Time Away

I am still recovering from our trip and the time difference that is causing the kids to wake up between 4:30 and 5:30 every day. So, ee just got back from a 10-day visit with Brian's family in St. Louis. The kids were so excited to spend time with their cousins- all four of them! Austin is 16, Alyssa 14, Maverick is almost 13, and Kira 4. Sofia was more than thrilled to have time with Kira to play dress up and pretend to be mommies and babies. We had a nice time visiting, besides the stomach flu that hit all of us. That was not fun at all. I have never had the stomach flu, so I was a complete mess and was grateful that Brian had already been through it once it hit Sofia, Luca, and I so I was able to rest a ton. Sofia and Luca were up most of the night and were incredibly tired the next day. They even put themselves down for a nap which was a first. We soon recovered and returned to the lake to kayak and swim with all of the cousins. We also spent some time in the city of St. Louis with Brian's friend Jason, his wife and my friend, Toni and their darling two children, Cole and Sadie. We had lots of great family time and finde ourselves wishing we lived closer. We have so much in common with them and feel a deep connection. It was so great to have spent so much time with them. The place where we stayed was so serence and beautiful, nestled in the heart of a great neighborhood in St. Louis. I wish we had so more time to explore the streets lined with brick houses and tiny alleys. It truly is a beautiful town.
I am still tired and felt like I needed to blog. I think I might have more to say and reflect upon soon. For now, I wanted to share some pictures and a few thoughts :-).