"the village"

Well... you know "the village" that surrounds your child... grandparents, friends, church, teachers, etc... (most of you reading this blog) Well, you have helped me more in the last three weeks than you will ever know.

Exhibit 1.

You can't imagine how many yummy dinners have been given to us. I still haven't cooked a meal yet! From grandparents stocking our freezer, sweet friends bringing over dinner (dessert, snacks, etc.), and our Sunday School class bringing food, and enough diapers and wipes to last us a month- I can't express my thanks!

They even bring goodies for this boy... (who loves a temporary tattoo!) Can you sense his excitement?

It allows us time to enjoy more moments like these...

(Yes, Burke was at school.) :)

Because when he's not at school...

it's more of this. :)

Which, I love too... 

Exhibit 2.

My village has fun gatherings... that save me from my sanity.

(Morris's 2nd birthday party!)

It was so cute! Kate did a wonderful job.

Or friends meet me at the park at a moments notice... (even though I'm no closer to getting out the door at 10am than I was at noon.) True story.

Exhibit 3.

My village comes from far far away to visit the new baby me. :) Not to mention bring gifts, food, and

 their adorable children that have basically grown into teenagers since I've seen them!

Gracelyn apparently loves a hiding spot from the chaos. :)

And these friends ignored the fact that their sweet children basically had to play in our backyard debris. You see, our basement flooded while I was away having a baby...and well... LOTS of stuff had to be sifted through (still not through "sifting,") and was left in our backyard until we had a chance to get control of the situation.

Catherine, Lindsey, Lisa... it's clean now! Will you come back? :)

Exhibit 4.

Grandparents are lifesavers.

Last Thursday I thought I had died mastitis. I had it twice with Burke, and know the flu like feeling all too well, but knew that some symptoms were missing... fever to be the main one. So when an offer to keep Burke for some of the weekend arose, I accepted. He had fun with both sets of grandparents, mommy slept when baby slept 

(something that rarely happens with baby #2 I have found), and daddy got to hunt.

THANK YOU REE, PAPA, NANNA, and PAW PAW!

Whoever said "it takes a village to raise a child" was right... they just need to add "and their mother" to that.

I truly don't know what I would do without OUR village!

Now.... off to wake up these sleeping babes!... Well, at least the one on the left!