playgroup (the crew) now & then
When Jack & Patrick were 3 months old we started going to Gymboree in Oceanside where we met the most amazing group of people, both babies and adults. We started a weekly playgroup hardly knowing each other and we would go to each of our houses once a week on Fridays to hang out with the babies and each other. We always had so much fun, had each other to lean on, to ask questions, to cry on, and mostly to laugh.
The best part? We’re still all friends! Thats 14 years worth of friendship, even through the birth of a zillion more babies (ok, so 12 additional babies between us after the original group of 7), a few moves- two of which were far out of state, the death of a spouse (and we still love our David stories!) and years apart because we were all so busy with our 900 children, jobs, schools, volunteering, laundry and just life. Thankfully, Jennifer put together a bbq at her house a few weeks ago and most of us (all of us who still live in NY) were able to make it. Which was like a miracle in itself. We had a great night, laughing as usual, and just being in disbelief of how the kids are all still the same as they were when they were babies. We promised that we would get together more often as our oldest- the original crew- start high school this year. A far cry from classes with the Gymboree teacher (who reminded us all of Salma Hayak in the movie 54)!
This was how it all started. They were all around 5-8 months here. Jack, Connor, Beau, Ryan, Kerrin, Molly, Patrick.
Then at around 3 years old. Back row: Connor, Jack, Patrick, Beau. Front row: Molly, Kerrin, Ryan. Omg, the cutest!!!
And two weeks ago! Kerrin, Beau, Patrick, Jack & Molly. And really, none of them look very different than they did at 3. 
Celeste and her girls Ryan and Peyton now live in Georgia, but this was a picture of them from summer of 2012 down in Atlanta. 
The boys and Connor right before they moved to Michigan. 
Beau, Jack, Patrick and Connor around a year old.
Connor, Patrick and Jack (iphone pic) from their visit to NY in early August. 
Spencer (often known as Finster around here cause my boys couldn’t pronounce Spencer when they were little, and that’s what it sounded like), Patrick, Connor, Jack, Katie (my one and only goddaughter) and Timmy.
Katie, Spencer, Connor, Patrick, Jack and Timmy. Katie has the right idea standing far away from the lunatics. 
There was always tuna at playgroup. 
And the whole NY crew now. Back row: Ali, Bridget, Kerrin, Beau, Patrick, Jack, Molly. Middle row: Mac, Joey. Front row: Eli, Teddy, Timmy, Luke & Johnny. 
We’re hoping to get everyone together at some point before they graduate high school. We’ve got 4 years. Make it happen!