Neighbors

I know I have mentioned our neighbors in past posts and I will have to dig through and find pictures or get pictures of our neighbors with our kids, but truly I feel soo blessed to live where we do. Sometimes we wish there were more young families really close by, but other times I love that along with our kids' awesome biological grandparents, they (and we) are also lucky enough to have 3 more sets of "grandparents" and a set of "great grandparents" along with some "aunts and uncles and cousins" who live on our street.  Today Alli came out of her room with a little ceramic jewelry box figurine and she asked why it was up where she couldn't get it.  I put it up there so it wouldn't get broken and I explained that.  She said okay and then responded "I really love that thing because Glenna gave it to me and it reminds me of Glenna and I really love her."  Oh man, we miss our Glenna and we are glad to still have "Grandpa Doug" across the street who just celebrated his 83rd birthday! Whenever Alli talks about heaven or about someone dying, she is greatly comforted in the fact that Glenna is there.  She truly knows that when we die we will see her again and that as horrible as it would be to have a member of our family die that "when we die we will see them again".  She actually told me that this morning after I talked to her about not climbing on things because they could fall on her and make it so she couldn't breathe and die (I had just read/cried through a story of a 3 year old girl this happened to and my girls are independent and want to just get whatever it is they are wanting).  So now the figurine is on the top shelf instead of up in her closet and she seems satisfied with that.  Fortunately or unfortunately Glenna was a bit of a hoarder:)-but not in a gross way at all- so poor Doug has a basement full of treasures to share with the girls.  They often come home with a new stuffed animal or decorations to put up in our house that he has found from Glenna.  Our collection of special things from Doug and Glenna just continues to grow, but we are so thankful for him.

Next door to us we have "Mar" and "Julia" they really are Lamar and Julie, but that is what Ilene and Alli call them.  They are such wonderful neighbors too.  Multiple times a week Ilene will ask just out of the blue to go to "Mar's" house.  They love to go play with some toys they have from when their kids (who are both now out of the house) were little.  They have horses and a dollhouse and most importantly snacks.  I am pretty sure every time the girls go over Lamar gives them something and usually it is a small paper cup filled with marshmallows.  Both girls just love that :).  In the summer when we are out working in our yard (Lamar and Julie have a beautiful yard they work in pretty much every day) they will ask to go visit them and will spend as much time as possible out talking with Lamar or Julie while they work.  I love talking with these sweet neighbors, they are definitely some of our closest friends and we are so thankful for the love and attention they give our kids! For Christmas they had special presents for the girls and on Valentine's knock the girls got a random surprise of boxes filled with little treats and I know they were from them (they rang the doorbell and ran).

Another set of neighbors are Dave and Karen who are raising their granddaughter Lexi right now.  Sometimes their daughters will come visit with their cute kids and that is an awesome bonus.  But even sans grandkids these neighbors are so special to my kids.  They have a dog Leo who Alli (we) walks/takes out to the bathroom during the days when they are working.  The girls love playing with Lexi and Leo and talking with Dave and Karen.  They are such patient, loving people who are so supportive of anything we are doing.  Last summer Dave mowed our lawn pretty well the entire month of June (or maybe July?) because Ryan couldn't put weight on his foot and I was about to have Cam/just had him.  We didn't ask him to he just took it upon himself to mow it whenever he mowed his own lawn.  And Karen offered to watch our girls over night while Ryan had a work trip.  Seriously, they are always bringing the girls little prizes for holidays or from a trip when we have watched Leo.  

Up the street a few houses are another favorite family of ours.  They also have 3 kids, but their kids are older (16, 14, and 10).  Our girls and Cam just LOVE them! They love playing with their kids and going to their house.  Tonight their oldest daughter was watching our kids and had to leave earlier than we would be back so she took the kids up to her house and when we got their to pick them up Ilene and Alli both started crying.  When we had Cam they were so excited because before they would fight over who got to play with our kids and now there was a 1-1 ratio.  I feel so lucky my kids have them for friends because there are truly days when their younger daughter will turn down playing with her friends her age to play with my girls.  This makes them sooo happy!!

These are only some of our favorite neighbors, Alli has friends who live around our neighborhood and the children are darling and they have fabulous parents.  But these neighbors really just are part of our family.  I am so happy that my girls can grow up here so hopefully when they are teenagers and don't want to listen to us. maybe one of these other special adults will be able to reach them.