chicago: the city

the first stop on my trip to chicago was to visit sweet payton. i've told you this a couple of times over the years, but she and e are bff's. they met at 4 months of age and have loved each other from first glance. they used to empty out my kitchen drawers together and p used to suck on the sleeve of e's shirts. they have a history. it's beautiful.

and they picked right up where they left off without missing a beat.


the mom of this beautiful babe (my dear friend jen) happens to be 9 months pregnant with a baby i have long been anticipating. somehow, she didn't make it into any of my snaps, but her belly is the most stunning belly i've seen in a long time. while our girlies played, i enjoyed eating her delish lunches (seriously, this girl has a record for making the best sammies and pasta salads. she did not disappoint.) and chatting about life. it was heavenly!


the girlies also got a little bit of pampering at the nail salon. and i may no longer be allowed to help p with her color selection... but you know, what is a surrogate auntie for if they don't let you go wild every now and then?

and while they got dolled up, i got to meet this sweet boy who was born to my friend rachel in my absence (how dare she!). isn't he the most delicious little man ever? i think so. so much so that he has been prearranged to marry my precocious little poppy. i'm certain that rachel will regret this as my youngest daughter could possibly do a little bit of corrupting to this kind, gentle, dapper boy. but what's a little corruption between friends, especially in the name of love?

and then these two twins (born to different mothers 3 days apart, but whatever) had themselves the second annual summer lemonade stand on the streets of chicago. they made ten dollars and drank about a gallon of lemonade.

this picture (below) is my favorite of the batch. it shows my beloved chicago city streets with the filtered sun... ahhh, how i love this image that is embedded in my mind. it takes me back to autumn walks with e in her stroller when she was teeny tiny.

and then when it was time to go, i gave jen a hug goodbye and jen's belly kicked me back. i must admit, for a minute, i just assumed i was preggo again... but then i realized it was a little hello from within. as i hugged my dear jen, she started to get we cheeks. and well, i just couldn't hold it back! my own waterworks engine kicked in and i found myself with my own wet tears... and as you've already read, they have kept-a-commin'. i don't know what it was, but saying goodbye to this sweet friend and her even sweeter babe was the start of a very bad mascara streak... quite literally.

and as an aside... this afternoon i went to a lemonade stand/ bike riding brigade/ sprinkler bonanza happy hour with some of my p-town peeps. two of my friends have new little babes. sweet addison and elise were laying in the lawn on a blanket side by side, one sucking on the other's arm, and it made me smile. those girlies are bonded for life and i'm pretty confident in saying they will always have that bff to turn to no matter what.