Our neighbors

We live in a neighborhood called St. John's Place. Its a great neighborhood that attracted Scott and me right away because it was big enough to have its own neighborhood pool (for my CA friends, most larger neighborhoods have a pool in the middle of the sub-division... its a southern thing I guess!) but not too big that there were a ton of houses. There are three main streets, with some additional cul-de-sacs and so most people know each other.

Last week when Eli had to go to the emergency room, one of my friends in our neighborhood came with me. She stayed with me all night, and ended up taking the next day off work. We were so thankful for her help. And I do one day plan on sharing emergency room stories, which she helped me laugh at in the middle of my little crises.

When we got home from the hospital another friend called me and told me that they had organized meals to be brought over for the rest of that week, and all week this week. I explained that Eli was really just fine, and that we all felt better. But she told me that we needed a break, and the ladies wanted to help.

I can't explain how much help it has been! Every night one of my friends from the neighborhood has delivered dinner to our family. And I'm talking about a fabulous dinner with left-overs that Scott looks forward to bringing the next day in his lunch because they taste so good!

The most important thing has been that we have spent more time enjoying our family in the evenings. Normally when Scott gets home I am trying to finish up dinner while getting ready to feed to babies their solids, and our big girl is wanting somebody to play with her. After we feed babies, we try to keep them entertained while we eat our dinner, and then its straight up to bathe them and put them to bed. Then we bathe Emily, read to her, and put her to bed. Then we come down stairs, exhausted, to clean up after dinner and the rest of the mess from the day. We're worn out!

But this week has been such a treat because dinner is so easy, Scott comes in the door and we can play for a bit with the kiddos before the evening rush begins. Its helped me remember what to focus on, and so when I start preparing my own dinners again, I will hopefully remember that the time we have together is more precious than getting it all done.

So, all that said, we are so thankful for our neighbors. What wonderful friends we have that encourage and help out. We couldn't be more grateful for the break they have given us!