This past weekend we were lucky to have some really good, close, old friends stay with us on their way back to Chicago from a trip. Cat and Garriy have known Milo since he was just a young biscuit, and they are like family to us (Milo even calls Garriy “Uncle Garriy”!). Andrew went to grad school with Garriy and we met Cat soon after. It was wonderful having them close by when we lived in DC, but over the years we have all moved around quite a bit. But they always find time to visit us, no matter how chaotic it has become with all the littles we have been popping out these days! And I have no doubt that someday they will make amazing parents. 
The first night it was cool enough to build a fire, so that we did (probably the last of the season!). After eating dinner and putting the kids down for bed, we made the most of adult time before crashing at… 9:30pm. Yes, we are living the lives of rockstars. Don’t hate.
The next morning we were joined by more friends (Amy and Jarod- who go all the way back to our undergraduate years!!!) who had caught the Radiohead concert in town the previous night. I made these sticky buns and they turned out amazing- highly recommend. We chatted over coffee and laughed a lot before they had to hit the road to get back to their little ones in Kentucky.
Then we were off on a little road trip ourselves (albeit a 10-minute one)!
Yay for the minivan! We comfortably fit 4 adults and 3 kids in here. Woo!
Where might we head on such a sunny lovely March day, you ask? Why, Forest Park of course. To fly the lovely owl kites Cat and Garriy so generously gave our young budding adventurers.
How many PhD’s does it take to put together two kites?
More than you might think, it turns out.
Once assembled, the hilarity ensued. Seriously, watching grown-ups running, jumping, weaving, darting, and trying to prevent plastic owls from dive-bombing the hillside is just so much funnier than expected. Only Cat made it look graceful. We had a fantastic time. And Milo was beaming ear-to-ear the entire time. Oliver, not so much, but Cat saved the day with an emergency snack run to the Art Museum gift shop. Thanks Cat!
We had a lovely day despite Oliver getting over a little of what Milo had last week and Emil feeling a little bit rotten trying to push that mean old first tooth through his bottom gums. And of course I took a billion pictures, so check back tomorrow for more of our weekend adventures!
Wonderful pictures! I love the one of Emil in the grass (pointing at a kite?) We made your lentil stew over the weekend and it was very good! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You’re so quick on the draw! What an INCREDIBLE weekend we had with you all–thank you so much for putting up with us, cooking amazing meals for us, and letting us crash your party. How wonderful to finally meet Emil, fly kites with the boys, and spend nights with you catching up by the fire. Our only regret is that you all aren’t closer in distance to us. So special to catch up with you all in person and to get a peek into the boys’ worlds. Kisses to them all from us, and miss you all already!
Sounds like a wonderful week-end. It’s so much fun to catch up with old friends and those kite’s look awesome- I can’t remember when I last flew a kite but I think I’m going to get one after seeing these pics.
That kite looks SO cool in the air. What a fun family adventure.
Oh, I love to fly kites and that photo of the baby in the grass is too cute. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog.
Laura
Everyone should start taking pictures of their babies lying in the grass, because that picture is fantastic. All of the pictures are, really.
And seriously, your house looks like it’s out of a catalog. Gorgeous.
awwww what a fun time and such beautiful images! Makes me want to fly a kite… it’s been YEARS.