Our home really is getting to be the place for drop-in visits while friends are traveling though St Louis. Today we were gifted with a couple hours with the Millers! Bethany and I finally met–(we’ve been acquainted virtually for some time, but we couldn’t go to Keith and Bethany’s wedding because Tommy had just been born)–and it was so fun to introduce our kiddos to each other. Evangeline is a sweet, smiley baby (and is on the short list of future wives for Tommy….I used to have his marriage all arranged, but then Derek said I shouldn’t be such a controlling Mommy…so now I’m giving him a few options, all daughters of our dear friends, of course!). Tommy did his shy man act, but he was intrigued by E’s toes! =)
It’s amazing how Hillsdale friendships always seem to pick right back where they were before, even after months or years! With three lawyers at the table, conversation was lively. I just hope our next time together can be a bit longer–maybe we can pass through SoCal for a few hours sometime in the next year…
Today Tommy attended his very first parade with pals Ty and Maia! We went down with our Kingdom Group to see the St Charles parade. It wasn’t as amazing as Columbia’s parades, but we had a blast! Highlights of the day included cute photo shoot attempts (attempt being the operative word when three active kiddos are involved), getting candy from veterans and stickers from candidates (and not seeing a single Obama sign–not surprising at a patriotic event like this…is that too mean?), Tommy’s first flag, and picnicking back at the Seilback’s. 
Well, Clare and I hadn’t had quite as terrible a separation as Edward and Elinor, but it had been over two years since we’d seen each other. In fact, I’d just found out that Tommy was on the way when we had our last reunion in Edina! I’m sure we spent the three hours we had together talking just as hard as any pair of bosom friends might…but oh, how much more I miss my jolly college chum now that the long-anticipated visit is over!
The Bullard women swept into town this morning, impressed with my clear directions to our house. (Hey, it IS easy to find–just two months left to visit for those who haven’t seen for themselves!) After three hours hard talking and laughing, I completely undermined all my navigational reputation by failing to find how to park a car by the Arch. I figured it’s the easiest landmark for people to find downtown, and I’ve been there many times. I just must never have driven there myself or parked. We had to pull into an illegal spot on a side street for Derek to snap a quick photo of us before Clare ran off to find her waiting family. This was a particularly low blow to two such photo-shoot-loving girls, but at least you can see a bit of the Arch in the background. (If you really want to see Clare’s and my photo shoots in all their glory, check out old facebook photo albums of any of my Mauck crew–our Backstreet Girls appearance may have been our finest hour, but we do good glam girl, too…)
Today was a perfect day to visit Grant’s Farm! After being seriously underwhelmed by the Anheiser Busch tour a few weeks ago (the highlight, I guess, is the free samples at the end… obviously not a big deal for the three of us), we were hopeful that this would be a better adventure. It was! With Derek’s parents in for the weekend, Tommy had four adults watching his every move (probably about the right adult-child ratio, judging from the behavior of most children at the park)…
Tommy actually paid attention to some of the animals this time, a big improvement from last time Grandma and Grandpa Muller visited and took him to the zoo. He liked riding in the little trolley, but he didn’t seem to notice any of the animals we saw on the way. He needed to be closer.
Tommy and Derek bravely fed the baby goats, some of which were trying to eat Derek’s shorts! I guess that was a good preparation for the camel, who scared both of us by trying to find food in Tommy’s little hand! Grant’s Farm goes on the list of St Louis places we’ll come back to someday.