I can. My phone bill was astronomical back then. 

The same thing happened when I moved to New Hampshire. I made wonderful, amazing friends whom I simply adore and have kept in contact with as well (thank you, Facebook!). I went to the same high school for three years and during that time I made a lot of friends. I had many different "groups" that I'd hang out with, still never feeling like a true part of an inner circle. My friends welcomed me into their circle but I lacked the past history that they had, the memories I'd come to hear about but never know from first hand experience.

The groups have come and gone, but the friendships that have stayed true, whether we physically see each other or not, are the friendships I had outside of groups. I met Karen on my first day at work. McDonalds. It's the classic first job, right. Here I was, the shy new girl fresh off the bus from California and this scrawny girl with big brown eyes and the sunniest disposition I'd ever seen welcomed me with open arms and trained me on the register, showed me how to make the fries. An instant bond was formed.

Karen and I didn't share our friendship with others. She had a group of friends she'd hang out with and I had my circle, but at the end of the day we had each other. I have more inside jokes, heartbreak stories, and song memories with her than with anyone.

I'm a year older than her and went off to college, four hours away. While I was in school my family moved back to California and I made my college town my new residence. I didn't see Karen for a few years but we reconnected when I got married, and visited a time or two after that. And then I started popping out babies, Karen traveled a lot for work, and life got in the way. 

I hadn't seen her in fourteen years. Besides our annual Christmas card mailings and Facebook stalking, I hadn't seen Karen since I popped out my first child. I surprised her at her bridal shower a few weeks ago and we both started crying in each others' arms. After the shower, I went back to her house to spend some alone time with her and it was like the years didn't happen.

There are those who you may not see often, but their friendship, understanding, and humor can carry on for years and years. True friendships withstand time. Of course I'd rather see Karen more often--once every 14 years isn't going to cut it for me anymore--but I'm so thankful that she hasn't changed a bit. She still wears that big smile on her face, her heart is as generous as ever, and her laugh is contagious.

Here's to lasting friendships. And to beautiful brides. 

 

This past weekend The Hubby and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. I don't feel old enough to have been with the same person for 22 years, but I guess we've stuck through it. I'd love to say our relationship has been a fairy-tale romance like the books I enjoy reading and writing, but, eh, no. 

We started dating our freshman year in college so there was no wine and dining, romantic walks along the beach, or special getaways. The Hubby (granted he wasn't "The Hubby" back then) was/is a very dedicated man. He was a middle linebacker in college (still has the great body!) and when he wasn't playing or at football practice, he could be found studying. I'd try to pry him away from his books, but the man was too studious. When it was off season we'd go to parties or hang out in one of our dorm rooms, and junior/senior year, our apartments. That was our wild courtship. Going to parties together or hanging out. I was madly in love, but we were young so I feel I missed out on the romantic gestures my heroes and heroines encounter in my books. 

After college we moved in together, got engaged, got married, built a house, then had babies. It's what we wanted; what we planned. I don't regret a single decision we've made with our lives, but I feel we missed out on the romance department...maybe that's why I love to read and write it?

I married the most loyal, dedicated, hard working man I've ever encountered, but he seriously lacks in the spontaneity and romance department. He'll joke around about being in one of my books...I laugh. He laughs. However, there are times when he surprises me. This year he bought me 18 red roses (he's not a flower guy), "One for each year we've been married and one to grow on." Aww, sweet! And he gave me two more additions to my Pandora bracelet: a book (because I'm finally published!) and an anniversary heart. 

I may not be the recipient of surprise picnics or romantic getaways, but I have a loving, faithful, funny, supportive husband who loves me unconditionally. I can't beat that.