Three Musketeers: Zachary, Wyatt, & Yannick: Aunt Joy Visits!!

Yea! Aunt Joy came to visit for a bit of family togetherness and some R&R!

I was super warm last week, and we were expecting more warm weather for Aunt Joy, but NOOOO, a big cold front came through (thanks Chicago!) leaving Joy's summer clothes lacking! Poor her, she had to borrow sweats from us!

She arrived late Friday afternoon and met up with Joanna. Art and I waited for the sitters and drove downtown to meet them at a Korean BBQ restaurant. YUM!! It was so so cold in there though, and we had to take our shoes off. But worth it!

Art Shayna ready to EAT!

All 4 of us enjoying appetizers - notice everyone still has their coats on.

Joy and Joanna preparing for some good meat

After dinner we bid Joanna good night and took Joy back with us to Evanston. On the way home, Joy gave me my present- my beloved Doubletree cookies!! Oh Joy you are too good to me!! Dropped Joy off and said goodbye to the sitters. Successful fun evening!

Saturday started early as most days do. I held the boys off from waking Aunt Joy until 8am...and that was tough for them! Then just a regular Counts saturday. Lazy breakfast, visit to Ms. Beanie, lunch, nap for the boys and Aunt Joy (playing is tough business!). After naps for all, Joy made cupcakes for the boys to decorate later. She wanted to celebrate the boys' bdays early and give them some presents. We wanted to celebrate her birthday as well and decorated her chair. Here is the proof of fun brownie decorating:

Wyatt decorating

W icing face

Wyatt lovely icing smile

Wyatt licking a knife?? Good idea??

Wyatt, how did Mommy not steal that knife

Zachary decorating cupcake

Icing face

Zachary icing face

Aunt Joy with her two oldest nephews, all happily sugared up

While I worked on getting dinner ready, DaU and Joy worked on turning the playroom into a giant obstacle course. I went down to watch during the last few minutes before dinner.

Yannick and I watching the big boys run their obstacle course

after jumping off couches, slam into Buster, knocking him over

Roll over the cushions, crawl under the pillow

Zachary doing a forward roll

Z watching as W jumps off the couch and heads for Buster

Dinner time! We all just get through Asian chicken noodles so we can enjoy the cupcakes Aunt Joy made with the big boys. Happy Birthday to Aunt Joy, Zachary, and Wyatt all coming up...plus a happy 1st bday belated to Nick.

Getting ready for birthday dinner

Singing Happy Brithday

Yannick getting the Heimlich or being jollied out of a temper tantrum?

Boys opened their presents - superhero jammies for the big boys (Batman for Zachary and Spiderman for Wyatt), and an Avengers shirt for Nick. All so cute. Because it is still so cold here, the boys could only wear their jammie shirts, and not the shorts.

Good superhero poses

And one more turn with the rocker walker for Yannick before bed

Sunday

View from Aunt Joy's bed as she is awakened by her nephews!

Sunday - off to church - the boys wore their superhero jammie shirts under their sport coats for church. Art rode his bike so Joy could ride with us . After church I had to run to the store for supplies for tonight's Ethos meeting. Joy waited in the car with the boys. Apparently they listened to a lot of music and also, threw paper airplanes around!

Action shot of the airplane

Wyatt getting ready to launch his airplane

Zachary being a good big brother and helping Nick with his milk.

After lunch, Joy and the boys made jello jigglers before their naps.

I am not sure the boys had ever had jello jigglers before, and I can say they were not thrilled with the taste, but they enjoyed the craft time. Aunt Joy is always fun for a food craft.

Aunt Juicenana came by as well, and we all sat down to chat while the boys napped. Zach's one-hour nap time goes by pretty quickly when you are just chatting. After naps, it was crazy in the basement time with Aunt Joy who attempted several times to get some pics with her nephews who can't be bothered with looking good for pictures

Some good attempts, and WOW what a mess!

Not to be forgotten:

Yannick dressing up for the occassion.

Sadly it was then time to take both Joanna back to her apartment, and Joy back to the airport, leaving Art in charge of getting all of them to bible study.

Joanna, always exhausted with her MBA studies/social life catches catnaps whenever possible...like in the car