There is a special level of ambition when your plan for a Friday evening includes having a hair appointment, wearing wedges and an adorable jumpsuit, looking composed and stress free, one hand holding the smaller hand of a hyper 6-year-old, the other hand looped through a puppy’s leash whose only goal is to be in the river, and willingly inviting a camera to capture it all. Yet, even as she was being tugged along, this mama handled her little whirlwind family in stride beaming, balancing, and negotiating/bribing a tiny human.
I’ve had the honor of being a semi-regular accessory to this family’s outings for the past five years. I’ve known Andrea as a blonde, a brunette, and a dark-haired professional. She’s had a number of titles, but I’ve always known her as Colten’s mom, first and most importantly. I’ve never had any doubts as to her priorities and while I cannot imagine the energy it takes to live a day in her outstanding shoes, I witnessed a glimpse as to the reward: some butterfly, Eskimo, and **roly-poly kisses from her baby who is becoming a young man far too quickly.
** Roly-poly kisses were improvised by Colten to be some version of rubbing the tip of one nose lightly down the bridge of another’s.
