When you have 5 kids, you realize it takes a village. By that, I mean it is so important to grab a hold of a solid support network and seize it with everything you have. It’s not just about trying to keep kids alive and forward moving, it’s about teaching them and encouraging them to thrive. To do that, Andrew and I are well aware that we are not always on our best game to make that happen. We have had deep, soul-altering experiences the last 10 years that we will get into in later posts; essentially we want to be transparent in needing community to walk along-side us, and to walk along-side our little gnomes.
As we share with you, we will have guest posts from our kids-because they understand that in order for us to be able to help others and to advocate for those that don’t have a voice, we need to utilize ours and we encourage them to find and utilize theirs, beginning at a young age.
One of our favorite things about our village, is that they are not just there to give us awesome advice, love us where we are at, or challenge us to rise through our growth opportunities; but because they also give our gnomes a break, from us 🙂 Andrew and I were excited that we were able to get out the last few months; for dinner, miniature golf & some lazer tag (reminding us that we were still young & fun), or to just sit and talk to one another– and we are just as excited for our gnomes, as they have had dates with a beloved Auntie-in-love to gnosh on some pizza and play legos, with Nana to unwind 1:1 and watch movies, play games or go swimming. Essentially it allows all of us a mental and emotional break from one another and allows us to recenter and come back together both calmer and stronger.
Wherever you’re at with building/establishing your village, embrace it and don’t be afraid to be transparent about your needs/morals to make certain that those whom you choose to speak into your life can truly do so without hesitancy and without pulling you away from your morals or the path you want to stay on. We are so very thankful for the community of our village, and we encourage you to seek one out. We would love to come alongside you in that journey.
