Happy to have our "family" friends

I know I have mentioned it before, but I joined a local mom's group when Carolyn was born. It is called "Mothers and More." I am so thankful for this group. The group has events for mom's only, like book club and a monthly dinner club. We have a couple of family events and parties throughout the year. There are also events for couples only. And, of course, there are plenty of events for the kids too, like playdates and monthly field trips. It has introduced us to some great families and friends. I think that my favorite part of the group is that other parents offer support to one another when kids are unruly and patience is thin. We also help one another out by watching each other's kids. The babysitting co-op is probably the biggest benefit for us. I like watching other kids (because I see how much Carolyn likes playing with other kids), and I definitely enjoy the *free* babysitting every once in a while.

On Saturday, we had a Couples Night Out -- a cocktail party which was thankfully right in our neighborhood. Being able to walk to a cocktail party is both a blessing and a curse. There is no need to worry about who is the designated driver, but it sure does make for a pretty lousy Sunday.