A Divine Devine Weekend

Last weekend, Jillian played hostess to one of my very favorite families--the Devines! Mike, Pat, Andy, Clare, Steven, Anna, and Adelaide made the big 8 hour trek from Columbia to Rochester on Friday night to meet Jilly Bean. We've known the Devines for several years, as I worked with Pat for a bit at good old Boone Hospital, and they also happened to live just around the corner from us. Pat is like a big sister to me, and I enjoyed many years loving on all those children, attending their family birthday dinners, walking with Pat in the evenings, and just hanging out at their house. If you have ever asked me to share a recipe with you, it probably originally came from Pat. In fact, Pat arrived bearing a delicious sour cream chocolate cake in honor of my upcoming birthday (and a couple of Shakespeare's Pizzas on ice--hooray!!) and it was fabulous as usual.
The Devines arrived Friday night after Jillian was in bed, so you can imagine her surprise when she woke to find these five playmates at her house!

She was beyond delighted and soaked up all the attention for sure. Anna was the first to rise each morning to help me by playing with Jillian while I prepared her breakfast. Clare, at the ripe old age of almost 11, is a baby pro and she skillfully put Jillian to bed Saturday and Sunday night. Sweet Adelaide was most interested in "petting" Jillian, and didn't even mind when Jillian (forcefully) pulled her hair. Steven thought she was pretty active and commented on her busyness quite often, while Andy smothered her with kisses and told her how cute she was. I am pretty sure they all liked her :) We had a busy, full weekend that included a trip to the Mall of America (with about a million other people in attendance!) and an afternoon at the Rochester Athletic Club Neighborhood. We had a great time and certainly missed Daddy being here to enjoy the fun. Thanks, Devines, for making the trip--what a treat! We love you all!

At the MOA--Devine children plus me and Jilly Bean (who obviously was distracted by the surroundings)


Adelaide and Jillian were all smiles


Playing at the RAC with Anna...


Jillian even got to "test drive" a car!


Jillian poses as an honorary Devine


The Devines thought Jillian was "so big"!