Children of my 20s

I have had many friend who have bore children as well as met new friends who have already started families by the time we met.  I live my life vicariously through these parents as I do not have children of my own.  It has been so much fun watching these children grow up. I'm sad that I don't get to see them as often, or at all anymore now that I live in Oregon, but their parents and grandparents still like to update me.


I have known Mandy Kepner, now Hunter since I was born.  Our mothers were really good friends and we lived very close to one another.  She was the first of my childhood friends to become a mother.  Kaiden is her first born child and her youngest son is Brady.  They are hilarious boys.  I’ve been to their birthday parties and have celebrated holidays with them.

Brady doesn't seem to be too happy to get his picture taken with me.  Kaiden has a cheesy grin though!

Kaiden and I at his 2nd birthday.

I’ll never forget when Nick and Angela told me they were having a baby.  I was beyond ecstatic.  I was even more thrilled when they asked me to be in the delivery room with them.  Angela needed someone to keep Nick occupied so she wouldn’t be annoyed by him.  I thought it was an excellent plan so I spent the day with them.  Poor Angela looked miserable and really wanted a natural birth.  Watching her in pain made me rethink wanting to be a mother myself.  Much time had passed and the baby still wasn’t coming so the doctors said that they would need to perform a c-section.  Angela was not happy, but she did what was best for her and her baby.  By this time, Julie had joined us and we waited in the waiting room with Angela’s family.  We weren’t waiting too long before beautiful Danica was born.  It was a remarkable day and I cried tears of joy to see this beautiful family together.

Me holding Danica the day she was brought home from the hospital.

Danica shows me how to make a silly face.  

Another beautiful baby born that year was Josiah.  My college roommate Samantha and her husband Jason are two of the most wonderful people and are a very loving couple.  People search their whole lives for something as beautiful as they share.  When I learned that Samantha was going to have a baby, I knew they would be awesome parents.  Josiah is one of the cutest baby boys and I love to pinch his cheeks and I do it any chance I get.  We also like to play soccer together.  He has mad skills.  Just this past year, Josiah became a big brother with the birth Isaiah.  I moved to Oregon before I got the chance to pinch his cheeks, but I will soon enough.

Sweet Josiah with all his first birthday loot.  Look at those cheeks!  Don't you want to pinch them???  I know I do!

Jess is a very wonderful friend and I can talk to her about anything. She's good at pointing out my silliness, which should be a full time job. When she told me she was pregnant, I had faith that she was going to be a great momma and that her child would be super. I was right. She is a great mom and Pat is a great dad. Gavin is my little Brownie.  He cried the first time I called him that, but now he's cool with it. I don't know how he'll feel about me calling Brownie when he's a teenager.

He's as sweet as a Brownie.  

There is a child that I can legitimately call my nephew.  My brother Jeff married a very sweet girl and adopted her son, Logan.  It is wonderful to have a youngster in our family and I look forward to more little Wells children.  Jeff has been in Logan’s life since pretty much the beginning and it has been a joy to watch him grow up. Jeff needs to hurry up and give Logan a little brother or sister. Jeff is convinced that it will be a sister.

Logan with his Uncle Joe

Logan and his daddy, my brother Jeff, in West Virginia watching 4th of July Fireworks.

There are friends that I have made in my 20s that already had children when we met.  Chrissy’s daughters Kailie and Claire call me Miss Jill. Those two girls are too much fun. My favorite story of Kailie is of the night we met. She brings me her Etch a Sketch and tells me she drew Africa.  I laughed before looking at her drawing because there is no way a 6 year old could know what Africa looks like, let alone draw the continent on an Etch a Sketch.  I took a look at her Etch a Sketch and exclaimed, “Oh my god that IS Africa.”  I knew she was going to be brilliant.  She’s going to be in charge of putting Chrissy and I into a nice nursing home and Claire will sneak us in wine.  

Kailie and I after her dance competition.  She's teaching me how to be gangsta,

Claire and I cheering on Kailie at dance.  

I love all these kids as if they were my own.  I am thankful to their parents for letting me be a part of their lives.  I hope that I will add a little munchkin to the clan in this upcoming decade.