Can She Sleep With Us Tonight? 23 of 31 #sol16

It was hard not to burst out with laughter at the image of all four of us in our family bed; Me, Daddy, the kiddo, and my dear friend Stephanie.

Last night we were sitting down at our kitchen island as a family, eating angle hair pasta for dinner.
My good friend Stephanie arrived at our house and joined us for the end of our meal.
The kiddo did his usually, "I'm going to be shy" act by turning away and hiding his eyes.
Stephanie and I got to catching up and chatting away and everyone else finished their dinner and left the kitchen.
We used to see each other every day, several times a day, and collaborate on projects with our students, even when we taught different grade levels.
She and I co-created and co-facilitated Garden Club once a week after school.
Then we both got new jobs and we haven't seen each other all year!
Stephanie is so quiet and easy going and apparently she is has one of those magnetic personalities to kiddos.
In no time, my kiddo was in and out of his bedroom begging Stephanie to come see his legos and come see his toys.
We brought our wine glasses in and listened to him for a while before I had to get him ready for bed.
As I helped him get into jammies, he was so funny, showing off for Stephanie by doing anything he could to avoid bedtime.
Eventually I got his jammies on and teeth brushed and his daddy joined him for bedtime stories.
Stephanie and I retreated back to the kitchen island to continue our catch up.
In just a few minutes we heard the excited pitter patter of feet exiting the kiddos bedroom and entering the kitchen.
"Can she stay and sleep with us tonight?" he sheepishly asked while a grin spread on his little face.
We laughed and said sorry, but Stephanie has to return to her own house tonight.
Hearing this, my kiddo's entire body went limp and crumpled up. He climbed into my lap and nuzzled his face into my neck.
"I want her to sleep with us tonight!" he whined and began sort of sobbing.
I gave him a kiss and whispered "I know you do buddy" while fighting back giggles.
I sent him back to his room where his daddy was waiting and Steph and I heard muffled noises of the kiddo's sort of cry of disappointment.

I haven't quite made sense of the whole exchange last night.
What I do know is that Stephanie has an amazing personality and I miss her as a colleague and a friend. The kiddo is interested in cultivating new relationships and also has a flair for drama at the current moment.
What I am left wondering is: Why don't adults have sleep overs with friends like we used to? I want spread out mattresses and pillows and blankets. Break out the popcorn and desserts. Stay up into the wee hours of the night talking with my good friends. Micah's inspired me. We should do it. If we can find comfortable enough mattresses for our aging bodies...