we were looking forward to getting a visit from the werner’s and the smith’s!

hc decided to slow cook pork for dinner. he said it was a bold move since he had invited his two friends who were bbq connoisseurs. chaz stems from kansas city {bbq capital!} and dave is an official bbq judge {as well as hc}. so, slow cooking some pulled pork was of high importance!

the werner’s were the first to arrive, of course hc gave them the official tour. about an hour later, the smith’s came by and hc did it all over again. oh, don’t get me wrong…he loves it!

[checking out the house]

so, hc has known dave since they were kids {28 years of friendship!}. they became friends through their church. dave was one of our groomsmen in our wedding! carrie and dave were college sweethearts, got married, three girls and a dog later, they now live up north.

hc met chaz through his former company, arrowstream. they have maintained a close friendship for years. chaz was one of our ushers in our wedding! chaz and courtney are college sweethearts as well! three kids later, they now live a bit southwest of us.

chaz and court brought their nephew {from kansas city}, bradner, to our house as well. what a sweet, sweet guy! he was so polite and well mannered…and so smart! he is starting his second year at darmouth! he was a joy to talk to…i found out he is fluent in french and is currently studying spanish. we loved having him over!

[dana, carrie, maggie, courtney, lexi, cameron, me, and olive]

[with his bestie dave]

[bradner, chaz, dominick, and dana]

we chitchatted, the kids played in the backyard, there were plenty of libations being distributed, and lots of connecting about current life happenings. we finally plated our dinner…i was super stoked to pile a delicious feast onto my plate. hc’s signature vegetables and pulled pork were a hit! we sat down and had a very relaxing dinner all together.

[pulled pork, sauteed cauliflower & brussel sprouts, and coleslaw]

[dana, lexi, dominick, and maggie]

after our meal, we all scattered a bit to do our thing. i cleaned up the kitchen and the boys went outside, the moms doted and checked up on the kids, and we then assembled outside on our patio {um, actual patio furniture will be next year 🙂 after chilling for a bit, it was time for dessert! yum. hc had bought the decadent tres leches cake from our local grocery store. it’s so stinkin’ perfect.

[the gang]

once we wrapped up dessert, i then needed to feed miss olive her solids. i started to feed the little one when maggie sat down next to us. i asked her if she wanted to feed miss o and she was all for it, she was very excited! she did such a great job with o…she made funs sounds, cleaned her lips after each spoonful, and entertained her while she fed her!

[maggie doing a great job feeding olive]

[soooo, dave and rich stood on the hearth so they could be as tall as chaz]

we continued the fun throughout the evening but alas, they had to go due to having the little ones with them {darn that early bedtime??}. we were so happy to have had them over. it was truly a great night. there are never enough of these types of moments. hc and i are so blessed to have such amazing friends. we are so thankful for so many wonderful people in our lives like the werner’s and the smith’s.

xoxo