WE JUST KEEP GETTING YOUNGER

I say the Bethels have been a family for 17 years, but it is actually a bit longer. I was the last to meet up with the crew, making my Bethel experience 17 years. Angie and Cindy are the original friends, and they met only 30 years (give or take) ago. Needless to say, there is a lock and key experience whenever the 6 of us are together. What truly blows my mind is that what started as 6 girlfriends in college has turned into a family of 26. I’ve gone ahead and added Baby #14, who will join our clan in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!! ARE YOUR READY MISS AMIE?! Ready to get your bottle on? It’s a NEW kind of goin’ to the river. River of diapers! And before everyone freaks and tells me how worried they are that Amie is due in 2 weeks and doesn’t look the slightest bit pregnant, she’s adopting!

I had the honor of hosting our most recent get together on Sunday night. Due to illness (will this winter ever end?) we were missing 2 Bethel families….total boo. But I can say for Sara, this event was monumental for her. She keeps asking me when her “new friends” are coming back, and hey…can they come over for Christmas? Because there are so many kids, she calls them all “this”. “I want this and this to spend the night at my house.” “They not going home?!”

There is a richness to our friendship that robs me of words. Is it a comfort? A familiarity? Does it give us all a sense of belonging to be with people whom have known us forever? To know you can’t get away with anything because 5 women know your truth?! What I can say with certainty is that when I’m old and gray (and seriously, if I let my hair go gray, I’ll expect the Bethels to remind me of my wicked bad college hair)….these 5 will be at my side.

Angie and Kelly share a giggle

Sara and Hay Hay (Hayden) share a cookie

After art projects, spaghetti and meatballs, and playing with every toy in the house, 7 Bethel “babies” sit down so that Sara can properly introduce them to “Annie”

The Bethel Twinsies. It’s official: Kelly and Macy could be sisters

Just as a comparison: here is Macy as a baby…I told you, twinsies.

And just to convince me that baby girls grow up: here are Cindy and Lauren (I think in 2002)

Cindy and Lauren on Sunday…two women who just get prettier every single day

The Bethel Mommas

Cindy(Momma of 3), Amie (6 weeks before Hayden was born, and soon to be Momma of 2), Shelley (3 weeks before Keira was born, Momma of 2), Me (1 week before Sara was born), Angie(Momma of 2), and Kelly (4 months! after April was born, and Momma of 3)