Two Worlds Collide

In my mind, I've posted several times since Wednesday.   Then again, I have a rich interior life so a lot of things happen in my mind.

But one thing that didn't happen only in my head?  I had my first meet-up with a friend I've met through blogging.  We traveled through the wilds of the Pocono Mountains and we met the Martins!

Actually, it wasn't really the wilds of the Poconos.  We were only about 40 minutes from home, tops, and the Martins were stopping on their way back home from vacation.  Totally doable.

I told the kids we were going to meet some new friends for dinner.  Bun wanted to know where I had met them, so I told him I met them on the computer but I hadn't met them in person yet.  He stared at me while Sally said, "Let me get this straight, you know them but you haven't seen them in their face yet?"

Yep.  That's about the long and short of it.  We were about to see them in their faces.

And oh Lord, did we get all up in their faces.  They were powerless to keep from being sucked into the maelstrom of the whole clan.  We are sort of  like the borg that way.

I don't know if it's possible to simultaneously underwhelm and overwhelm a family, but I'm pretty sure we did it to Colleen and Phil.  We've got the numbers to overwhelm, but the rest is pretty average.

I think Maggie was delighted to meet a family with 4, count 'em, FOUR daughters.  Maggie told me that she's the "only girl unless she counts her mom and her cat," but in one fell swoop, she got an older friend, a friend the same age, and two little friends who adore older girls.  Score!

Girls rule!

Sally, Maggie, and Mopsy - who needs tokens when you can
hang out with a bunch of girls and make your own fun?

My boys were beyond thrilled to meet a family with a boy majority.  They all huddled together at their table for dinner, talking about boy stuff.

This boy is delightfully cute.  He even got Baby to chase him
and Baby usually don't play that.

Bowling maniac

And Septimus made me look like a complete liar as he snuggled up to Colleen and never cried. Not once.  Not a peep.  Little stinker.

I'll just be totally casual and hang out here quietly in my seat if you need me, 'kay?

There was a bowling alley/arcade at the resort where they were staying, so Phil and Rob took most of the kids bowling so Colleen and I could chat.  They left us with Xander and Baby, who are both almost 2 and are only interested in running, running, running.   I'll let you guess how much casual chatting we got to do.

So which one of these do I get to throw?

Once we joined the guys and the rest of the kids in the bowling alley, it became pretty clear that all parties involved were dog tired.  How did I know?  Well, Sally lost it over a soft pretzel and Bun just up and fell asleep on a bench.

Partying with the Martins takes stamina, and he's tapped out.

Sally, pre-pretzel breakdown

Phil and Colleen are as adorable a couple as they are on the blog, and their children are super friendly, very cute, and well-mannered, even after a long car ride.   I really wish we could have talked a little longer, but they were probably relieved to escape the wake of craziness that follows us.

Maybe one day we'll meet up and again and it will be calmer.  Like when we're 80.  

The universal sign of exhaustion:
Mospy starts sucking on her two middle fingers.

(And Colleen, I hope you are ready for a visitor this summer because Francie told me that she'd love to come and babysit for you.  I'll let her bring Sally along for Maggie.)