Who knew??

I have been getting pressure from a certain regular reader (one of the four or five) — who lives in LA and whose name rhymes with Jeff if you’re Jackson and Seth if you’re a grown-up and Bant Lethie if you’re my kids — to actually update my blog. Ask and you shall receive!

So, speaking of Bant Lethie … we all had an awesome time at the big engagement party in the Lou two weekends ago. We went to the Arch:

… doesn’t Kaya have the longest legs you have EVER seen on a 10-year-old?? That kid is gonna be 6′2″ by eighth grade. Anyway, the Arch was so fun … and of course we had to take a million pictures. Nik and the kids even got down for the best view.

See what I mean about those legs?? And if you’re at the Arch, according to municipal code A425.23 and Kelly family tradition, you have to ride up to the top in a space pod, unless you’re Gaga in which case you get to wait at the bottom. Beth and Kim made it look like a fashion shoot:

A fashion shoot in a space pod.

Anyway, once you’re at the top, it turns out the Arch is really, really scary if you’re over 30.

This is me, clinging to Kaya for dear life, trying not to pass out from the dizziness. It wasn’t just me though – check out the guy behind us! He’s lurching – LURCHING — toward the elevator to get the hell back down to the ground floor. Poor guy. But if you’re under 30, it seems to be okay and they tell me you can see Busch Stadium and the casino and even our shuttle bus if you lean way over and look out the window. NO THANKS, I’ll trust you on that one.

Then it was back to the hotel for dinner, where Jamie sat at the kids’ table:

At the kids’ table, the fun things to do include throwing all your food on the floor in a big ring around your chair (ahem, Ryker) and staring up at yourself in the mirrors on the ceiling (my three). Also, staging pictures of yourselves fake punching each other.

Do you SEE that ARM? That’s Kaya, and there is no distortion on the lens. My biggest failure as a parent has probably been not putting her in basketball at age 4. Or whatever sport/activity benefits most from long arms and legs. Trombone maybe.

If you’re in the under-12-and-male set, the fun thing to do is, DUH, cars:

The best part for me, though, was seeing Beth and Jamie. We’re not all in the same place at the same time too often, maybe two or three times a year if we’re lucky, and I can’t put into words how much I miss them. If we all lived in the same city (or even the same state) we’d be hanging out, making dinner at each other’s houses, going to movies our men don’t want to see, escaping from the kids for drinks together, probably driving each other a little crazy (Rondos, anyone?), making Beth take the fall for all our mishaps and schemes, but it would be so great.

Sorry to get all sappy, but it’s true. Maybe someday we’ll end up in the same place and get to hang out and do our old-lady stuff together. I’d be up for that. Meanwhile, we’ve got blogs (BANT FETHIE? WHERE’S YOUR BLOG??) and e-mail and Facebook and holidays and weddings (YAY!) to keep us connected.

Thanks Beth and Nik and Mom and Dad for hosting the party!! The weekend went by way too fast and we all had a great time! But next time I’m waiting in the gift shop with Gaga.