Our back neighbors moved in last September right behind us. The fence that lines our yards is much shorter than the rest, and we have a gate that connects our two yards. I always dreamed of people living there where we could cut through each others yards and hand things over the low fence. Before they arrived, the house was rented out to an older couple that we rarely saw except to sunbathe once in a while in lawn chairs. When we saw the house was for sale, we prayed for good neighbors, and God certainly answered!
Being summer and quarantine, my kids are outside all day long. They discovered our new neighbor boy Clayson, who also played outside from time to time. He was such a cute kid and always yelled to us from his house "Hi neighbors!!" Pretty soon, us moms connected and decided to have social distancing play dates through the fence when the kids were interested. Clayson's mom would sit in a lawn chair 7 feet away with clorox wipes and made sure the kids didn't touch each other or their toys. I would sit in my lawn chair and we would chat and get to know each other while the kids showed off toys and swapped stories of adventures. Pretty soon they added a new baby to their family and never, ever left their house to stay safe. That made us feel better knowing they were taking quarantine seriously, and so we let the kids play a little closer to each other and swap toys when wanted.
Pretty soon we were sharing homemade goodies over the fence, asking to borrow things we needed and connecting more as neighbors and friends.
Clayson is actually Clara's exact age. They started off being interested in each other, but that faded out and now it is he and Wa'a who are the best of friends. They are both into the same toys and play very similarly. I am so grateful for their friendship and what a blessing it has been for the boys and for us moms during this difficult and lonely time in the world.
Clayson had a birthday, and his parents got creative and did a social distancing party through the fence where all the kids could enjoy it. They had water games to play, activities to do from afar and they loved every minute. I was thankful for their work into making it work so they could enjoy the day together.
These next pictures were taken by our neighbors and shared with us. It's fun to see what we look like from their perspective. We can't wait for the day the kids can just cut through the fence to play with each other without worrying about awful corona. Grateful for kind neighbors who make all the difference.
Comments