Community

I love my neighborhood.  Today one of my lovely neighbors Lindsey Smith called and asked if Tommy wanted to come down to her house and play with Conner and Riley.  Of course he jumped at the chance!  Conner and Riley are twin boys who are 6 months older than Tommy.  Tommy had a blast and I was able to have some quiet time and bake (which is my go-to stress reliever).  The other nice thing about today is we did not have the television on the entire day.  Tommy played, Morgan napped and I was able to listen to my music and do tasks that I wanted to do.  It was a great day.

Two weeks ago, my friend and neighbor Heather Wolf had Tommy down to play with her sons - Owen (8) and Sawyer (6).  He had a blast that day too.  He looked at me the day after that  and said "Can I go play at Owen and Sawyer's house?"  I then had to explain that he would need to be invited again - it is hard to understand that when you are four.  But I cherish that he has those relationships with older boys who can teach him right and wrong and whose parents I trust immensely. 

I also love the fact that the kids are playing together instead of just sitting in their own houses being bored or needing their mothers to entertain them.  It is so much fun to see their imaginations run wild and even when Tommy gets home from playing with other kids, he seems to be much more willing to create play for himself. 

I grew up in a neighborhood similar to the one I live in now.  People were/are friendly and there were/are a ton of kids.  I had a girl friend who lived about 5 houses down on the street and then there were the older girls who lived 3 houses down.  I cherish all my memories of playing with my friends on my street, so I just hope I am creating the same memories for my children.

Cheers to community!

AND

Big Cheers to Heather and Lindsey for letting Tommy come play with their kiddos!