The Balestraccis Visit

This April we were lucky enough to get the Balestraccis out for a visit. This was a particularly special visit because it was the first time all the Balestracci boys got to meet Reese. Once they survived extended delays at O'Hare airport on their way to Lexington, we had a great time together. We start with a picture that will only represent the grandchildren of Jay and Taffy Bowes for another five months or so. Reese's stint as the youngest grandchild will be short-lived, but we don't think she'll mind because she'll be gaining a cousin in Colorado.



The four kids were enjoying the sunshine in the backyard, and the weather was a huge improvement over the previous day when we lasted all of twenty minutes at Keeneland because of the strong wind, cold temperatures, and persistent rain.

Neither wind, sleet, snow, rain, wind, or sunshine has any bearing on Callie's love for her cousins. Brendan has a special place in Callie's heart because he is willing to give her the attention she so desperately desires. It was pretty amazing to see how much they entertained each other over the course of the weekend.



Michael also took advantage of the visit to get to know Reese. Even though he is finishing up his eighth grade year and getting prepared for high school, Michael seemed to enjoy hanging out with a baby and a three and half year old. As a true high schooler to be, he was a man of few words. But he was so good with Callie and Reese, and Callie made sure he received his fair share of hugs, squeezes, and attention.

When you look at the picture below, compare the heights of the members of the Balestracci family. Who knows exactly when it happened, but Michael is now the tallest member of the family, even without the baseball hat. This picture, by the way, was taken in the beautiful gardens of Ashland, Henry Clay's estate just a few blocks away. If you visit us you can also walk there while getting a history lesson on Henry Clay from John whether you want it or not.



You can therefore prepare for your visit by taking long walks and reading up on both the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. We take our local history seriously in these parts.

The visit occurred the week before Easter, so we also had to take some time for decorating eggs. There was a lot of creativity at work around the table as we each had our own idea of what the perfect Easter egg should look like. To insure that we had enough eggs, we hard boiled two dozen. Although we had a lot of fun coloring them, we will be eating them for weeks. We'll have to keep that in mind for next year.


This was a picture we simply had to include. Chris is an amazing father and a terrific uncle. Just like he did with Callie when she was a baby, he enjoyed soothing Reese throughout the weekend and didn't let her crying intimidate him. And Callie enjoys Chris's silly side more and more each time they spend time together.


We have mentioned it a few times that Callie was born on Chris's birthday and Reese was born on Katie's birthday. But this recent visit provided us with the first opportunity to take a picture of the two cute birthday bandits and their hostages. Callie knows she has to keep a close eye on the shifty fella in the green vest. Reese is just wondering why the heck she's wearing a napkin on her face.



We cannot thank the Balestraccis enough for making the trip down to see us. We had a great time and it's crazy to think that we won't get to see the East Coast crew again until Christmas.