When we purchased our home over 10 years ago, we moved into a neighbourhood that was not exactly full of families. There were plenty of kindly retirees and senior citizens to pinch the cheeks of our new baby, but not much prospect of a group of playmates for my children to grow up and create mischief with... Or so we thought. A couple of years later, a toddler wandered into our front yard, followed by his pregnant mama. I was also pregnant with our second and we struck up a conversation. She happened to mentioned that she may be offering child care once her new addition arrived and we would be looking for a new sitter soon. It proved to be a rather fortuitous meeting.
Fast forward 7 years. Our children, her boys and my girls, tear up and down the street on their bikes, built forts and argue like siblings. In fact, as I type this post, I can hear them shouting gleefully together outside. The doors of our respective homes are ever-revolving, and we are never entirely sure how many kids may be requesting a snack or drink at any given time. My girls skate on their rink in the winter and we take turns accompanying the kids to the local skate park. My kiddos still go to her house for after-school care - not because they need to but because they want to.
I feel so fortunate to have neighbours and friends like these. You know that they will always be there when you need them and you will be there if they need you. We love each other's children and treat them like our own (even when it means laying down the law!). And we never judge each other as parents - we know that sometimes you just lose your s**t and it doesn't make you a crappy parent.
We hung out on a gorgeous, sunny, slightly mosquito-y Friday night in Kitchener, along the lovely Grand River trailway. We splashed and played and they did their best not to hit me with the stones they were tossing. ;) I am so happy to have this family in our lives and thankful that I was able to capture them as they are together - fun and loving.
Enjoy the images,
M xo
