The Wedding

Well, let's see if I can sum up the weekend in a reasonable amount of words....yeah, right;) There is so much to say (to quote one of my favorite songwriters:) but I'll just do some quick thoughts...

It was so fun to start the weekend on Thursday, getting pedicures in La Crosse with Kylie, Kelsey, Mary and Mom! I stole Mom for the ride home and I'm sure she wished she was in the other car...Collin cried and cried, there were detours, ugh. These days, my car rides are either wonderful or horrible. It is one of the most frustrating things - ever. To be driving and hear your child cry. But, we made it in one piece and headed to Mom and Dad's to see Tony!

Collin loved coming along for pedicures:)

 Since some friends of Tony and Tara's were staying at Mom and Dads Thursday night, the kids and I were privileged to stay at Andy's for the night! Kate was super excited and after Kylie told her that he had brought some toys there for her...she couldn't wait! It was pretty special for her and I'm thinking she will request going there in the future.

Sleeping at Uncle Andy's

Thursday night was the BBQ at Huinker's and we were excited to see everyone and let the kids run around. It was perfect out and they have a really lovely home. It didn't take Kate long to jump in the mix with Max, Mya, Ivy, Olivia and Grace:) She had told me she wasn't going to play with Max, just the girls, but then proceeded to hang very closely with Max the whole night! Collin did pretty good, though I struggled to get him to sleep with all the commotion. I wish he was at the point I could just put him down when sleepy and he would go to sleep. Not yet. But hopefully we get there soon.

A great party!

The kids were obsessed with gathering apples

The girls!

Friday morning it was time for the guys to golf and the gals to decorate the barn. Dave had to be on call Thursday (and then until 7 a.m. on Friday) so he was driving down to meet the guys at Oneota. Though I didn't think I would be much help (with kids in tow) I wanted to be at the barn to assist in decorating. Luckily, the Huinker-Hoden clan had a couple babysitters and allowed Kate to join them and so I dropped her off and headed to the barn with Collin! (side trip to drive-thru coffee...:) I wasn't much help with Collin there, but it was fun to see the barn transform and see the decorations for the first time! It was a gorgeous day and after eating some sandwiches on the patio we headed home. 

Rehearsal - It was so gorgeous at the venue (DeNovo Barn) and I am kicking myself for not taking a million more pictures. Rehearsal went well, though I had to step away and take care of Collin midway through. We then headed to the Hotel Winn and watched as our kiddos ran around and played (constantly picking each other up ??! :) and we ate. Good food, great company, Beth and Chris made a photo slideshow that was super sweet and I ended up tearing up! I didn't think I would, but as soon as I saw the first picture of baby Tony, I was grabbing my napkin! We were just, the best of friends and enemies as children, always together and having so much fun. There were fights, but it (usually) was brief and we were back playing together again immediately. He really is and always will be my "little" brother and best friend of many, many years.

The amazing venue - DeNovo Barn

Kate with her Uncle Andy

The girls

The happy couple!

Saturday morning came early (of course the kids slept great that night, but I had to get up and let them all sleep in!) However, it was just Mom and I driving down to the salon and I relished the time by ourselves. Oh - so, it was just as we got in the car that I felt a raindrop. The clouds looked dark. The forecast said no chance of rain. Ridiculous. Now, I knew everyone would be nervous and worried, and I wanted to be a positive view for them, but I also just had this gut feeling that it would be fine. Even when the forecast changed to rain up until the ceremony and when the radar showed the rain staying put....I just knew. So, as all the girls were conversing and getting their hair done and drinking coffee (BIG thank you to Mary Kruse!) I was in a great mood, how fun - we are getting ready for the wedding! I liked my hair and the gals who work there were fun. We were telling Tara all would be well though I could tell we weren't doing well at convincing her:)

When it was time for Tara to get dressed - she, Beth and the photographer went upstairs to take pictures. I snuck up the stairs to peak, I hadn't seen the dress yet and I was taking any opportunity to witness these special moments! Everything was just so gorgeous, the dress, Tara, watching her sister help her into it...I don't have a sister, well a "blood" one anyway, and Beth and Tara's relationship makes me think I missed out on a LOT. I can't tell you how precious it is and I am so happy that they have each other. I felt honored to just be a bystander and then actually got to help and cut the hanger string things out of her dress:) 

