friendly

When I was two and a half, I made my first friend. Maybe I've mentioned her before? Here we are somewhere around three or four, wearing questionable bathing suits and grinning. Of course.



Even today she shared her recipe for chocolate ganache cake with me - a recipe so good it is now her source of income, ya'll. Friends like that don't come along every day. Especially not when you're two.

Last summer we joined a playgroup, and Asher dipped his little croc into the world of friendships. By now we know several families with children his age. Some he ignores; many he perturbs; a few he follows around. Most of the time, he is interested in their toys or talking to their parents, but he has shown little interest in actually playing with any of them. Until this month, when Andrew came home from a summer at his grandparents'. And now - suddenly - Asher has made his first friend.

As soon as Andrew walks in our door, the boys start giggling. And screeching. And chasing one another. And throwing things. And jumping off beds. And throwing something else ... until one of us finally says, "Boys, I'm glad you're having fun, but it is time to settle down." Then they look at each other and giggle again.

(Here they are together last winter. I can't believe they stood still long enough to take this picture, by the way. Must have been some fascinating ducks.)



They hide from Silas. They run through the backyard. They throw their food, then eat the food they threw, then laugh about it. They take turns being sent to time-out because they are so excited they seem to be edging toward combustion. They are completely rambuctious and uncontrollable when they are together, richoceting off furniture, chasing the dog.

In short, they act like little boys together, little boys who have never had so much fun as when the other is around.

Yesterday when it was time to leave, Andrew reasoned with his mother, "But if I don't leave then I won't have to come back!" This morning - before I'd even made coffee and sippee cups - Asher was already asking, "I'm going to Andrew's this morning? I'm going to Andrew's after breakfast?" I love it. I love watching them play (however loudly) together. And I love watching Asher discover the fun and cameraderie of his first friendship. He may not know it yet, but you and I know friends like that don't come around every day. Especially not when you're two.