That's what friends are for

We have some of the best friends a family could ever ask for. On top of enveloping us in so much love, they also have family connections to the most gorgeous mountain house. We just spent three days outside Estes Park getting a nice respite from life. There was coffee in the bathtub during which I was asked, "Do you want coffee or decaf?" There was fingernail and toenail painting. There was more head shaving. There was hiking and playing in mountain streams. There was laughing until we cried. And then there was crying - that happens when you have a 9 month old, 1 year old, 2 year old, and 3 year old all in the same house. It also happens when the adults have gone through what we have lately. The night we returned home, Anya put words to the thoughts that were going through all of our heads when she stated, "I wish Pat, Lora, Lucas, and Parker lived closer. And I wish the mountain house was our house."