It’s February.  Which means partying with my favorite group of young people….and littles.

The “Kids” of our group.  …and yes, after all these years everyone in this shot is still considered to be a kid.  That’s a term that’ll never ever be outgrown.

Kiddos & their LifeSavers.  Looks like everyone had a blast hanging out!

Enjoying the party and each others company.  Everyone always has a great time when we get together.  Fun. Food.  Lots of catching up. …and PLAYING!!  What person wouldn’t be more excited by this??

Mucho fun was had by all.  I don’t think there was a game left unplayed, a toy left untouched or a craft left uncreated.

A majority of the group.  Kids….Parents…and LifeSavers. =)

Air hockey games got intense.

…and of course this party wouldn’t be complete without one of the tiniest babies I had ever held.  What a fab way to end my day and what a great group of people I celebrated with!

Just in case y’all have yet to figure out that I’m a huge sports fan….Let’s GO Thunder!!!….then well I hate to break it to ya, but I’m an extremely loud and crazy fan when it comes to my Oklahoma teams.

True, we’ve traded my buddy Etan Thomas, but I’m still a Thunder fan.  Although, I’ll always be an Etan Thomas fan for reasons that y’all just have no idea of.  : )  We’ve definitely got more in common than what meets the eye and I’m thankful I had the chance I had to meet this amazing player.  He’s now with the Hawks and I must say his stats look somewhat stunning (compared to his season here in OK).

My extended family playing video games….love Zipper Buddy — he’s the coolest!

Hanging out with Mini Me.  She’s the bestest Mini Me I’ve ever had!

My adopted Sis.  She’s the greatest!!

Kisses.  She took hers, now I got mine.

My MINI ME!!  She’s extremely onery and can be quite the handful at times, but it amazes me as just how far she’s come.

No idea where this came from….oh wait, yes I do…Starbucks!! …but totally before I found out I was allergic to Gluten.

Chatting away with some of the Mom’s of the group.

My ahmazing cousin, Mia.  Love her to pieces.

The BEST pic of the group, we’re pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

My awesome cousins after they got their faces painted.

Kiddos!!  Yes, we’re all considered to be kids, even by some of the Moms who are our age or younger.  Gotta love them!

The group with everyone.  Sorta spectacular if you ask me.  We’ve made it a long ways!

Oldest & youngest kiddos at the party.  We’re uber cool!

Just for funzies!

February always has a different meaning for me.  Always.  Always.  Always.  It’s not about the flowers, the chocolates, the “I Love You’s”….okay I take that back…maybe it is….a little.  February 14 has a different meaning for me and it deals with hearts.

Who would’ve ever guessed that these two college Freshmen would even make it to the college level?  Yeah, I’m pretty sure a majority of our friends & some of our family never thought this day would come….let alone those who got us “here”.

See…just a couple of “Kids” celebrating something that ties them all together.  Who knew something as crazy as what we went through at all ages would bond us forever?

It’s so hard to believe that this photo was taken 7 years ago.  Both kiddos are now well above my height and one of them is even pushing the 6 foot mark.  I’m amazed at how far they’ve both come in the past 7 years, amazed at how much they’ve accomplished….how much we’ve all accomplished.

Every year I party.  Every year I see what’s left of friends.  Every year I’m able to forget things and just be me.  Every year.  I’m a lucky girl…actually I’m just special.

 One year, I met Charlie the Monkey.  I was a dear ole’ 5th grader.  A 12 year old with blonde hair and a love for swimming.  A real. live. monkey.  I still can’t wrap my head around that fact.  Just wow. 15 years later and I still remember my meeting with the monkey.

 Flash forward a few more years.  A different hair cut, style and color.  Another party.  Another year.

Still a 5th grader with a love for face painting…and body art?  This would be my best friend.  We’ve known each other since we were months old and have stayed fairly close growing up.  Facebook helps with that and I see her occasionally.

 Hanging out with more of my special friends.  You have no idea what these kids mean to me.  It puts a huge smile on my face having them all in my life.  How’d I ever get so luck?

And yet another photo op from a different year.  Note the hair color — it changes all to often.

There are so many things in life I’m grateful for like my friends and family.  I’ve made some very special connections this year and have a new understanding of a very special group that I’ve been apart of for a few decades now.  Gosh, decades.  Can we just press pause on life and not speed through any more of it?  It’s hard to believe I can even say 1/4 of a century.  That’s just odd.

This summer I was lucky enough to be invited to Dream Night at the OKC Zoo.  I had a blast running through the zoo, working on getting rid of tan lines, and hanging with some of my Littles.  I’m looking forward to doing it again this year and in the future as well.

Our MLH leader, Kim and I on the slide at the OKC Zoo.  Proof we can have just as much fun as the wee ones who attended our trip to the OKC Zoo.  Along with all the whoopin’ and hollarin’ that goes along with racing down the slide as fast as we could go!

One of my Littles and I enjoying the cool refreshing stream running through the new addition of the Zoo.  It was fabulous to be able to experience the zoo all over again, the last time I had been was eons ago and it was good to get a glimpse at all the things that had changed since I was a kiddo.

Ready to leave the Zoo after a long hot adventure.  I didn’t see everything I wanted to, but it was just too hot to be on the hot pavement.  I was glad when I got to my car & felt the cool A/C blowing through my hair.

More Littles.  I love them!  Boys are difficult to take pictures with, so I made a deal that’d I’d only snap one if they’d  take a good one.  Luckily they cooperated and I didn’t make them take another one.

A semi-group photo of the Littles who attended Dream Night at the Zoo this Summer.  I can’t wait to go back and do it again — although I’m hoping it’s not so hot this time around.

Official photo of Dream Night at the Zoo for 2010.  Each family took a photo, so I made my Littles take one with me.

One of the best photos of another Little.  He’s always talking about how one day he’ll be taller than I am or he’s gaining on me.  Oh the things the kids aspire to do these days!  Being taller than I am is quite an aspiration and I can’t wait to see each of them fulfill it.

I think it’s a fair to say my hair color changes quite frequently.  Although, it’d been years since I had dyed it bleach blonde.  I definitely enjoyed the funkyness of my color(s) and welcomed the change of something new to my lifestyle.  My parents on the other hand were not as thrilled as I was for my new color.

I LOVE Petey.  He’s my favorite & goes everywhere I go, especially on my big adventures.