JRfT Comes for a Visit!

While we were in Germany and head of the youth group at our church, there was a family there that was very special to us.  The Trees family is in the top 5 things we miss about living in Duesseldorf.  That said, we must have made an impression on them as well...Joanna (Joey, or JRfT) came to visit us for 10 days in February.  It was an amazing time with her, and we would love for her to come again and bring brothers Josh and Jethro. :)

I am a total slacker and took zero pictures while she was here.  Luckily, she took several and here are the highlights:

Her first day here, I thought we'd just relax, hang around Evanston for a bit while JT got over her jet lag.  Well, it was also Z's day off from school, and I usually let him choose what he wants to do, and he chose the zoo.  Yes, both Z & W went to the zoo in their jammies.

Can't come to Chicago and not get Chicago-style pizza!

I took Joanna to Bennisons (high end bakery) while Wyatt was a his swim & gym class, and we came back to the Y to drink our coffee and eat our red velvet cake donuts!  DELISH

Mommy reading to the boys

Joey taking Yannick downstairs to play with Buster so I could get dinner ready

Joanna went sledding on the last snow day of the year with Art and the boys.

crazy panoramic shot of our upstairs after dinner: Art/Shayna laying on the floor playing with Yannick, Wyatt in the fridge putting his cup away

The McF family lived in Germany for a time and knew Joey from IBCD.  While she was here, we invited them to come down and spend the night with us to visit w/ Joanna.  The dad, one son, and an exchange student (oddly, the brother of JT's bro-in-law) came for the night.  Art took them downtown CHI for a tour while I stayed home with the maniacs....uhh boys.  Here they are at the S. Blvd el stop.

Joey being crazy at the el stop

Art giving his guided tour

Everyone at The Bean (officially: cloudgate)

I made some heart shaped pink pancakes for J for breakfast

Wyatt finishing up b'fast and Z playing chess

Wyatt helping mommy vacuum. 

Art making sure the baby stays happy

Frank Lloyd Wright House tour.  We got a sitter for Nick and Wyatt and Art took the day off work.

No pics allowed inside of the house, but the outer was ok

We met OUR Joanna and her roommate Connie for lunch, since we were across the street from Booth.  The 3 of us (me, Art, JT) got taco salad bowl.  Joey thought it was very cool to be able to eat your bowl.

Part of Univ of Chicago.  As Joanna Frazier says "where fun goes to die"

Us signing postcards for Jemima and Josh bf Joey mailed them.

Joey and I took the boys, minus Zach, on a little tour of the Ba'hai temple.

We got a sitter and went to Pinstripes for the $2 burger night.  I went into some sort of functional coma b/c I bowled the WORST EVER.  First game, lost by 1 point to Art, with a low 128, then the next game was so low that I can't honestly type about it.

Me happy bf I started losing.

Joanna happy to be out on the town

Standard bowling shot for JRfT

See...something was majory awry!

Let Z skip school and took all 3 boys plus JT to the children's museum.  Wyatt's favorite part, the water room

Zachary also enjoying the water room.  YES, they BOTH are AGAIN wearing their PJs out.

Little Nick chilling in the infant area

Percussion for all

My little drummer in his star wars jammies

Zachary rocking out to some classical wearing his spiderman jammies

Cutie Wyatt in the music room

Oops, sideways!  Too tired to fix it.  Zachary rabbit, Shayna donkey (?) and little puppy Nick

Yannick would rather chew on the puppy face than pose in it

Cutest kitten ever! :)

Finally, a 5 point car seat for adults!

The next day, Joanna had to leave us.  She was in the USA for 10 days.  Spent one night in Naperville w/ an old InsideOut leader, before our time.  When she and her boyfriend came to drop JT off at our place, we took them all out to dinner at a yummy burger place.

It was a wonderful visit, and I hope that we will be able to see her next year, possibly in Duesseldorf!

No wait, I DID take one picture:

Joey reading to Yannick