Monday Miscellany

I can hardly believe it.
My kids turned into young adults this weekend.
Both of them.

If you remember, from my last posts, it was Bridgette's 14th birthday on Friday. So, we celebrated...all weekend.
Friday, we went out as a family and had burgers and a movie (The Adjustment Bureau...great flick, btw!). She invited a friend along...who spent the whole time flirting with Aaron...and Aaron flirted back.
AWKWARD!!!!

Now, Mike and I have been saying that we've expected this to happen, having a girl and boy a year apart...seriously, we've had our eyes WIDE OPEN for a while now. But, do you know how weird it was watching this all night????

So, Saturday morning, Bridge and I were running errands before her "big day" and she said, "Was it just me or did M. spend the whole time last night flirting with Aaron? Do you know how weird it is to have one of your friends like your brother?" Then, we had a long talk. I told her to get used to it. Does she have any idea how weird it is to have one of your daughters friends like your son??? (We talk pretty frank in this family. It saves a lot of time.) By the end of the morning, both of us were feeling a bit better about Aaron entering adulthood.

Little did we know, that was just the tip of the iceberg...

We picked up Bee's other two friends A. and J. and headed to Eau Claire for our Waterpark Hotel weekend - what a blast!!!

Once upon a time, Eau Claire was a city where Bridgette grew up - from age 2 to 3rd grade. She had fun showing her friends around. We stopped at this big park (that was covered in snow, so we didn't stay long) and went to Red Robin (yummmm...) for lunch. We passed our old church. I didn't want to embarrass her, but I remembered that there was a very involved children's church group that she belonged to the whole time we lived in Eau Claire. From the time she was 3 or 4, she was paired up with a boy who had "claimed" her. He had told everyone that she was his girlfriend and they sat together every Sunday at children's church. We lived near each other and his mom was my friend, so they actually saw each other regularly. When Bridgette moved in 3rd grade, the boy (G.) was very upset. I believe he cried. But, of course I didn't tell the girls that, because that would have embarrassed Bridgette! She isn't quite at that stage yet! She's a little behind most girls her age, socially. She has boys for friends, but not boyfriends...

Saturday the girls spent hours at the waterpark. We talked until the wee hours of the morning...I really love those girls! We could have done that for a 4 day weekend (if I was rich and could afford staying at that motel for a 4-day weekend, that is...) Anyhow, the price of our room afforded us admission to the waterpark for Saturday and Sunday (but only the room for the night) so we put our stuff in the car and the girls Swam Sunday while I sat alongside the pool. I looked to the table next to me, and who should I see? My old friend from Eau Claire! G.'s mom!!! (The mom of the boy who used to be Bee's friend as a child!) I called her over and she told me G. was there at the waterpark. I told her to find him and bring him over. I flagged Bridgette over and explained who was there. She looked shocked at first, and then embarrassed, not knowing how to explain this to her girlfriends. I talked to her like I always do - frank. I said, "You don't have to be embarrassed - that was a long time ago. Just see how it goes."
Well, G.'s mom brought him over - and he was quite grown up! And, apparently all the girls thought he was dreamy! (How does a 14 year old boy have 6-pack abs?) G.'s mom later told me that G. still talked about Bridgette and how he hated that she left. ??? The rest of the day, it was cute puppy love. Bridgette and her friends would follow him and his cousin on floaty tubes, say a few words huddle in a group and giggle and swim off for a while. Then G. and his cousin would follow the girls, say a few words and go off on their own. If the girls would sit at our table, G. would "nonchalantly" walk past our table and give Bridgette a little wave as he walked past, then not even two minutes later turn around and walk past our table again. It took every bit of restraint for me not to laugh.
Bridgette and G. exchanged cell phone numbers. I guess I feel okay about this because #1. I've known him since he was 2 and I know his family REALLY WELL. #2. He lives 65 miles away and they will see each other 1x/month, if that. Probably the best case scenario, if she's going to have a male friend. (You notice, I didn't write "boyfriend." They won't be doing anything a boyfriend or girlfriend would do... G.'s dad came over and told me not to worry, that they won't let G. "date" for at least 2 or 3 years yet...gotta love that! This is the advantage of being good friends with the parents...yes. I am very protective. And strict. Bridgette is only just 14. And very naive.)

But, really? Both kids doing this for the first time in one weekend? Isn't that weird???
They really WERE just babies yesterday...really.