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We had our first weekend visitors here at 1711 W. Fletcher St.! Our friends Kimberly, Steve, and Eliana took the train here from San Francisco on Friday and then flew out today to visit family on the East Coast. Remember this, West Coasters: we're the perfect stopover.

It was a lot of fun: a trip to play at the water park, a yummy grilled dinner, pizza and homemade ice cream (thanks to the Augusts' gift of an ice cream maker in the shape of a ball that the kids shake and roll to mix) out on the deck on a warm night. It was fun to experience the summer fun of Chicago through our friends' eyes - all the cafes with outdoor patios, running through the sprinklers on the sidewalks, and everyone out walking their babies around.

Although the whole weekend was memorable, a highlight for Baxter and me was the trip to the Shedd Aquarium - what a wonderful place! It has everything from a surprisingly educational dolphin show (Baxter's first animal show - what a thrill to be sitting next to him - he literally jumped out of his seat over and over) to the unforgettable Komodo Dragon exhibit. Others can find their own fascination; Baxter and I were most impressed with its venomous drool and the video clips of a herd of them mauling their prey. We shouted a delighted, "Eeewwww!!!" as we watched it multiple times. Anyway, this place was excellent - even the restaurant was lovely, with panoramic views of the Lake and baskets of Goldfish crackers instead of bread (wait - were we supposed to share those with the kids?) before the yummy food arrived.

One thing that was definitely striking about the weekend was that our place actually proved to be quite spacious. It was really easy to have another family here, which served as a reminder that we do have more than enough space for the four of us. And although I knew when we moved in that this house was a step up space-wise for us, I had gradually felt it shrink a bit after being at other houses in the area (particularly in the suburbs, where the houses are so much larger than the city). So it was startling at first to hear our friends sounding so amazed at how big this place is, but I know it's true. This is a nice big home in a city, especially for the price. And of course, it's more than sufficient.

But it was sad to say good-bye and it hit us rather suddenly today when their taxi pulled up. The last time I cried so hard was, well, when we said good-bye to them in San Francisco. It brought back those awful days of saying good-bye to all of the people we love and had so much fun with over the years in California. Baxter couldn't even say good-bye, just tried to hide in a book and pretend they weren't leaving. He went so far as to look out the living room window at their taxi and say, "I don't see a taxi. Actually, they aren't leaving at all. Ever." Once he saw me crying, though, his tears began. This boy needs to get some of those tears out these days. But that's another entry altogether.