The innocence of youth. It's so fleeting. This is Bradley and his best friend McKenzie watching a movie together last night. These two have been friends, quite literally, since birth. As often happens when two moms are very close, their children are sort of forced into a friendship. If that's the way it began with Brad and McK, we certainly don't have anything to do with it anymore. There is such a purity about the love these two have for one another, that Darlene (McKenzie's mom) and I have often ached over the thought of them finally coming to a point in their relationship where they will make a decision about whether they are going to stay friends or move into something deeper. We just pray that they both reach the same conclusion!

As it is now, they proudly consider themselves best friends. Although I have heard Bradley refer to McKenzie as his girlfriend, I don't think he necessarily means it the same way that most people think of a girlfriend. At school, they are constantly getting teased about being "in love." While this is seeming to bother McKenzie more than it does Bradley (after all, she is a girl and pays more attention to those kinds of things) I think they are both hard-pressed to come up with an accurate description of their feelings.

Last night Darlene told me that McKenzie mentioned to her that Bradley told her he wanted to date her when they get older. And maybe if they get married they could move to Florida. When questioned about why they would want to live there, McKenzie said, "Because Florida is a really cool place!"

Over the past year, we've had to decide when and where we were going to start drawing some lines for these two. For instance, March was a pretty big heartbreak for them both when we had to explain why McKenzie couldn't spend the night at his birthday party. And last night, when they were both sharing this blanket on the couch, I seriously debated about whether I needed to go get her a different throw. Because while we know it is completely innocent now, we want to be sure our standards are set before the black and white areas start to turn gray.

Truthfully, I see some form of heartbreak in their future, and perhaps several different waves of it. But if their hearts bring them back together once all is said and done, won't this be an adorable picture at their rehearsal dinner? :)