Well, then Tara said, "Oh, there's Tony." We look out the window and both of my brothers got out of the car. One in a tux and one in uniform. I had to look away cuz I was tearing up. Again. I didn't know he was going to be in uniform. I had hoped, but I know he hates doing it and getting all the attention, so I had forgotten about it. Truly. As they both walked down the road to the barn, I just smiled and cried a little. Then, Tony starts looking in the windows and I had to wave him off and shake my head. Moment over:) I went outside to say hi and give him a hug. I said Tara was inside and he couldn't go there, so we went into the barn. They were setting up and for awhile it was just me and my brothers. I am SO happy we had that little time. Just a little chit chat, me admiring them and me getting to put on Andy's bowtie. I then saw Chris and Brian walking down the road and stopped them from going in the schoolhouse too, asked them to keep my brothers company until we were ready for pictures. I hopped over to the schoolhouse to finish getting ready. 

We took pictures, enjoyed the cooler weather! wrangled adorable kids and watched guests arrive by trolley and shuttle. It was fun to be together, get great memories on film and then.....we started getting nervous! Pastor popped into the schoolhouse and gave us the T-minus 10 minutes call and I noticed many people starting to say they had butterflies. I was doing well, and was distracted by making sure both kids were ready for Grandpa to take them down the aisle, but once they were gone and we were lining up...Kylie and I were almost shaking! It was so funny, all we have to do is walk down the aisle. With our partners, no less, not even some guy we don't know! Of course, we did walk and stand up and watch as Tony and Tara were married. I tried really hard and didn't cry much during the ceremony. Though they surprised the parents with a song, "Borning Cry" and the readings were a surprise too and I had to stare off over the hills and not think about them too much to keep it together. Thank you Beth for giving me a kleenex for the super cool pockets in our dresses! I needed it! 

After we processed out, it was party time! A special thank you to Ron and Bobbi for the whole weekend! Collin did great during the ceremony and Ron and Bobbi both were so awesome with the kids. I fed Collin right away and then went to the barn to start relaxing! It was so wonderful, Tara has the best taste and everything was gorgeous, smart and thoughtful. I felt like I got to chat with a lot of people and then we sat at the beautiful head table and were served a super yummy meal. Toasts. The toasts were amazing. Both Dads spoke and did great. Then Andrew, and I wasn't nervous for him, but I just had no idea what he would say. He blew everyone away. He was funny, he was genuine, he was brief and he was just a little emotional. Dave and I were grabbing our napkins once again. Then it was Beth's turn. I knew she was nervous, so I was eager to hear her speech but then eager for it to be done too! Her speech was awesome. Well-written and from the heart. I'm sure Tony and Tara were so incredibly moved and touched by everyone. 

It was a great dance, I missed some parts when I was feeding Collin or trying to round up the kids' things for the evening. Kate of course, did not want to go, but Gpa and Gma Lenninger were troopers and took them back to go to bed. The other kids stayed later and for awhile, I was sad that Kate was gone - I didn't get to see her dance. But it was best to get them home:( We stayed until the end but it wasn't an outrageously late night. We're too old to be truly ridiculous anymore:) 

The next morning we had brunch at Mom and Dad's, thank you to Dave who got up and helped a lot. The kids were up a bit more overnight and I was also feeling all the "fun" I had the night before:) The brunch was very yummy and it was a nice way to see everyone again and make sure we all said our "see you laters." After thinking about it, I decided I didn't want to go home on Sunday! As Tony and Tara were leaving, we realized we weren't sure when we would see them again in the near future and they said they would stop by on Monday. Dave and I drove separately to Iowa, we would have to go separately back and he had to be on call Monday. I was also really craving some relaxing time at Mom and Dad's, one of my favorite places in the world is on their porch and on their deck. I wanted to just sit there and relax. So, we stayed. I hated that Dave had to go, again, we were apart, but he understood. 

