You know how you cannot pick your family? Neighbors are the same. You never know if you are going to get the annoying Mrs. Cleaver or the Frat House when you move in. You just hope for the best.
When we built our house we had no idea what to expect. Abby was only about 2 years old, the neighbors seemed nice and were our age. But they had kids. As in plural. As children ranging from kindergarten to high school. Ours was still in diapers.
This turned out to be a great thing. As their children aged our children received their hand-me-downs. You know that huge wooden swing set you had to put together?
Abby’s got carried through the woods.
The expensive plastic houses and castles? Again, carried through the woods.
Child’s picnic table? Yup, it was carried through the woods right into our back yard.
Bunk beds? Those were delivered by truck from one driveway to the next.
Need a babysitter? Yup, those walk through the woods too. Best part you don’t have to drive them home.
Our neighbors are they type that see me shoveling the blizzard and come over with a snow blower. Without being asked.
They see your child playing outside and stop and chat.
They bring whoopie pies when your pet dies.
They don’t call the cops when they hear me screaming over Every Day Math. I don’t call when their college-kids fill up the street with their friends.
We are invited to the party even if they are not there. One of the best e-mails I have received from a neighbor was when they were going away:
Will be away for the weekend. Pool is clean there is gas in the grill, enjoy. But if you see a moving truck pull in please call the cops, we are not moving just on vacation.
When it comes to my neighbors, I hit the jackpot. I only wonder if, when Abby turns 16 a car will magically appear through the woods.
To learn more about Down Syndrome, please visit the National Down Syndrome Society.
(Un)Diagnosed and still okay 
Perfect post! You are so lucky. I want to live in your neighborhood:)! Love the email and that fact that you’re invited to the college parties! It’s like that movie Neighbors.
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The e-mail cracks us up. We all send it now as an alert if we are gone over night. Of course it can backfire. Last time a neighbor went away her daughter’s boyfriend came back with a new truck. My husband had me call them to make sure it was an approved vehicle in their yard!
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Wouldn’t that be nice? I wouldn’t hold your breath about the car, though. So wonderful to have great neighbors, isn’t it? Despite my post today, I do have some great ones.
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I can dream, though! One of the neighbor kids has a really cool Jeep Abby has her eye on.
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Oh – and congrats on your new digs – looking good!
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Thanks, Dana! I was wicked worried about moving but it went pretty well.
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How lovely – I used to live with a backyard that was woods – though yours seems more magical! 😀
Welcome to WordPress – love the new site!
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Thanks, I love the new site as well. I’m still a little nervous of WP though. And our backyard is totally magical. It contains fairies according to Abby.
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Yes, this is how a neighborhood should be. You are indeed blessed. I am reminded, oh my lord, of the time I called the cops because of a van parked in the driveway of my gone on holidays neighbors. Oh dear. One gentle tiler got the fright of his life when two burly, guns drawn policemen burst into the kitchen …
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OOOH I like it even more than yesterday. Great job moving! And I promise WP is easy once you get used to it. Heck, I can do it which says all you need to know really. And dude. I want to live on the other side of the woods and have babysitters and swingsets come through them to me. Please? Awesome post as always, my fabulous friend!
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Thanks, Kristi. Also for taking my frantic text to check it out 🙂 You totally need to move to my hood. It is quite awesome.
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Hand-me-downs are THE BEST. How wonderful that you have such a supportive and kind neighborhood!
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Kate I’m beyond lucky with our neighbors.
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You lucky lucky lady! I’d live there for the hand-me-downs.
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The hand-me downs and I should have mentioned they have delivered wine in emergencies!
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Wow you did hit the jackpot!!! We live in an older neighborhood but I never had any of these kids as babysitters. Our next door neighbors daughter got pregnant towards the end of her high school year. She got all of my stuff – crib, changing table and the works. It’s an easy way to get rid of stuff too.
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Kenya, I for sure hit the jackpot. No pregnant teens on our block, yet!
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Just… fabulous! Your neighbors, the post, the hand-me-downs. Fabulous! What goes around comes around, so you are clearly putting greatness out there, Kerri.
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Oh, thank you Nicki. I hope we are giving as much as we are getting.
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“They don’t call the cops when they hear me screaming over Every Day Math” – ha ha ha! Love that.
I’m so happy for you (really!!) that you hit the jackpot with neighbors. You just really never know who you are going to get, and it’s nice when it works out. Fingers crossed for the car!
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Oh I am crossing fingers and toes on the car wish.
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Awww it sounds like you have what I am yearning for in my post! So lucky. Thanks for sharing.
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Not sure if my comment went through but just wanted to say how touched I was. You have the neighborhood I am yearning for in my post. So sweet. Thanks for sharing.
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I am beyond lucky, Allison. I am truly thankful for our neighbors and what they add to our life.
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Ohh! That is so happy. I love the part about the pool and grill. We don’t really have a lot of neighbors because we live in a clearing in the woods. However, we’re in a small city so there are communities to be found.
I had the kind of neighborhood growing up that you just described.
Also, the photo of Boo? Awesome! As you know, I’m a professional photographer so I always get a little amazed at such beautiful work, and also a little envious that I don’t live close enough to photograph everyone I know!
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Thank you, Tamara. My friend is a professional photographer as well. She specializes in candid shots to capture moments unexpected. In our case, since Bridget cannot or refuses to focus on the photographer, Laura found the perfect way to capture her.
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kerri, loved reading about your neighborhood.
All i can is TOUCHWOOD!!
xoxo
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Thank you, Ruchira. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by neighbors who support us in many ways.
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I’m super jealous. I want neighbors like that and the woods they walk through… Ah, but I’m near the woods, and I’m living in an apartment type housing (big apartments though, and nice… fireplace, view of the golf course), and our neighbors never stay. We’ve been here for over 5 years, but most people don’t make their lease contract of one year. Because the neighbors change so often, when we got bad ones, they move away eventually, but then we get good ones, and my kids have gotten a lot of hand-me-downs from various people who have lived here, and it just sucks to see them move away before I can totally return the favor. It’s like, “Hey, now that I found a decent human being, we are supposed to be friends for life, living next to each other, like we are supposed to move away together to the same place.” I’m so glad you have awesome neighbors like that. It’s truly important. People don’t get it. Living next to a sourpuss who trolls your life is taxing, and it does affect the entire family kids included. And living next to supportive, healthy, loving people also affects the entire family, and it truly is a blessing when you find that. While I’m super jealous, I’m also just incredibly happy for you.
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I do feel bad for bragging, but they totally deserved the shout out. Cause they are simply awesome.
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