Pat's Lawnmower!

Pat and Amy are our closest neighbors. They are not the closest in proximity (although they are close; their house is directly behind our's, and our properties share a border in both of our back yards), but they are definitely our closest-neighbor-friends. I have never blogged about them before... which just goes to show how inaccurate a portrayal of our life our blog really is. Anyway... we're the kind of neighbors that you (or, at least, we) wish all neighbors were-- people you can call to help move a couch to a different room, or check in on your cat while you're out of town, or come over for a bbq. They are good neighbors. Pat and Amy are closer in age to our parents than to us, but they never had kids of their own. They --Pat especially-- have sort of taken our kids in as their pseudo-grandchildren. And this works out just great since we have no family in the area. They are good people and they've been very good to us-- and to Kyle and Owen especially. Since the moment we brought the boys home they've been rock solid for our kids. And they have given advice, been there in a pinch, and 'gone to bat' for us on many occassions. Amy is a nurse and has always been a great resource for us whenever we have had kid-related medical stuff to deal with. Pat is a retired pilot (of all things! what could K & O possibly idolize more than a "real pilot"?!)... and one of the great things about Pat is that he is a real 'Man's Man' and yet he has a definite soft spot for kids. This is just about the perfect combo when dealing with Kyle and Owen. They love that Pat will pick them up and throw them around whenever he stops by. They love that he will talk sports talk with them. And most of all, they love his tools (of which he has many)--- especially his outdoor lawncare tools-- especially his ride-on-professional-guage-lawnmower. When they hear Pat mowing his lawn they stop everything to run to the border of our property and watch. And every once in a while Pat will invite them over and give them rides on it. Today was a lucky day for two lucky boys! They were out in the sandbox playing when suddenly they heart Pat's lawnmower. They ran to watch him. And sure enough, he let 'em on! They each got two "rides" and it was, for them, spectacular! I just happened to have the camera outside with me, so for the first time I managed to get some photos of the boys and Pat's lawnmower!