ears eyes nose [tail]

To see my parents we have to drive 5 hours.  To see Dustin’s parents or sister’s family we need to fly.  To see my sister and her family we need to drive 10 hours.  To see my brother’s family is a 3 hour drive.  You get the point.  We don’t have immediate family nearby.  But we do have close friends.  I honestly consider them part of our family.  Some live right next door.  Some live a 5 minute drive away.  Some live an hour’s drive across the metro area.  These are the people who we have depended upon and do depend on when we need our parents or siblings but know that isn’t an option based on geography.   We had a sleepover with one set of these friends this weekend.  They brought themselves and their children.  And cookies (don’t get me started — my friend, Erin, knows something about baking that I don’t.  I could eat her cookies for 3 meals in any given day.)  

We played with toys, watched train and truck videos from You Tube on the big screen in our basement (they have a little toddler boy too), grilled steak, played cards after the kids were in bed, drank some wine, ate the cookies, didn’t get enough sleep, and generally had a wonderful time.  

I guess I feel lucky.  It is very comforting to have a support system outside of one’s immediate family.  A dinner here, a walk there, emergency caffeine sessions:  the sum of these things are greater than the individual parts.  So, here’s to friends and love and family.  And now a few photos. 

The cookies. Yum.

Our friends' son loves trucks too. He came to the right house!

One holiday wasn't enough for our friends' daughter. To top off Valentine's Day, she wore a Halloween shirt and constructed a bunny puzzle.

Enjoying some early morning cartoons together. Adorable.