My Photographic Adventures: The old with the new

If you ever wondered why I usually just post pictures of my kids, with the few exception of their group activities, its because I am mindful of privacy. I don't like to assume that my friends want their children all over my blog so I keep it to a minimum. I like to respect their right to privacy. There is also another factor, when I am on a playdate with friends of both mine and my children I like to be in the moment and photography often takes away from that. Unless we are having a playdate for a special reason, like Halloween, a Christmas Party, a birthday, etc. my camera stays home and I miss those moment forever.

Lately I have been kicking myself for this habit because Erik has been engaging with his friends in a whole new way. When we were at the park this week he was playing tag with his friends and they were really playing, not the parallel play we have seen so much of lately, but engaging each other, waiting for time outs to be over so they can play, kind of play. It backfired and all us moms were stressed out because it really activated our children later that night, but it is fun to watch these friendship grow and develop and see Erik enjoy his friends in ways I remember enjoying my own friends.

This week I had another opportunity to connect with one of my oldest friends still in Southern California. We were college roommates and although our lives are so different and we are so different from our days at Pepperdine we still are friends and probably will be forever. Christine had her first child 5 weeks after Elliot was born and I was over joyed in the fact that I got to share that pregnancy with her and now I get to share parenthood with her. Although we are very different people, with different interests and different lives, I love how we can connect through parenthood. Our philosophies are just so similar and she is the one person I can tell a theory too and I know she has or will think of it similarly and if she doesn't agree she will give me good reason to think otherwise. In other words this friendship is invaluable to me.

Unfortunately Christine lives in Orange County and although its only 40 miles away it couldn't be farther. Our visits are not often enough so when there is an opening we go for it.

So yesterday she came up for a visit and we headed to the zoo and then had dinner at my house. Like I said before, I like talking to my friend who I so rarely see, more than taking pictures so I only brought out the camera a few times. I love watching our children interact. We have all boys between us and I know our children will grow up knowing each other so it is fun to watch their relationship grow.

Its interesting because right now Erik is the boss and the leader of this little group, but Enzo is also a first child so it will be intriguing to see how much he takes as he gets older and becomes the boss of his brother/sister to be. I do notice how well Elliot and Enzo engage each other, they always seem to be instant friends when we bring them together.