Pablo pays a visit

My brother Paul had some business in Philly on Friday, and decided to extend his stay for a day or two and come see us. He and I are the closest in age at a little less than two years apart. We shared a room when we were little, and went through school together. Yet, he's the one that I get to see and visit with the least (living 1500 miles apart will do that). So this was a treat - for us, at least!

I picked him up at his hotel, and lucky for me, he had no interest in trying a cheesesteak. So, he humored me by making a detour at Shake Shack (I just can't quit their burgers with cherry peppers). We stuffed ourselves and continued on.

It was a pretty quiet, relaxing weekend filled with baseball watching and the Masters. But we snuck a little fun in there:

 You know he's trying to be a good uncle when he plays baseball with Marie...

We went to Central Market, which is the oldest publicly owned and continually operating market in the United States. It's located at the center of town, and is pretty fun to walk around.

You'd better bring your appetite to Market (yes, that's a capital), because it's all food, produce, and flowers. Okay, maybe a few little trinkets and other things.

And eat we did! They have amazing donuts. Paul and Kyle got the maple with bacon, which is surprisingly delicious. I was shocked that Kyle would try it, and like it. Paul declared it "the best donut" he's ever had. He could describe in detail why, but I'll spare you the details.

 

It was the most gorgeous, sunny day, which just added to the charm of walking around downtown.

 At one point, Marie asked Kevin to buy her a giant balloon on a stick. To which Kevin replied, "Nah, I'll just blow one up for you at home." All it took was one disgusted, sad look from Marie and grandpa was over there buying them each a balloon. And there you have it - the epitome of parents vs. grandparents!

 After Market, we hit up Kyle's soccer game, which we luckily won 6-0. So nice to be winning again! More on that later...

We also got to celebrate Ponch's birthday, with a few treats from the market. Everyone (except Kevin) loves this little dog. I'm pretty sure my kids would pick him over me.

In true Marie fashion, she crafted a little birthday crown for him. And as his gift to her, he actually kept it on for a moment!

 

We ended the night with some weed burning, wiffle ball, and a fire. Roasted peeps, anyone? Oh, and this just so happens to be the only semi-decent picture of Paul I have. He hates having his picture taken, and may have made some inappropriate gestures that deemed the others unusable. Oh well. Just one of the many things we love about him. Thanks for visiting, Pablo!