twinkle twinkle, little stars

so i've been working on this post for months. . . literally.  i started it forevs ago and wrote the bulk on the acela to NYC to co-host the double double baby shower in january.  flash forward a few months and i'm back from NYC again . . .  after visiting two beautiful healthy sets of twins, born 9 days apart, in the same hospital, to two of my very best friends {ahem, who also happen to be best friends just in case this wasn't wildly coincidental enough for you}

it would be impossible to sum up my relationship with these two, as one goes back 23 years, and the other 19.  yikes!

first off, depending on how often you've kept up with lil hoot, you may have heard the term "shelbys".  this is the name that 6 of us gals took on about a decade plus a couple years ago.  {no, we aren't mocking diabetics, just 80s melodramas and our obscene drinking habits of the 90s.}

"shelby, drink your juice!" was frequently uttered over cocktails, and we may or may not have shirts, mugs, and other paraphenalia with the same sentiment. . . oh and my personal fave the 'shelby, wipe your face'  napkin holder . . . oh my goodness. . .this is starting to sound ridic.  maybe i skip the explanation and bulk of the history.

i'm no math whiz, and in case you aren't either, that means, that HALF the shelbys are moms of twinkies. . . so far.  {completely coincidentally i might add for you nosy ones out there.  lizzy wasn't even trying for a second quite yet - she already has a handsome two year old- never mind trying for # 2 AND 3, and newlywed jennifer had identical twins, a complete fluke - and she managed to squeeze in two babies before her one year wedding anni.  impressive}

anyhoot, i think it's crazytown.  i'm sparing you the pics from our teens and 20s . . . but here's a glimpse at our last few years together.

my surprise 30th.{ 'surprise' being the key word here and the reason why i don't have any effing make-up on.  whoopsy!}

image by corinna raznikov

i love this pic of the two beautiful mamas taken on our wedding day.

and here they are again in napa . . . ahhh, the good ol's days - now they just wants to take a napa! mah.

and these were taken at the double double shower -  4 babies in there!

so ladies, we've survived boarding school, multiple colleges, running around nyc before cell phones were common practice, a half dozen romps in mee-ah-mee, napa, paris, telluride . . . broken hearts, moving, hangovers, good-byes, health scares . . .

engagements, weddings, hangovers, bridal showers, pregnancies, hangovers, baby showers, bachelorettes, letter parties, marathons, hangovers, bed rest, births, sick kiddos . . .  the list goes on and on.  

and i'm telling your right now, you will survive all these diapers and sleepless nights . . .

so.  here we are.  my people. . . have two little people. . . like i do . . . and i just got to meet them.

after a horrendous week in boston these 4 gave me just what i needed.

they may as well have named these babes hope & promise. {corny but true}

leonard "leo" charles & beatrice grace 

and

jacqueline elizabeth & catherine mary

i guess i'm so jammed up about this because i know some of what they're in for.  the good, the bad and the ugly.  and i know it's not going to be easy but that every single second is worth it . . . tenfold.

bottom line, i'm so happy for them, and for all of us, too . . . because more people like liz {and john} and jen {and mike} is exactly what the world needs.