Checking In

I want to let you know that I may be in and out the rest of this week and through the weekend. The reason is that my college roommate Raechel and her husband, Ryan, are here to visit! Yes, these two friends came all the way up from the Nashville area to the frozen tundra of Chicagoland to spend some time. Oliver came with them, too, but only for a short while. He stayed long enough to play with the boys and get familiar with their toys before leaving to meet up with his grandparents so he can get some nice, quality time with them. We'll miss Oliver the rest of the week, but at least we have his parents. They're pretty fun, too.

The other good news of our week is that we'll also be hosting our friends Allan and Megan who are visiting from Ohio. Allan and Stephen roomed together when we three were studying at Oxford (as in England) and every so often we are able to be with these dear friends. They will be in on Friday and stay through the weekend. This trip has been in the works for awhile, so we are so glad they could make the time for us.

The other OTHER good news is that my birthday is Friday, meaning that all these friends will be here for my party! And by "party" I mean the dinner that my mom is so graciously putting together for all of us (friends, family, etc.) to enjoy. In true family custom, the birthday girl got to pick her meal, and I chose my time-honored birthday staple: chili dogs and homemade macaroni and cheese. I had originally asked for a Dairy Queen ice cream cake with the design of a horse on top, but that won't feed everyone, so we're having to break from that tradition this year. (I got the horse cakes for several years running when I was a horse-crazy elementary student.) I am so excited!

It's worth mentioning that in the, oh, ten minutes it has taken me to write this, Jack has climbed into all the kitchen chairs, Baylor has carted a bag of tortilla chips out of the kitchen, Jack has fallen in the potty chair, Baylor has thrown two screaming tantrums, and both have strewn paper clips all over the sun room floor. And I have a dirty diaper to change. Is it any wonder I am tired all of the time??