Pre-Thanksgiving

This is a picture of the small group that Alex and I belong to from our pre-thanksgiving meal together on Sunday night. (Alex was absent - home sick - but now on the mend with antibiotics).

It struck me as I was looking at this picture this morning - how blessed we are to be in a group like this. It was over a year ago (maybe two can't remember!) that a friend who was already in this group invited us to join. At that time, it was a group of newlywed couples meeting bi-weekly for bible study. This group is an amazing collection of people - all warm and well-rooted - interesting and caring. We vary widely in our occupations and somewhat in our backgrounds. It hasn't been since college that either Alex or I have felt connected to such a big group.

When we first joined the group, one of the couples was pregnant. Since then three more babies have been born into the group and two more are on the way! This has definitely played havoc on the ease of meeting and hanging out!!! : ) We now juggle naptimes, feedings, and bedtimes around group gatherings...and I'm afraid it will only get more complex as we add more children to the mix.

We have already gone through many significant events together - miscarriages, infertility, financial concerns, unemployment, new babies, new pets, new jobs, new houses & the heavy lifting that goes along with that : ), and the list goes on! It is such a wonderful thing to be going through this next phase of our lives with these people - even if we do have to work a little harder at it now! We've recently decided to meet monthly rather than weekly to reduce some of the chaos of mass pitching of pack n' plays. I just want everyone in the group to know how much we love and value you - even if we forget to say it! We are thankful for you!