Three Generations of Friends.

  When I was five, a family moved in five doors down and across the street.  I was much braver then and I knocked on the door and asked the lady who answered "Do you have any kids that can play?" Lucky for me, she had a little girl who was 4 1/2 months younger and, that day, our childhoods became meshed forever.
  Although we went to separate schools until grade 6, we did nearly everything together (that is until boys came along).  Our summers were endless days of making up dance routines, playing cards, playing badmonton, playing Kid Icarus or the original Mario Brothers, walking (or bike riding) to the store, exploring the nature reserve, climbing the investigative ranks in the world of Carmen Sandiego, hanging out in their camper and eating grilled cheese & pickles. And when our free time wasn't spent together, we were together during dance lessons and through the hell of competitive swimming (she was lucky to escape before I did).
  Eventually, my second mom (her mom) and her second mom (my mom) decided to meet.  And, they too, forged a very special friendship.  They were always having coffee.  (I remember how many of our coffee mugs had the faint stain of her bright pink lipstick). In fact, I believe they were having coffee on our patio when my mom got the news that she was pregnant. (Three years later, that little baby girl nicknamed my 2nd mom "Damn West" because she couldn't pronounce Madame.)  If they were at her house, we were at mine.  If they were at mine, we were at hers. Often at the end of an evening of our family get togethers, we would feign that we were sleeping so that they would just leave us be and we would get an impromptu bonus sleep over.  (Not that they ever said "no" when we would ask.)

  For nearly three decades we have been friends.  Of course, we aren't stuck at the hip anymore because life just got in the way, that and the fact that we would have to have incredibly large hips since she lives in Winterpeg.  But she has never stopped being one of my truest friends.  She stood up with me at my wedding and gave us the most wonderful gift, she made us our (5 tier cheesecake) wedding cake. (Probably the only wedding cake in history that was eaten in it's entirety at the reception.)

  Last week I was blessed with having her stay at my home for a whole week!  Despite the fact that we couldn't partake in all the things we used to, although we did have grilled cheese (twice!), we promoted the development of another life long friendship...that of our sons'.
  When I had safely made it through my first trimester of pregnancy, I called her with the news.  And there she was, with a brand new jumbo pack of tampons in hand, congratulating me.  Little did she know, she would be making the same announcement in a couple of months and that jumbo pack of tampons would (and still does) remain unopened.
  It was fabulous having her here.  We reminisced, we shopped, we strolled and we shared in mommy stories as our boys shared their toys.  And not until she was gone did I realize the most important thing... for a week, we shared the sacred life of mommy-hood together. 
  I can't really explain it more than that.  It just made the days seem to go by faster and with less stress.  There was a silent understanding between the two of us of what needed to be done and the acceptance of how things were.  Simple things like picking up which ever infant is fussing while the other is cooking or understanding why you are still in your pjs at lunch and will change into the same slightly dirty shirt you wore yesterday because it will just get more spit up on it today.

  The visit made me realize two things.
  1) Women should have more "mommy days" where you just hang out and do motherly things side by side.  And by hang out, I mean, relax and not worry about being the fashionista mom, or the athletic mom, or the got-the-latest-thing-a-ma-jig mom or the health conscious mom or the check-out-how-smart-my-kid-is mom.
2) I hope that my son will be lucky enough to have the same type of longstanding, unconditional true friendship. It is a blessing that is invaluable to the soul.

  So in case I haven't said it lately, I thank you for your friendship.

Noah & Josh just hanging out.