The PAs in PA

Zach, Austin and I were blessed by a visit from the Pitigoi-Aron family this week! When we last lived in the same city, we were two childless couples with husbands in grad school (Zach at USC and Gruia at UCLA) and wives working in middle schools (Jamie as a counselor, me as a teacher). Now we live on opposite sides of the country and we have four children between us! Certainly much has changed in our lives but distance does not seem to matter much in this friendship. They are "Aunt Jamie" and "Uncle Gruia" to Austin and we are "Aunt Courtney" and "Uncle Zach" to their girls. While they were with us I never felt as if it had been two years since our last meeting.

It looks like Austin is trying to grab Brooklyn's face but I think really he was just grabbing for a toy. Sweet Sydney (in Jamie's lap) loved to entertain Austin with smiles and silly faces.

Lauren has no fear--I think she climbed to the top of every piece of playground equipment in town! On this particular day we were enjoying a picnic at Blue Spruce Park.

That's my Austin...smile at Mommy a zillion times a day but not when she is holding a camera. Brooklyn's smile is cute enough to make up for it, though.

Truly, this is a family I admire. A conversation with Jamie never fails to challenge me in my walk with the Lord, and I have gained much parenting wisdom from watching her and Gruia with the girls. PAs, you are welcome here anytime and I hope we can make it out to California soon as well!