Rehearsal Dinner: Andrew and Nicole

What an exciting month June has been for our family!! I can’t believe both of my younger siblings were married in two amazingly beautiful weddings. It was such a joy to be a part of such fun and exciting times. We’ve taken SO many photos this month, time to sit down a pick out some of my favorites to share!

Jesse, A, and I had a lot of fun at Andrew and Nicole’s rehearsal dinner. Mom and Dad did a great job putting that together!

IMG_0299IMG_0300

A told a friend of ours the other day that he got to “ring the bearer.” We were so proud of how well he followed directions to carry out his job.

IMG_0392

These two had practiced getting married and were ready for the real deal the next day.

IMG_0440

It meant a lot to me to have the opportunity to have both of my grandmothers in town at the same time!

IMG_0534IMG_0751

Dad shared a few words about what a fabulous addition Nicole is to our family and how much he has cherished his relationship with Andrew. Dinner was delicious and was followed by a game that brought a ton of laughs. It was like a version of The Newlywed Game with audience participation on who we thought would get the right answer.

IMG_0466IMG_0668IMG_0598IMG_0574IMG_0589

Fun night, fun couple!!

IMG_0507

How to Take a Family Picture

That moment when everyone is posing for a picture and Dad gets distracted and walks away in the middle of it…

12345678910111213141516

… and ready now!
final

Ohio Vacation

In the fall we had the opportunity to take a road trip to Grandma’s farm in Ohio. We have always loved visiting there, but it’s even so much more fun when we can bring A along. Actually, this trip was his idea! He remembered when we took him the year before and asked if we could go back again soon. How could we resist that request? We always love a reason to go see Grandma again!

IMG_5798

A did great on the long driving days, so much better than I expected. He was such a trooper! He had himself situated in the back seat with his pillow, stuffed animals, and his toys piled all around him. I would have felt claustrophobic, but he wanted everything within his reach.

When I was little my mom used to wrap up little entertainment items to surprise us with throughout the trip. I decided to give it a try… and it was a huge hit! He was beyond excited to unwrap his dollar store items each day. And they provided at least a few moments of quiet time.

IMG_5680IMG_5687

A loved the freedom he felt at the farm. He was able to run far enough to tire himself out over and over without us needing to be right near him like we do on our busy streets at home. It was the best!

IMG_6546

Another of A’s favorite activities was picking and eating apples. I lost count of how many he ate while we were there. The first one he picked I don’t think he really believed that I was going to let him eat food that he found… outside… on the ground. Once he realized it was okay there was no stopping him after that. Even on the night we made s’mores over the fire I had to get him to stop eating apples and come to eat marshmallows. He ate his “required” marshmallows and then asked to return to the apples. Crazy kid!

IMG_5927IMG_5988

Another highlight of our trip was going to the zoo with Jesse’s cousin and her girls. The Halloween – Boo at the Zoo event was extra fun when we got to pick candy at each exhibit. A loved that day! The girls were so sweet helping A to find the animals to look at every time we stepped up to a new window.

IMG_6209IMG_6195

But for A probably the very best part of the trip was the combine ride. We were just driving home one afternoon and came across two combines clearing a field and we stopped to watch for a few minutes. Then the owner of the farm saw us, and came over and offered to give A a ride! He thought it was the coolest thing ever!

IMG_6597IMG_6607IMG_6618IMG_6594

We also really enjoyed our hotel nights on our way driving up and back home. It was fun to have that special time with nothing to do except for hanging out with A. He thought the hotel’s free breakfast with so many choices was the best thing ever… he ate so much on those mornings!

IMG_6462IMG_6489

I can’t wait for our next vacation!