Once the weather turns delightfully warm, it's tempting to come up to Wisconsin from Chicago for a weekend of family time, outside time, visit the old haunts time. So it's not surprising to see the younger family here, especially since the longer weekend means no one has to rush home on Sunday. But there is a particular reason to be together in this moment: Sandpiper just passed his first birthday and Sparrow is about to mark his fourth. The weekend is perfectly sandwiched to celebrate the two of them. En famille!
My farmette time is very short. Ed and I do a morning walk together, because he wants to help me extend the meadow (where I seed some wildflowers) in the new orchard and we plan out the space for it between the young fruit trees. The chickens help.
Sorry, Dance helps too.
Then I make a quick dash to the bakery to pick up two birthday cakes and I squeeze in a late breakfast on the porch with Ed (it's such a beautiful morning for it!)
And then I'm over at my daughter's house for a day filled with wonderful, joyous family time.
(Precious moments with visiting Juniper: if she is surprised at how much energetic play all these cousins can engage in, she doesn't show it!)
Lots of family time.
Lots.
(Family Portrait!)
Grandparents (not us!) provide lunch, kids play (hugs are common)...
And finally, the boys open presents. With help. (Additional help needed from the several of us especially talented at putting things together.)
(Ed truly can fix pretty much anything. Holding a baby? Fifth one now passing through his lap and it still remains a challenge.)
We eat pizza, then, important moment coming up -- there are the two cakes...
(someone needs a little help blowing out a candle)
... And we squeeze in some group pictures (thank you, Ed!)...
Though we have to laugh at how there is never the perfect moment to take that shot of the five grandkids together because the two young babes are not always in sync with their naps and hunger spells and the three older ones have patience galore, but not bottomless patience (sort of like us grownups), but we manage some pics and we put off others and it's altogether great fun just to even try!
I'll leave you with a photo of mom and her three kids -- two of the boys from today's celebrations and their older sister. (Oh! Is that cake frosting in your hair, Sandpiper? It is! No surprise there: cake frosting always makes it into the hair on your first birthday party!)
I ask you, how can you not love a day like this?
