A tale of two friends...Veronica and Jocey

It has been quite some time since I have come across a dynamic duo as adorable as Veronica and her best buddy, Jocelyn Dawes.

Jocey was born September 11, 2006 and Veronica on September 30, 2006. They first met at open gymnastics when they were just a few weeks old. No, they weren't doing gymnastics, but were snuggling close to their mommas while their siblings attended open gymnastics.

I was quickly drawn to Emily, Jocey's mom, a fantastic lady who I am blessed to have come to call a dear friend. Not only are Jocey and Veronica the same age, they have big sisters that are the same age. The big sisters - Julia and Isabella - have ended up in dance class together and we were pleased as punch when we saw Julia in Isabella's class the first day we brought her to pre-school. I also discovered some connections with Emily. Her husband, Chris, is well known in town as an amazing singer and I had seen him sing at a wedding when I was only 13 and still remembered it! Emily is also friends with Kim Cooley, my former dance teacher and we discovered that we were standing next to each other doing the Macarena at Ki's wedding back in 1996!!! The real kicker was that Emily was a neighbor of my best friend Mindy when they lived here in GF! In fact, when Mindy came up to be here for Veronica's birth, I remembered her telling me she was also going to visit a neighbor who'd had a baby...I later came to find out that baby was Jocey!

I always love the quilt that our lives stories weave as we develop relationships and histories with one another. I truly believe that there is no accidents in life regarding the people we meet or the way in which our paths cross. God has a plan and a role for each of us to play in one another's life.

So let's get back to the matter at hand - the cutest 2 year olds on the block - Jocie and Veronica:)

J and V hung out here and there in their infancy and at a couple of playdates last year. This fall they ended up in the same dance class and the rest is history:) Veronica would talk about Jocey a lot, asking where she was, when she would see her, etc...Their greetings at dance class became a real joy to watch - full on hugs, screaming for each other, running to one another, and than sticking close to each other throughout class. Lots of lunch dates and different playdates gave this dynamic duo even more bonding time and they have developed the sweetest little friendship. Veronica, in fact, has a thing for Jocey's whole family and spends most of dance class hanging out with Jocie and Emily. She also very much loves Jocey's older siblings - Julia and Jonathon.

Jocey and Veronica have become quite the little dancers! On Wednesdays they have their class at 9:30 and than watch the pre-school class - V has to stay and watch since I'm the teacher and Jocey's older sister is in the pre-school class. J and V often do much of the dances from the pre-school class while watching. It is amazing to see what they have learned and know simply from watching. These two little girls LOVE to dance together...it is a precious site and the other parents seem thoroughly entertained by them!

Veronica also very much sees Jocey as a comforter. One day at dance class, V was getting tired and cranky. We were sitting down to do "The Dancers in the Class" ballet arm position game where the dancers often sit in their mom's lap. Veronica walked right over to Jocey, plopped down in her lap and put her two fingers in her mouth. Jocey held right onto her and sang through the whole activity. It was so darn cute!

Jocey and Veronica giggles are like angels singing to me! These two giggle and laugh with one another with such pure joy...it is just beautiful. I could be in the worst of moods and I could hear these two giggling together and there is no way I could feel anything but 100% happiness.

As of

late, Jocey and Veronica have had two playdates all their own - no other friends, no siblings, etc...WHAT FUN!!! We had Jocey over one morning while the big kids were at pre-school! It was a pretty long playdate - almost 3 hours and these two just had the greatest time. From the second Jocey got in our car it was non-stop chatter "Oh Jocey, my Jocey, you comma my house, Jocey comma my house"...and "Hi 'onica, Hi 'onica, I play, your house, I play". The girls read books, played a little bit of Little People, but very quickly the playdate turned into Dance Party USA:) It started when we went into the kitchen and the song "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" came on the radio - the two of them immediately broke into their recital dance routine. Their excitement at hearing their song and doing their steps was precious!!!! On the dance dressed went and we headed downstairs and I put in the cd from their dance class and they did all their little games and activities together. Than I put on the cd from the big kid pre-school class and was really amazed to watch at how much they knew and how well they could do it on their own. Than we put on the video of their holiday dance recital and oh my goodness - the excitement at seeing themselves on tv...they couldn't stop talking "Jocey - there you, there you, there Jocey mommy, you dance Jocey, you dance, there MY mommy" and the same from Jocey. They kept squealing with delight and pointing each other out...it was ADORABLE!!!
On our next playdate, I took Jocey and Veronica to the mall, while Emily hosted a 'Happy Birthday Jesus' party for Julia, Isabella, and some of their friends. Veronica and Jocey took pictures together in the little photo booth at the mall, played at the tree slide, looked at the animals at the pet store, and looked at clothes at the The Gap - which was hilarious...they kept unfolding shirts and showing them to one another...it was so FUNNY!!!

It is so fun to see two little girls love each other so much...to see them so bonded. If you try to mess with one of them, you know you'd have to deal with both of them:) They've got each other's backs:)