Surrogates

Having lived away from extended family for almost 15 years now, we've come to rely on surrogate grandparents. We've had some wonderful friends who have become like grandparents to our kids and life savers to Brady and me.

Sister Carter babysat our kids for our 10th wedding anniversary so we could go away for the night.

Phil and Roma Lee Hiatt took our kids in an instant when my water broke all over Roma Lee's floor (just after she had fed us dinner) so we could go to the hospital and have baby #5 (thank goodness it was a wood floor!!! So embarrasing).

And Lucy and Justo Casablanca were our Florida grandparents. Still are, really, but they have been on a mission recently to Argentina. While on that mission, Justo was called to be the mission president in Bogota, Columbia. So, they are home for a few months to get things ready to leave once again. And while they are home we got to have them over for Puerto Rican rice and beans. Brady was nervous about cooking for them since they are from Puerto Rico, but they got a double thumbs up from the Casablancas. Brady was beaming! One other thing the Casablancas will be remembered for: introducing my kids to The Golden Corral. They took us there before they left for Argentina and my kids thought they'd died and gone to heaven.

We will enjoy writing letters once again to them. We're so blessed to know good people to step in and fill a void.