Love those Machesneys!

Back in the early 80's my parents moved from Dallas & bought their first home together in Kingwood, Texas. They happened to become next door neighbors with a couple that would remain close to their hearts for a lifetime.  Mike & Marybeth have known me longer than anyone other than my family & from what I hear, doted on me as a young child.... 

During my first year of life, they opened an Ice Cream shop in Kingwood called Chezzie's Cones.  This was before the time of Cold Stone Creamery and various other Ice Cream shops on every corner. They were one of a kind & quite popular! I got to be their model for the newspaper announcement of the grand opening    which occurred the day before my 1st birthday. Here is my mom & me in 1984....

I think Char looks a bit like her mama ; ) 

It was a sad day when the Machesneys moved back to Boston but over the course of time, many more visits would follow to maintain a special friendship. 

Mike & Marybeth added 3 to their family after moving away. Nick, Meredith & Elizabeth- such lovely combinations of their mom & dad. Here are the six of us in 1993 (or close to that year) when they visited Kingwood. 

Our last visit was in November 2010 when my mom, Char & I spent about a week in their home in Virginia while I was a part of my friend Amanda's wedding. See post here.  Now, here we are in 2012.  Mike & Marybeth just so happened to be in Orlando so Mike could attend a conference for work.  I was super excited when I got a message from MB wondering if we could get together while they were in town.  So, last Friday morning, the girls & I headed over to their resort to meet MB for a swim. 

The water was the perfect temperature & the girls LOVED the zero entry access to the pool. Although Eloise could crawl all over, she still enjoyed a little snuggling with Marybeth. I think someone else enjoyed it too ; ) 

We swam & swam & swam. Charlotte did LOTS of jumping in from the side of the pool. It was hilarious! She would shout from the side numbers at random sounding something like this..."9,6,3,7,4,2,1 LIFT OFF, YOU READY MOMMY?" I would shout back "I'M READY CHAR" & she would leap into the pool squealing the whole way. I was letting her go all the way under water with each jump & she did great. She had us along with the row of people catching rays in the chairs behind her laughing each time she prepared for lift off.

After swimming, MB treated us for lunch outside under an umbrella. Eloise fell asleep for a quick snooze in the stroller & Mike joined us after his conference finished up for the day. The girls were wiped out so I had to bribe Charlotte with a lollipop to stay awake on the way home : ) She made it home awake & in turn had a really difficult time settling in for her nap. Serves me right I guess, attempted bribery...that sounds like a misdemeanor ; )

Since our swimming & lunch date provided no where near enough time with this sweet couple, we convinced them to join us for dinner at our home.

They came bearing gifts for the girls...

Char had never seen a PEZ dispenser before & this picture makes me laugh! It's like she is thinking "all I have to do is lift this bunny's head & I will have a life time supply of sugar!"

followed by her face in response to some animal crackers that were also in the gift bag : ) 

We enjoyed dinner & some entertainment by Charlotte which included placing her ladybug headband on Mike.  You can tell this man has had some daughters in his life. He knew all the right things to say to a little girl dressing up as a princess & involving him in the process. He took it off once during our meal to let Charlotte wear it but she quickly insisted that he put it back on.  He wore it all evening, past the time that the girls went to bed. MB and I were laughing hard when he was standing in the garage with Rob discussing woodworking with those little antennae bobbing around : )

Another funny thing is that Mike kept trying to call me "Susan" (my mom) & Charlotte "Lauren."  I am guessing the resemblance in looks, mannerisms and laugh contributed toward that. He said he felt like it was yesterday that they were spending time with my parents & me.

The girls took to these two right away, like they were just another set of grandparents!

Ah, it was such a wonderful day! I called my mom that night & told her that I knew exactly why those two were their best friends.  They are sweet, genuine, caring people that are so enjoyable to spend time with. We are so thankful they were able to visit with us during their stay in the sunshine state.