It's a Big Day!

Everyone was up early this morning to make sure Nathan didn't miss his bus (it comes at 7:24 am). Today was the 1st day of Kindergarten and he was super excited to wear his new shoes and take his new backpack to school.

Nathan boarded the bus like a pro, while the three of us were left tearing up. Andrew ---- because he did not get to ride the bus even though he brought his Elmo backpack to the bus stop. Dan and me --- because we are parents of a kindergartener! How is that possible?!?!?!

It's a Mermaid Party

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Emilia's 4th birthday with a super fun Mermaid party at the Cub Run Recreation Center Pool. The day of the party was one of those 100+ degree days, so it was really nice to be able to swim indoors. The kids had a blast splashing around in the pool and Nathan loved going down the big water slides for the 1st time.

For dessert, we enjoyed some delicious "sand". Super cute!

The kids had a really great time celebrating Mermaid style!

Food, Friends & Fun

So... the last few weeks of July and early August were EXTREMELY hot. We had many days with temperatures near or over 100 degrees and with heat indexes even higher. It's been crazy. Well on one of those extremely hot days, we had plans to enjoy an outdoor concert at Tarara Winery to celebrate our friend, Eric's birthday. Despite the heat, we all gathered early for the big surprise entrance.
And here comes the birthday boy and his wife, SURPRISE!!!

Despite sweating off a couple of pounds, it was a fabulous evening spending time with friends (and without kids too!) What a special treat!

Finally.... The Big Day

Wedding bells are warming up. Ryan and Dan are dressed on time (okay, maybe 5 minutes late) and head over to pick up the groom for his big day.
When Mindy and I arrive, the room is beautifully decorated and everything is ready for the guests to arrive.

At last, everyone is seated, the bride makes her way down the aisle and Chad and Crissi exchange their vows in a short but sweet ceremony (and the priest is hilarious and cracks quite a few jokes).

After the ceremony, the chairs are whisked out of the way and the celebrating begins.

Here's a couple of photos of Dan and I goofing around taking prom-like photos.

Here are some more standard photos of the reception events.... Dan's parents and his aunts and uncles.

The bride and her maid of honor....

Chad and his mom dancing.....

The best man's toast.....

The cake cutting....

Some dancing.....

Me and my sister-in-laws, Crissi and Mindy .....

Rehearsal Dinner

At long last, the wedding weekend arrived. The weather on Friday evening for the rehearsal dinner was MAGNIFICIENT (especially considering that it was mid-July in Northern Virginia)!! It was not humid at all and the temperature was perfect for an evening outside. The Vaughan's hosted the rehearsal dinner for Chad & Crissi under a tent in their yard. The cousins enjoyed dinner at their own private table on the pool deck and were attended to by 2 babysitters so we could mingle with the guests. What a treat!

Some of the neighbors arrived in style!

It was fun to catch up with some family that we have not seen in a long time.

And it was nice to see Chad & Crissi having fun with members of their bridal parties.

Oh, and did I mention the babysitters?? Here's a picture of them with the kids. It was awesome having the extra help.

At the end of the evening, the fathers of the bride and groom presented a very special narrated slide show. The slide show included lots of pictures of Chad & Crissi growing up and fun tidbits about how they met and what they like to do.

It truly was a great evening!