It Takes A Village.

Last weekend Kyle and I had dinner with another couple who had twins a couple of months ago. We all got babysitters (aka the Grandparents ;) ) and went out child free for a few hours. My friend and I were discussing her new part time work schedule and how she felt about it. She mentioned that being home with the boys sometimes felt very isolating. She wondered at how I managed to stay at home every day and love it. Without a second thought my answer was..."my mommy friends".


We met when Andrew was 3 weeks old (2 years ago this week). I stumbled into a Mommy and Me meeting here in High Point sleep deprived and overwhelmed. Mommy and Me is a support group for new moms. It is open to any mom with a child newborn-6mo. It is run by a lactation consultant who is also a pediatric nurse at an office in town. That day I met Sara and Zane for the first time. Actually all I remember is that Sara carried baby blankets instead of burp clothes due to the amount Zane spit up. A couple of weeks later Sara brought Tucker and her son Will. My first real thought of Tucker was that it was cool she did cloth diapers but that I couldn't do it. After a few short conversations we realized that we were all feeling trapped and bored and needed to get out of the house more. So we decided to meet for lunch at Panera before our weekly meeting. A couple weeks later Kristen and Micah joined our lunch bunch. My first memory of Kristen was learning that she had been my niece's daycare teacher and was married to a person I knew from high school. Those lunches became my lifeline. We met every week and talked about anything and everything. We were just thankful to have other adults around it didn't really matter what the conversation was about. Other friends joined us occasionally but the four of us were always there. One week I randomly decided to attend a Mommy and Me session that was at a different location to catch a speaker I had missed while Andrew was sick. At that session I ran into Dana who I knew through my work at the Red Cross. We became facebook friends and after seeing the millions of pictures that I post of our buddies Dana asked if she could join us. She fit in immediately. Her daughter Hollis became our only little girl. Hollis Claire has the most envied wardrobe ever...All of the boy mommies ogle her pink polka dots and adorable bows. She may be adorable but that little girl is smart and tough. Our group was finally complete.


A year and a half later these four woman are my best friends. I love their kids to pieces too. We still meet officially on Fridays at each others houses. We rotate so that everyone has a turn. Aside from those play dates we spend hours together each week while the buddies play. We have an "it takes a village" approach to our kids. We run in and out of each others houses without knocking and we know where stuff is in each others kitchens. We go on field trips together to the children's museum, science center, zoo, park, pool etc. Our kids are best friends. We also go on Mommies Nights Out and have regular covered dishes. We even include our husbands in on the fun. Because we spend so much time together we have given up thinking of each other as company so it isn't a big deal if your house is a mess and there are dishes in the sink or you haven't showered. We insist that when we are together it is a judgement-free time. There is enough Mommy guilt in the world without having your friends help you add to it.

I have learned so much from this amazing group of women. They conquer each hurdle of motherhood with grace and humor. Admittedly...sometimes it is heavy on the humor side. Their friendship and support allow me to remain at home with my son. I could not do this everyday without them. They have made me a better Mom and they keep me sane...well saner. They have truly given me a priceless gift. Sara, Dana, Tucker and Kristen THANKS doesn't even begin to cover it. I heart you guys!!

Gobble Gobble...HoHo

I love love love this time of year. My two favorite holidays are almost back to back. We had a great time on Thanksgiving day. It started early...I mean EARLY. Mary and my parents were here around 6:30am to get the 21lb bird in the oven. That is a lot of stinkin turkey people. Since we added John Bingle to the family several years ago we have started stuffing our turkey with his mom's stuffing recipe. It came out of the oven 5.5 hours later looking like something from a magazine. We were joined this year by my parents, my sister Mary and her family, my cousin Cammy and her son, my Father-in-law and his wife Barbara and her daughter Melissa and granddaughter Kendyl. If I counted correctly that is 14 people. I think we had food for 40 though. There was lots of eating and football watching...and then a lot of cleaning. How come really good meals have to make such a mess? I haven't mastered completely the clean as you go concept. One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is that when it is over and it is officially time to decorate for Christmas.

The year we got married Kyle and I started a family tradition of driving the 1.5 hours to Sparta, NC (aka the mountains) to cut our own tree. You should really try it one year. The place we go takes you on a hayride up the mountain. You choose your tree and then they cut it for you. You get back on the tractor to ride back down the mountain. When you get back there is hot cider and snacks. It was beautiful and cold. This year Andrews favorite part was the tractor. Nothing else really came close. Our friends the Campbell's joined us. Our tree is outside waiting for decorations. I am little nervous about bringing it in because I just know Andrew is going to want to play with the ornaments and lights.

I have our Christmas cards ready to go out and am looking forward to having some friends over in a couple of weeks to do some Christmas cooking. I trying to think of some other traditions to start with Andrew now that he is a little older...any ideas?

No News Is Good News...

So no news for a whole year must be really good then. It is true. 2010 has been a GREAT year. Thanksgiving is this week and I have so much to be thankful for. Kyle is still working to hard at his job. We are thankful for that job which allows me to continue to stay at home with Andrew. My son is a smart, healthy, active, mischievous 2 year old. He is into absolutely everything. He goes to preschool 3 days a week. His teachers are patient and wonderful. They say he rarely is a problem. He knows his shapes and letters and is learning his numbers and colors. Andrew has so many words now that it is hard to keep up. We hear a new one everyday. For that I am especially thankful. It has been a long road of speech and play therapy to get us to this point. Andrew kind of got a slow start with his speech and play skills. Last month we graduated from his play therapist and he is working so hard everyday to learn new words. He is so big and tall now. He can reach things on the kitchen counter and tables. Last week I found him sitting on the kitchen floor with a box of cookies he had stolen of the counter between his legs. This week he finally started to call me "mama" or "ommy". I know there will be days in the near future where I will wish I could file for a name change. However, today it is so special. For the longest time I would say "Andrew, say mommy." And his reply (With a big smile..stinker.) would be "Daddy." All in all, we lead such an incredibly blessed life. It is not always perfect but it is always full of love, friends and family. Isn't that what is really important? Thanks for checking in on us. Happy Thanksgiving!

Disney World May 2010- First trip to visit Mickey

Emerald Isle, NC - First trip to the beach!

Halloween 2010- He HATED his costume and Tick or Treating. This was the best picture I got the entire night.

Andrew is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Pictures are from his photo session for his birthday party invitation. The party was Mickey themed.