Walking the Walk

We have been blessed with the BEST neighbors in the world...Frank and Betty.  I wanted to share with you a letter that Frank wrote to S while she was on the other side of the world.  We had only known about her a few months, and we were waiting to travel for her.  Here is the letter I received:

 

08/05/07

This is for Shelby Ann:

We are Frank and Betty and we will live next door to you.  We are happy, at last, that we are close to getting a little girl.  We have six boys already … two sons, two grandsons and two “next door grandsons – Caleb and Travis”.  As you can see, we will be especially thrilled to have a little girl also!

There are a few things that we will require from you…Visitation – Every day if possible – We must have our “Shelby fix”.  “Skeezes” (squeezes) – We realize it will take awhile to get to know each other.  However, Caleb and Travis were very good at giving “skeezes”…Travis more so than Caleb.  But we do manage to get in at least one per visit.  If it’s OK with you, we can certainly use more!

Treats – We always have a variety of treats to offer (with Mom and Dad’s permission).  If there is something special you like to eat, we’ll be sure to try to have it in the goody bowl.  When Travis was little, he had his special pillow (2 phone books) that needed to be added to his chair so he could reach the table.  “Baddy (Betty)” could always handle that.

Toys - We have our own special toy box for Caleb and Travis.  At times, the floor is covered.  But, we will probably have to come up with some “girl” toys to add to these.

Yard Work – Your brothers have their own special gloves and tools for yard work at our house.  Yard work consists of digging for worms to give the goldfish.  Caleb is OK without gloves.  However, Travis does NOT handle worms without his own special gloves.  We’re not too sure if little girls like to dig for worms, but it won’t take long to find out.

Fishing – Since Caleb could barely talk and walk, he has been a very good fishing partner for me.  If you decide this is something you like, we will be happy to teach you how to fish too.  Travis likes to play with the bait and is not as patient as Caleb at catching fish.

We have been blessed with having Caleb and Travis live next door.  We’ve been able to watch them grow since birth and be a part of their lives.  We certainly look forward to you being a part of our lives as well.  You’ll have a multitude of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and most importantly a new Dad, Mom and brothers to love and care for you.

We hope you’ll be able to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas in your new Georgia home!

Thanks to Donna and C.J. for sharing their most prized possessions (Caleb and Travis) with us.  And again, we look forward to you becoming an important part of our life as well.

Love,

Frank

 

Is that not the sweetest letter ever?!!?  Now not only did they "say" they would do all these things with S, they DO them every. single. day.  Oh and now they have 5 kids that they share their lives with regularly.  They didn't just talk the talk, they are definitely walking the walk.  They have attended all the kids' birthday parties, sports events, concerts, and more.  Such amazing people who are pouring goodness into my kiddos.  I am so very grateful for Frank and Betty.  Thank you for making a difference in the lives of my children :)