It was my birthday at the end of October! While it wasn't a big birthday (age-wise), it's been a long year, so my mom and her husband flew in for a quick visit.
As luck would have it, since my sister-in-law (Josh's sister) and I share a birthday (how fun is that?!), she and her husband and daughter (our niece!) decided to drive in from Dallas so we could celebrate together. Originally, Josh's parents, brother, and Grandma were supposed to join us as well. It would have been a big family weekend after months apart. Unfortunately, their trip was canceled due to a snowstorm.
My mom and Dave arrived Friday afternoon. After a handful of flight changes, it turned out they would only have 26 hours in town. Not wasting a single minute, we kicked off our time together with a steak dinner and followed it up with ice cream from my favorite, Farmhouse Creamery.
They brought me a painting that depicts what Josh and I would look like if we'd sat for an oil painting in Victorian days. While I'm not sure anyone bleached their hair in those days, I'm fairly confident Josh's beard would have fit right in.
Early the next morning, we met them for donuts and coffee (remember, we're trying to squeeze in a full visit in about 24 hours!) Then stopped by our house for a tour and a visit with Charlie.
My mom's never been a big fan of dogs (or pets in general, really) but had no idea Dave is allergic to dogs! So we kept the door open and made it a quick visit.
On our way to brunch, we stopped by The Bush Library. The Library itself is currently closed due to Covid, but the grounds are open, so we walked through parts of the garden and up to see their graves.
Meghan, Eddie, and Norah made it just in time for brunch. Norah and I even coordinated the height of our poufs!
After lunch, we went for round two of Charlie visits. My sister- and brother-in-law have a dog named Benny, so not only were they were looking forward to meeting him, but our niece was too. Her big Goldendoodle brother means she didn't mind Charlie's lack of regard for personal space!
He was definitely excited to have so many people come by to play in a single day. But aside from some semi-aggressive sniffing, he was incredibly well-behaved. He was very curious about the baby and her blanket and toys, but so gentle with her. It was really cute to watch them together.
While Meghan and Eddie took Norah for a nap, Josh and I met my mom and Dave for a few hours at a quirky local coffee shop. We drank our coffees and chatted, grateful to squeeze in a little extra time catching up before the big birthday dinner at Campfire.
Since my dad lives in town now, he joined us! It was so fun to be surrounded by family after months of visiting through a screen.
Dave, in his generosity, ordered one of every appetizer for the table, so we were all nearly stuffed by the time our entrees arrived.
Josh can't get enough of our niece. I often joke that he may never love our own child as much as he loves her. It seems the feeling is mutual.
After dinner and a complimentary birthday dessert, we said our goodbyes.
My mom and Dave flew out early the next morning.
Meghan, Eddie and Norah stopped by on their way home Sunday morning to drop off the most beautiful cake. Their nanny also runs a cake company and offered to make a birthday cake for the two of us. Sadly, we didn't get to share it, but I think Josh was pretty happy that there was enough cake in our fridge to last a week!
Thankfully, the holidays are just around the corner, so it won't be long until we see everyone again. Currently, we're planning for Thanksgiving with the Prices (and my dad!) in Dallas. And then driving out to California for Christmas. Already counting down the days!
Hooray for a VERY fun-filled weekend! And for dinner, donuts and desserts! I'm so excited to see you in just a few weeks! Love the photos of Charlie and Norah! Adorable!
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