Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Visiting an old friend

Way back in sixth grade, my life changed forever for the good.  I didn't know that many people on my sixth grade team and I happened to meet a girl that was on my team and was interested in many of the things I liked too.  She read books going down the hall, went to church, was on the nerdy end of the spectrum and was musically inclined.  Erin Selby and I became friends that year and through the years have stayed in touch even through difficult times in high school and going to colleges that were 14 hours apart.  I admired her for many of her qualities-her unbelievable musical talent, ability to eat snickers and Pepsi and stay skinny, and her creativity with clothes, food, art, and our beloved projects!  (Our school projects sometimes kept us up all night but by golly we finished them and got the A+ we deserved!) We used to plan to get married, build houses next to each other, and raise our families side by side.  I remember calling her when Jason and I got engaged and her calling me 6 months later to tell me that she was now engaged.   She is one of those friends that needs a call for big news because we were miles apart but she is too good of a friend to get that news through facebook or email.  She was in my wedding and I was in hers-just six months after mine.  And we both started our married lives within six months of each other but hours apart.  She was in Atlanta and I was in Spartanburg, SC.  Then we moved to Texas-and we were further apart.  I also remember calling her in January of 2010 to tell her before telling the masses that we had surprisingly found out that we were going to have a baby in August.  She was so happy for us and I asked her if they were planning on trying for a child soon.  Then came her unexpected response.  You see, we still kept in touch but we weren't as close as we had been over the years.  She told me that she and her husband Josh had already been trying for 2 years to have a baby and it just wasn't happening.  FRIEND FAIL!!!!!  She wasn't upset with me for asking but it really put things into perspective for me.  We were expecting a blessing from God that we weren't trying for or asking for yet and here she had been yearning for a baby for over two years.  I ended the conversation with her in a hopeful-well things seem to happen to you right after they happen to us so just maybe you will get pregnant soon.

When Spencer was born I had no idea that in that next month, Erin would be undergoing IVF to eventually get pregnant.  I was so excited when I saw her caller ID on my phone in December.  I just knew she was pregnant.  Sure enough she was calling to tell me that she was expecting-TWINS!!!!  I was sooooo happy for her.  Sam and Kate were born the following May and when we moved back to this side of the country, I couldn't wait to go see her new little instant family.  Spencer and I made the trek to Atlanta in November and spent a few days with Erin, Josh, Sam and Kate.  Spencer loved the babies and wanted to stick pacifiers in their mouth, give them bottles, swing them in their swing and bounce them in the jumper.  It was nice to see that she enjoyed seeing other little ones around her.  It was also great catching up with an old friend.  Here are the twins with Spencer:

 And then there was some petting...I think Spencer sees little babies as a pet like her dogs!

 And here is Spencer with Erin expressing her "cheese" face!

Erin is such an awesome mom!  I have no idea how she handles twins-two babies at the same time needing the same stuff!  You can read about her journey to getting pregnant here. 

I count my blessings that God has given me friendships that last through all the stages of life.  Erin is one of those lifetime friends!  We can wait until we visit again!