Mema and Pops

Aron's folks were in town this weekend (to see Mags more than us :) and we enjoyed our time with them. Saturday we ran some errands at Target and got coffee at Starbucks. I introduced Mike to the superb Chai's at The Coffee Beanery (I've already won over several fans--it's better than Starbucks' Chai) and he thought it tasted good. Later, Laurie and I were able to hit a few fun stores in the area, including 2 baby stores. She purchased Maggie some cute, winter Robeez shoes for next year. We found a to-do-for French bakery, purchased too many goodies, grabbed lunch for the 4 of us and came back to the flat. After lunch and Maggie's feeding, we all piled in the car and headed downtown to Millenium Park. Immediately stepping out of the car, we were exposed to some harsh Chicago weather--wind chill made it feel in the low 20s! Determind, we walked through the park, over the bridge, and under the Bean (pictured below). It is indeed a beautiful place and will be fun to come to in the warmer summer months. Laurie was an incredible asset to helping with Mags. She fed, changed, played with, and rocked her to sleep. This freed me up to nap some and even spend some time with my good friend Laurie (same name, pronounced differently), Shel's sistser, who was in town. We grabbed coffee at, where else? The Coffee Beanery (where I of course, won her over to their Chai tea latte)! Later, we hit a few stores, then came home for dinner. Laurie, the MIL, had cooked a delicous meal of brisket, carmelized carrots, rice, and sourdough bread. The meal was finished off with blonde brownies and ice cream. Yum! The grandparents, to be known from here on out as Mema (me-maw) and Pops, left early this morning. We'll miss them immensely and bid them come back anytime. Many thanks, for all the love and help you gave us this weekend.