As it should be.

We had a weekend full of good moments.  Our dear, dear friends the Kings and the Gambills were, impossibly, both in town, and I feel happily filled up with good conversation, laughter, baby snuggling, and cozy friendship.  I have felt a bit adrift as these families, who have been such a big part of our lives for years, moved away, and having them all in my house again for an evening...well everything was just as it should be.

Kind of like this, only better.

Steven, Amy, and boys stayed with us, and we spent Friday ice skating at the Sculpture Garden rink on the National Mall.  Light snow, picturesque backdrop, warming up with hot chocolate--only Amy could have planned it all so perfectly.

 

Henry snuggling up to Amy

Friday night Brent, Tilly, and crew joined us for dinner.  It was little boys and babies all over the place!  We had three new additions since we had been together last, and it was so fun to see all these babies--who were born 12 days apart from each other--together at last!  Henry, who leads a pretty quiet life most of the time, was not. sure. about all this chaos, especially since his little friends are crawling all over the place while he watched uncertainly from a secure seated position!  In spite of his reticence, some of my favorite moments of the weekend were watching Hudson and Carter, both two, hug, kiss, and play kindly with Henry.  I love watching my friends love on my baby and getting a chance to snuggle their kids in return!

Babies on the go

 

Nora and Rusher

Tilly, Amy, and I put the kids to bed and settled in for a good chat while the guys headed to Jason's hockey game, where they were joined by more of Jason's fan club.  While they lost in overtime, Jason's team had a roaring fan section cheering them on!  And somehow Amy and I were still up when they got home from a post-game visit to IHOP...

Jason with his fan club

Reading with Carter and Hudson

We spent Saturday night with other friends from church, and it felt so fun and normal to laugh together!  Everyone in our little group had babies in a little over a year, and the two- and three- and four-year old crowd quickly became fast friends again.  So fun.  And today everyone was in Sunday school, and Amy told a funny story and I heard Brent laughing across the room, and ah.  It warmed the cockles of my heart.

Kiddos galore!

 

It has been hard to lose these friends, with whom we've celebrated and prayed and laughed and grown.  But it was nice this weekend, as we started planning our next time together, to be reminded that we haven't lost them at all.  I have begun to see that God has been creating space in my life for relationships he is calling me to, but that I get to keep these special friendships, too.