Surrogate families.

           I’ve blogged about Kate before.  She’s my sitter/friend/third child/life saver/personal baker/lifeguard/schedule keeper.  In other words, she is family.  A very big, important part of my family.  And we love that she feels so at home in our house that she’s here most of the time.  I think it also gives her real family in Kentucky peace of mind that she has a place to go and people that love her while she’s far away.

            This summer, we were lucky enough to meet Kate’s whole family when they vacationed for a week at Seabrook.  I’d met her dad, the fabulous Mike Czerwonka, once last spring.  He and Teague are besties.

But Kate's Mom, sister, and even her grandmother came down at the end of July, and it was so nice to put faces with the endless stories we’ve heard over the past year and half. 

When the Czerwonkas first arrived, they were sweet enough to take our whole family out to dinner at the Fat Hen.  But even better than the delicious meal we shared at that hightop table, was that they invited the boys to spend whole days with them out on the island, truly making our family feel like a part of theirs.

While I was preparing for my trip to LA, Kate and her family would pick up the kids (sometimes their bikes too) and drive them all the way to Seabrook for a day full of fun in the sand, time in the pool, sea critter exploration, long bike trips to restaurants, and apparently, pink lemonade.  If you know Teague, you understand why drinking pink lemonade is a big deal.  He doesn’t try anything.  Ever.

The morning I flew to LA, I left before the kids woke up.  Kate had planned a special morning for them since I was leaving.  She came over super early, picked them up in their PJs, and drove them out to her family’s place on Seabrook where they had a special chocolate chip pancake breakfast.  Family style.

We are so incredibly lucky to have this relationship with the Czerwonkas.  It’s fun, and effortless, and reassuring.  All the things family should be.  I can’t wait for them to visit again.  And next time, I hope I get to tag along!