By Friday afternoon the last of the snow had melted in our front yard, giving way to miniature daffodils that had bloomed underneath. The boys and I spent all Friday afternoon digging in the garden and after they had a very bubbly and much-needed bath, Andrew had returned home from his office. We all walked to Winslow’s Home for dinner and sat outside, basking in warm spring sunshine. We ran into friends walking by and it was so great seeing people (who must have been cooped up indoors like us) finally out and about!
Milo, Oliver, and I dyed eggs the natural way on Saturday morning (did you know that boiling eggs with half a head of shredded cabbage and 2 Tbsp of vinegar yields blue eggs, not purple? What a fun experiment they thought this was!). The only colors that really turned out were the yellow (turmeric) and blue (cabbage) and though it was fun, it was also a lot more work than just dropping a Paas egg dye tablet into a glass of water (and a lot more dishes). 
It was a weekend of catching up with people. Our neighbors brought us a loaf of freshly baked bread, which we ended up sharing with our good friends on Sunday. And on Saturday night, Andrew and I had a great night out on the town for a surprise birthday party for one of his colleagues in Soulard. Woo, it was a late night for us but a much-needed opportunity to blow off steam!
And Easter Sunday boasted even more beautiful weather. We spent the day with our cool friends Ingrid and Brent and their girls over in their neck of the woods- eating ourselves into a coma with a brunch at their house before joining the neighborhood parade and egg hunt. 
Emil went napless for the whole day, instead soaking in the sunshine and stealing jelly beans from unsuspecting children’s baskets. His brothers didn’t mind a bit. 
We were reminded, as we always are when we are around our wonderful friends, how friends can be your family when family is as far-flung as ours. Our hearts were so full and happy.
It was a bittersweet time, though, as I find my grandfather’s health deteriorating. He had a stroke at the end of last week and it has left him searching for words and very confused. My thoughts have been with him, and my aunt and uncle as they travel down to see him and try their best to make things better. I can’t even imagine how hard it is to watch your parents go through these things as they age. Such a hard part of life. Our hearts are with you, Pop pop.
Your holiday weekend looked perfect! I must also say that the colors of the eggs are so beautiful, and even so much better that they came from nature. I would like to see colors produced from beet juice. Do the colors become more saturated the longer you leave the eggs in the juice? I just love how your eggs turned out. Way to go, Lauren!
Love, Mom
So sorry to hear about your grandfather! Hope he makes a recovery. It looks so sunny and beautiful in these pictures! Has Spring finally made it’s way to Missouri?? Your boys are darling as always, and you and your husband look so shiny and happy on your night out. We need those nights out!!
What a wonderful wonderful weekend!!! I love all the pics. And love when good friends are like family 🙂 So sorry to hear about your grandpa.. I hope he’s improving.
And LOVE the cabbage turning the eggs blue?! SO cool!!
So sorry to hear about your Pop pop. My grandmother just had a stroke this past week too…thinking of you guys.
And YES, the eggs turned out beautiful!