Close to Our Heart

When I was a child my parents often had their friends in our home. I have so many memories of playing late into the evening with their children or laying in bed hearing all the fun, games and laughter going on downstairs.
As much as I longed to be downstairs playing (because there was so much going on without me :)) there was always a safe feeling hearing so much joy coming from my parents and their friends. I knew I wanted, and needed, that in my life someday.
We have seen, repeatedly, how important it is to create lasting friendships and to find those precious people to walk through the joys of life with, to lean on when things are tough and to just find the comfort in just "being" with.
Several years ago we found one such set of friends in Jamie & Amy Vickrey. Their children, Libby (6) and Collin (3) have created sweet friendships with our kids and we are able to enjoy one anothers extended families with ease.
Jamie and Amy are the kind of friends we can enjoy the back porch with, who we can say dumb things to with apologies and understanding later, who we can enjoy the silence with and also the loud chaos, friends we create traditions with, go through the sadness with and celebrate the joys with, they are the kind of friends we can meet for supper in the middle of the week - exhausted from long days - only to be rewarded with the pick-me-up of their presence, the kind of friends who bring a pack of oreos and carton of milk to the hospital to celebrate the birth of another child with...the kind of friends we really couldn't do without.
We love you guys!!

There are so many neat pictures in the archives and here are a few from the last year...

Collin's birthday party this past weekend that ended with the kids planting flowers aided by Amy, Jamie & Jason.

Collin & Doster certainly have the sharing thing down pat.

We'll use this picture someday on Doster's graduation slideshow. :)

Our annual "Polar Express" movie night the weekend after Thanksgiving...the kids all lined up on the floor watching it above our fireplace via the projector.

Polar Express 2007

Jamie helped Jason with a lot of the construction work in Doster's bedroom.

We have so many sweet pictures of these precious girls.

Libby and Amy at the girl's preschool Mother's Day lunch.
Amy, we need pictures of YOU and I!

Their first slumber party! We set up a TV for them and they watched Strawberry Shortcake while eating chocolate ice cream IN BED! What special fun!

Halloween 2008

These are the kind of people we journey through life with...
who are these kind of friends in your life? Love on them a bit more as they are to be appreciated!