Family Friends!

Jon and Laura are wonderful friends. I've become very close to Laura over the last year. I enjoy our time together immensely and I enjoy being with her family. Our families truly complement one another. Greg and Jon have found commonalities and taken a great liking to each other. It's fun to watch them behave like young boys, something they both do all too well together! Greg and Jon always seem to have a good time whether it is during a game of Wii, shooting off a few rounds, pulling down a deck, loading a trailer with fire wood, or an afternoon in Boston. I think they just like hanging together no matter what the task or activity.

Caleb, Hannah, and Isaiah really like playing with Tanner. They especially like spending time at Tanner's house. Caleb is like a big brother to Tanner, it's nice to see that Tanner looks up to him. Hannah likes to play with Tanner too, she says he's fun. She also loves baby Case a lot. Isaiah likes Tanner so much that he invited him to his costume party this year. I like how Isaiah looks up to Tanner; I also like how Isaiah plays so nicely with Case. I love it that my kiddos love Jon and Laura and their boys.

This past Monday Greg and I had the privilege of caring for Tanner and Case. It was a blessing for me to have baby Case in my home. I know that it was fun for my children to have a playmate over for the evening. And I believe Tanner had just as much fun. It took Case a little bit to warm up to me. I've held onto him for Laura at church on occasion, but only for a short amount of time. Case had never been with me for a long amount of time before. If ever he were to cry when holding him, I'd always been able to hand him off to his mommy. Case did well considering and before I knew it he was so comfortable with me that he wouldn’t let me put him down, I didn't mind though, I loved every moment. It was comforting to have a baby in my home again and even more comforting to cradle Case to sleep as he drank his bottle. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed snuggling with a seven month old infant.

I love spending time with Laura; we have both agreed that our time spent together just hasn't been as much as we'd like it to be. Laura's a great listener; she's a loving wife, a caring mother, and a faithful friend. She's very thoughtful and understanding. Laura and I have found that we have more in common then we had originally thought. We both love cooking for our children and our husbands. We are both extremely family oriented and love large family gatherings. We both love Jesus and have a longing desire to follow His will for our life, our middle children are girls, and we both love to give to others through time, money and gifts. Laura's fun and easy to talk to. She the kind of gal you can spend hours with. And that's just what I like to do, spend hours with her; chatting and laughing. I look forward to a steadily growing friendship with Laura that will last for years. I look forward to many more outings and gatherings with her and her family.

Dear God,
Thank you for Laura and her family. I so enjoy all of them and I enjoy the time we have had as close friends. God, thank you for allowing our husbands to get along. Thank you that you have given them a new friendship in one another. I love Laura, and I love her family. I anticipate our next gathering. God, I am grateful for the bond that we all have. I'm grateful for new friends, laughter, and hospitality. Lord, please allow our families to grow closer as the years pass!

In Jesus' name, Amen