This weekend was pretty darn near perfect. We had been anxiously checking the weather forecast for the past week leading up to our neighborhood Easter egg hunt, and every day it looked like rain, rain, rain. Miraculously, we had sunshine all weekend long, up until late Sunday afternoon, just when we were completely tuckered out and needing an excuse to go indoors to rest.

On Saturday we made it out to breakfast, then to the Soulard Farmer’s Market. In the afternoon we attended our dear friends’ (and amazingly, next-door neighbors’!) little girl’s 5th birthday party and spent the entire afternoon outside enjoying the weather (and their little pond, which may or may not have a new moat thanks to our boys…) until we met again that evening when the ladies went over to yet another neighbor’s house to fill eggs for the hunt the following morning. The four of us sat and talked about everything, from the mundane to the heart wrenching, until late that night. All yawning, but not wanting the connection to end, we walked home in the dark, separating at the last second. I feel a sisterhood here that goes beyond friendly hello’s and waves from across the street. Now we have shared laughter and hard experiences, stories about miscarriage and family troubles, difficult situations at work, childbirth stories, postpartum depression and the complexities of adult friendships, each time revealing a bit more to each other, being vulnerable and thus, becoming closer. I truly love these women.

And the holiday! The ease with which it all went down was something of a miracle, especially since it was our first attempt as a neighborhood to do this. We all brought brunch items to share: chorizo potato hash with guacamole, sour cream, and melted sharp cheddar to be scooped up sloppily by tortilla chips… sweet and decadent sticky buns, fruit, dips, cupcakes, and more. All out there in the open, vulnerable to any rain drops that might surprise us.

But success! And happiness! The kids had a blast. It’s a really special thing, having the oldest kids in the neighborhood now. Our older boys take on the role of protector and expert, and over the past year I’ve seen a new tender side to Milo and Oliver, who hold hands and talk sweetly to the youngest members of the crew. One little girl in particular, who just turned two, adores Milo and follows him around wherever he goes. He adores her too, and it makes my heart ache seeing them together, just a little bit sad that that stage is behind us.

It is so wonderful to see this side of my rough and brave boys who could appear quite wild, to see them nurture and take their roles quite seriously. The mixed-age group a neighborhood full of kids can bring is a special thing indeed, and a learning experience for boys usually surrounded by kids older than they are during school hours.

I hope your weekend was wonderful, full of friendship or family and lots of love. I’ll be spending my day in jury duty, living off the fumes of the weekend, ha ha! Happy Monday!