Moments 05 23 :: Week 04

Prom number 2. This time at Zoe's school, Whitefish Bay HS.

The crew. 

The ladies.

The guys.

Of course we needed another Mom & Dad photo.

Whitefish Bay does a Grand March, so we headed to the track and the kids were announced. Afterwards, they headed to the Harley Davidson Museum for prom, while Brian and I had dinner with Zoe's mom and Craig. We all had a great night.

Sunday we headed to Chicago. Jacob and Darcy invited us all over for lunch.

I mean, all of us. It was a fun house, and so much fun. 

After lunch, we walked the neighborhood. It's our old stomping grounds, and I love it. 

Jacob's new cat, Toro. 

Unfortunately, Cole couldn't join us. He had his final soccer game against SC Wave. They finally won! First game of the entire year. Lots of ties. Lots of close games. But this was the first victory. Unfortunately, he also got this doozy from sliding on the turf. 

Hudson was home for a few days too! He came in while we were at prom, then had his own party to go to -- and engagement party! I didn't see him until Sunday, but he was able to come to Chicago with us, so that was good. He's back in St. Louis again, but will be home again very soon. Yay! I always love having him around.

Gorgeous lilacs on my walks. I absolutely love this scent. Too bad these aren't in our yard. 

Moments 05 23 :: Week 03

Before I left for South Carolina, Cole gave me my Mother's Day present -- this gorgeous ring THAT HE MADE in Art Metal class. He did such a great job and I am so honored he gave it to me. I'm obsessed.

Yay CrossFit!

Wouldn't it be great if the trees stayed like this just a little bit longer? So pretty.

Just a boy and his toy. 

Love bugs. Look how grey Gretel's face is! She's doing great, but definitely has slowed down a bit. 

My other Mother's Day gift was that Brian spent the weekend I was gone to buy some new trees, plant the planters, clean up the flower beds, opened up the porch area.... it looks amazing and was the perfect gift. 

80th Birthday Celebration :: Days 03 & 04

I can think of a million photos I wish I would have gotten on this trip, and the final couple of days proves it. I hardly took any! I missed out on all of the fun times just chatting away on the porch, for example. Sunday was my uncle's real birthday. Plus it was Mother's Day! We all gathered at my aunt and uncle's again for brunch (which included biscuits, yum). My uncle drove us around Charlotte. Such a cool, growing city. Even my uncle barely recognized it. :) In the afternoon, we met up with my cousin and her family again at Olde Mecklenburg for a late lunch before they all had to hit the road. We came back and took one last walk -- this time the neighborhood tour. Then we sat on the porch until it was time for bed. We had another early flight the next day. Thankfully, not as bad as the one a few days earlier. We were home late morning, and Brian was there ready to pick us up. It was such a treat getting to see everyone. Hoping we all get to see each other soon again. It was wonderful. 

80th Birthday Celebration :: Day 02

After an amazing night of sleep, we waited on the next guests — my cousin's daughter and her husband. Their cute dogs were there too. My aunt's sister treated us all to brunch at First Watch. So nice. And so good. When we came back home, everyone had mentioned I needed to see my aunt's sister's house. She is an incredible quilter. I was absolutely blown away. They were everywhere, and all of them were amazing. After the tour, it was time for our daily walk. My cousin and her family joined us too. That evening it was time for the big party. My other cousin, his wife and kids came over first. I think their wedding may have been the last time I saw them. Crazy. Anyhow, we headed over to Fish Market for the celebration. We had a delicious dinner and got to enjoy a really fun video my cousin's wife had put together. Afterwards, we hung out at the house and told stories. We made it much later than the night before. So much fun. 

80th Birthday Celebration :: Day 01

I just got back from a really great weekend with my mom, visiting her brother and the family for his 80th birthday in South Carolina. It's embarrassing how long it's been since I've seen my cousins, but that's how life goes I guess. We had a really early flight so my mom came the night before so Brian could take us to the airport. My uncle was there waiting for us, then gave us a little tour of the area they live in, which is really nice. After lunch at their house, my uncle, mom and I went for a walk in the woods. Something we did every day. I loved it so much. When we came back, my aunt's family had started to arrive, so we met up with her sister (who lives across the street with her adorable puppy, Jasper) and two brothers. Next came my cousin, her husband and their youngest daughter. We gathered at the house for dinner and gifts. We were all pretty tired from our journeys so called it a night pretty early.

Moments 05 23 :: Week 02

Brian and I took Van on a walk at the Donges Bay Gorge. 

It's a short loop (we did it twice) and very hidden. I don't know that many people know about it, which is fine with me.

Van loved it, and found a lot of wildlife. 

Like deer! He couldn't get enough of them. 

Such a gorgeous place. 

It also has a very cool history. The pool house building still stands. The landscape was designed by Jens Jenson, which is a name familiar to us thanks to our time in Chicago. Before retiring in Door County, he designed several of the major parks in Chicago, help establish the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and worked with many famous architects. Pretty cool. 

On Sunday, Cole's team played the Columbus Crew. Finally a perfect day -- even if they did get crushed. The player on the right flew in just for the game. He's a Columbus Crew recruit! They were good.

Cole's cheering section for the game. Zoe was there too. :)

Finally all of our trees are blooming. It's lovely. 

Had to drive through the part again, and all my geese babies were still there. They are so cute.