Mother's Day

The day started with the sound of shushing and clanging plates as three little elves snuck (loudly) downstairs.  I'd asked for two things for Mother's Day: to sleep until 8:00am and breakfast in bed (toaster waffles - no stove allowed!)  My little elves delivered!

One sausage, one Cutie, two Kashi waffles with whipped cream on top.  Color me impressed!

Oh, I meant TWO cuties.

Okay THREE!! 

Cutie number four was too busy with his job as head chef to stand still for a picture.

And Cutie number five was on the other side of the globe.

After a lovely morning cuddling and snuggling in bed with my cuties, I got to spend Mother's Day this year doing what I'm best at - mothering!  Marc was midway through a two-week business trip to Australia, so I was single parenting for the holiday.  Our good friends Emily and Dan invited us over to hang out with them for the day.

"Hanging out" with the Houlihans, means playing all day with their 3 year old Abby and all her fun toys (read: Barbie Jeep) and hiding from (Ben) or hugging to death (Molly) their 4 year old, 200lb mastiff Arthur (Molly's not partial - creatures big or small, live or dead, she loves them all!).

I was thrilled to make it to Lake Forest and back without getting lost - it's an hour drive both ways.  It was one of the only nice days we'd had in a long stretch of ugly ones, so we had a great time outside.

This is all you need to know, to know Emily.  She stands here cooking bacon on her top of the line Wolf range.  I admire the pan and she gushes - isn't it great?? It's truly the perfect pan.  I use it every day!  Calphalon?  No way!!  Costco!!

We then proceeded to praise Costco for a good ten minutes.  Folks in Massachusetts just wouldn't understand.  BJ's is great, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't survive out here without Costco!  And when has BJ's ever had Hanna Anderson or Heartstrings?  I guess I forgot how many little changes we have adjusted to this past year.  But spending time with a friend and fellow Massachusetts expat reminds me what big impacts these little changes have had on our lives.

For the record, Emily was was pan frying the bacon to compete with the bacon she was baking in the oven.  Dan didn't believe that baked bacon (which is way easier to cook and clean up) could taste as good as pan-fried.   After brunch was over, there was no bacon of either kind left, and I didn't hear one complaint!  So next time I cook bacon, you'd better believe I'm using Emily's oven-baked method!

While brunch baked, the princesses chatted while the villainous Joker was apprehended by none other than the caped crusader himself.

Abby - after Molly's own heart!

If Marc wasn't in Australia, I don't think I'd have been sitting at home enjoying this kind of brunch!  So thanks for traveling, honey!  It was delicious!  I'm going to buy a Cuisinart just so I can make Emily's delicious cinnamon chip scones (that I gorged myself on until I thought I'd burst). 
We washed them down with homemade raspberry limeade.  Oh the happiness!!

But enough about the FOOD.  Because how can you talk about food when there's a pink Barbie Jeep to drive around in?

Someone needs a safe driver course under his belt before being set loose in a battery powered vehicle.

The girls had so much fun being girly together.  I just kept oohing and aahing over the flowers - Spring had shown up in Lake Forest in a big way!

.

Clearly, the male aversion to the color pink does not apply to motorized vehicles.

The hills are alive...with dandelions!

This is Arthur.  As I mentioned, he is not small.  For some perspective, Emily is 6 feet tall flat-footed.  Hard to believe this is the puppy I rocked to sleep when Ben was in my belly.

Tulips and English Ivy.  SWOON!

It was my first Mother's Day in Illinois and I thoroughly enjoyed it thanks to three great kids and some fantastic friends.   Next year I couldn't ask for more, except maybe to have my honey home to celebrate with.  Let's hope the Australia project is finished by then!