it takes a village

Back from the adventure - box of cupcakes in hand!

One of the many things that I am loving about being back in Chicago is the fact that we didn't have to start over from scratch in terms of friends and community.  We looked around at other seminaries, and I keep thinking how different my life would be right now if we were in a new city where we knew no one.  And not only are our friend great for us, but they are great for our kids too.

Yesterday, one of my best friends in the whole world, Julia (or "Auntie Ju" as Breck calls her), stole Breck for the afternoon for an epic adventure of bus riding and cupcake eating.  There are many things about the city of Chicago that Breck finds enchanting and wonderful, the plethora of buses being one of them.  And he has been dying to get himself on a bus since we moved.  And once Auntie Ju caught wind of this desire in this little boy's heart, she planned a date to not only take him on the bus, but to take him on the bus to get cupcakes.

Now, Chris and I could have taken Breck on the bus.  However, I know the way that his face lit up with excitement when I told him about the plan was due in large part because he was going to do it with Julia.  It just wouldn't have been quite so fun with mom and dad.

And Thursday evening, our friend Maria came over to hangout with our kids so that Chris and I could go on a date.  So fantastic.  I have been overwhelmed with the generosity of others who have offered to spend time with our kids so that Chris and I can get away together.  And it's made me realize that I wish that we had done a lot more of that for people in our life before we had little ones of our own.  We did it some, but not often enough.  So to those of you whose children we should have been stealing so that you could go on a date,  run errands, or have 45 minutes to yourself without sticky, little hands all over you - we dropped the ball.  And to those of you who know us now and need those 45 minutes - drop your kids off, the more the merrier.  And when our kids are all grown up, I hope Chris and I make it a point to spend some time with the little people in our life.  So if you have kids then, take us up on it!

Because I do believe it takes a village to raise a child.