perfect weekend

^^These two are the cutest little best friends you ever did see.

(They're in front of the fountain. I know they're tiny)^^

^^Couldn't figure out what they were looking at, then I saw it^^

 ^^SPIDER! They loved watching it.^^

^^And these cute baby boys! Luke is a few months younger and gets so frustrated watching 

his buddy crawl away because he can't follow. Soon enough Luke.^^

^^There's a flower on our tomato plant!^^

^^Looks like a good little grill, right?^^

^^And then Jeremy stands next to it and you

 just can't help but laugh at how little it is^^

^^It's a Madeline sandwich!^^ 

The past couple days have been some of the best we've had in a while. Saturday we drove to the D.C. Temple on the most beautiful day of the year. It really couldn't have been more perfect weather. We went with friends so we could take turns watching the kids and each attend a Temple session with our spouse. We got to go to the Temple --TOGETHER-- for the first time in a loooonnng time. It replenished our hearts and filled our souls. It was beautiful and spiritual and what we've been missing. It was a long day, especially for the kids, but they were troopers and it was worth it. 

We've been blessed beyond what we deserve to have this family move in our building! And that would have been great, but in addition to that they have kids the same ages as ours, we go to the same church, and we've all really hit it off. Jeremy and I were commenting about how it's amazing that we've known them just a few weeks and already we're borrowing flour, watching each others' kids and she and I have started exercising together a few mornings a week. Grateful and blessed.

Sunday was beautiful as well, and a great day to celebrate the father's and father figures in our lives.  On Friday I let Jeremy open his present early so he could take it into consideration when deciding what he wanted for dinner Sunday. I was surprised to find a charcoal grill in our budget, especially after Jeremy had expressed his desire to own one, but assuming it'd be a few years yet. Needless to say he was surprised and very excited. He set it up Friday evening and we were a little surprised when we realized it was a mini-grill. We came up with about ten jokes about it and were crying we were laughing so hard. I love being married to him and I love that we get each other. I can't remember all of the jokes we said, but some of them were "You'll have to put hot pads on your knees" "It's Madeline's size!" "It's fun-size" "If R2D2 was a grill...". It still cooks great though! So we're happy.

We'd talked about having our good friends the Larsens over for dinner Sunday, but after getting home late Saturday night we weren't thinking straight and didn't buy enough food for us all. It came up at church, though, and we ended up throwing together the two meals we each had planned and it was a delicious thanksgiving in June. I keep saying it, but we are going to miss them when they move in two weeks!

It kind of felt like a celebration weekend, honoring the beginning of a new friendship and the end of this stage of friendship with others. Grateful for the temple, good food, great friends both new and old, and the chance to be here in Baltimore enjoying it all.