Buddies. Past, present and future

I have been blessed with little buddies.  I know it's a blessing.  4 buddies.  When they're tiny sometimes it's hard to see it as a blessing because you're just SO exhausted. ALL. THE. TIME.  But it is.  Lucy was my first buddy.  My introduction.  And we were thick as thieves us two.  Cookie makings, piano playing, painting, puzzle playing, gardening thieves.  When Max was born I remember sobbing one morning in exhaustion because Lucy was sick and being taken care of by grandma and I was so upset that I was too busy with a baby to be there for her.  Grandma's a pretty fantastic nurse... Because she IS a nurse, so it was purely hormonal exhaustion.  But still.  That day Tyler promised me time with my girl, so every night after bath time he would take a screaming Max into the living room so I could blow dry Lucy's hair and just BE with her.  

Eventually Max became my buddy.  When Lucy was at school we would play soccer, build snowmen, do puzzles, play guess who.  And I remember feeling the same loss when Logan was born.  So nap time became precious game time...when it wasn't sleep time.  

Logan grew and Max and Lucy got better at playing together or apart from me, and even seemed to prefer it...so I started grooming a new buddy.  This buddy system lasted the longest with the older two at school and another little one not in the cards for a while, it was just me a Logan.  Bike rides, trips to the beach and he park, splash park, shopping, gymnastics, books, games, and LOTS of cars.  And eye spy.  

Now we have a Seth.  And he's still in the exhausting baby phase.  And I mourn the loss of my buddy time with Logan.  So today we took it.  In the form of a trip to the car wash and A&W.  

When we got home he put some shorts on and told me he's getting those long hairs just like dad.  He cracks me up. 

And earlier today he asked me: 'is it great being a teenager?'

I told him yes (he might as well look forward to it now) and asked him why.  He said he can't wait to be a teenager so he can live on his own.  I said you usually don't live on your own until you're an adult.  And then I asked him why he wanted to live on his own. He told me he didn't, and that he wanted to live with me forever, but being a teenager will still be great.  

Another time he told me he was going to have 15 kids and that he would need 2 vans to fit them all.  And he would drive one and his wife would drive the other...or they could get a bus.  Then he got really serious and wide-eyed and said, 'mom, will you teach me how to drive before I have kids?!'  I reassured him that I would.  

I love him.  

And now I get to groom a whole new buddy.  I wonder what he and I will do? I wonder how he'll feel about mani/pedi's?