Ann and Emma

We had two wonderful visitors this weekend... Ann (my best friend) and her 2.5 year old daughter, Emma. Squeals of glee, laughter, and an occasional wail of frustration filled the house... but fewer wails than I would have expected from two 2-year-olds and a five-year-old in close proximity. They play very well together.

We had a normal weekend in the Rucker house... which is to say that we ran Ann and Emma all over the Twin Cities and exhausted them! We visited Camp Snoopy twice, and went to the Renaissance Festival - nothing compares to watching a toddler on an elephant. They own the world.... "look, Mama, ELEPHANT! " ... pretty cute. (Ann drew the short straw and ended up on a camel with the girls - can't imagine how anyone tolerates one of those beasts for an entire desert journey! they're bumpy and ill-tempered).

The best part of the weekend, and the most startling, was watching our daughters play together. Ann and I have been friends for a long time (since she's reading I won't say exactly HOW long) but suffice it to say that we never imagined this at the start of our friendship. It's a very odd feeling to realize that you and your friend have changed roles - you are now "Mommy" and three little girls (four, actually, but little Mary stayed in Michigan) are practicing their wiles on you. It adds an entirely new dimension to the friendship!

Sabrina (and Fiona) are now recovering from strep throat, and we're back at work.. Ann and Emma are on a plane back to Michigan. Our world is back to its normal, hectic pace :-)