It was lovely to have Monday as a "buffer" day. We got to ease out of the wedding weekend a bit and we did get to see Tony and Tara (and Roger and Pat, Andrew and Kylie:) I drove home later and got home late, but Dave was there to help with bedtimes and unpacking. It really was nice to be home and in our own beds. It also helps that Mom, Dad, Andrew and Kylie are going to come up this coming weekend to do some relaxing. Everyone really needs some time to just float in the water and rest. So, we will do our annual family vacation, with maybe a FaceTime call to Tony and Tara. 

Me and my little brothers

Tara playing with Collin

What a phenomenal weekend!

Fantastically Full Weekend!

Well, anyone who may read this is probably already aware we hosted a big weekend recently - a July 4th party, the immediate Brown family on July 5 and on the 6th, the Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties for my brother, Tony, and his fiance, Tara! I had a lot of anticipation for this long weekend and of course, had many ideas and hopes for the house and hosting, most of which went out the window the first guest arrived on July 4th:) Oh well, people aren't visiting here to see how well my floors shine. At least I hope not. 

We had a great time on July 4th with some college friends and Mauston friends coming up and grilling a great meal. My only complaint/observation was that we spent most of it inside! Food was being made in the kitchen and the bugs were more prevalent than we would like. And, it was hot, so we couldn't have the windows open, bummer to spend much of the day indoors, but it was great to catch up with friends! Later that night, someone in our neighborhood lit a pretty good show of fireworks over our pond, not exactly allowed, but Kate got to sit on the couch in the loft and watch them...kind of perfect. I kept telling her the show was over and it was time for bed and then another couple would explode and she would start telling us how much she loved watching fireworks...okay, we gave in:) We told her it was America's birthday and she really got it - all day it was Happy Birthday, America! She also wanted to wear her "July outfit" the next day as well:) 

Coloring with Andrew H.

Happy Birthday, America!

I was so excited for Friday, my family was coming! The older I get, the more I need them. Is that backward? Maybe the older I get the more I enjoy them, I don't know. And it has nothing to do with the help I get watching the kids......:) They ended up meeting us at a car dealer as my van was making noise, luckily it was on their way to our place and luckily there was no big fix for the van! 

After my siblings + partners arrived, we chatted and then hit the pool/boat. Collin was fussing and I was kind of nervous about the evening, but once we got going on the boat, he fell asleep - one of the reasons I like boating:) It was really choppy on the water with the wind and all the holiday boat traffic, so we pulled up to a beach. Kate played in the sand/water with Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa while the rest of us sat on the boat and hung out. Lots of fun, but we didn't bring drinks or snacks (I tried telling people!!!) so we went back and grilled up food outside. We made it an early night (cut the Shanghai game short) so that we would be rested for the next day (my children did not get the memo). 

Playing at the pool...

I did not have the kids packed up for their night at the hotel with Gma and Gpa, so I spent the morning running around trying to get everything they needed. Tara's siblings + spouses arrived and the Bach fun began! Gma and Gpa took the kids to Tomah to stay at a hotel and though I knew it would be fine, Collin does not take a bottle well. At all. So, that was my only worry. I also knew he would probably be up in the night, but I knew they could handle one night of that! I hope they are getting rested up for this coming weekend:)

After our kiddos left, I felt relieved and was ready to have fun! (note - the only time I got...anxious or felt weird was when we were in the house. It just didn't feel right to not have them there, I kept thinking I forgot them both somewhere! Thankfully, it was just 24 hours:) We packed up some coolers, changed clothes and headed to the boat. It was ten adults + our stuff, so it was a full boat for sure. The weather was great, a little windy and there were a LOT of boats out on the lake. Honestly, I am super nervous when it is like that out there. Maybe we are just spoiled and do most of our boating on a much calmer, quieter lake, but I was definitely channeling my Grandma Elsie with my worrying:) 

We anchored over an island called Devil's Island (Alcatraz) and it was a blast! We spent the afternoon talking, singing, in the water and out, visiting with each other....it was awesome. As Beth said later, it is so unique to have a wedding party that is all family and even better we genuinely get along and have fun together! In fact, I think we all wish we could spend even more time together, and hopefully we will. 

At one point, some of us motored over to get some more ice and beer, when we got back, there was a brief search for our screw-anchor thing, but I believe Tony found it - way to go Marine! :) We then tubed, jumped off the island into the water and skied a bit. Cliff jumping had really sobered everyone up :) and the area of the lake we were on was super busy so skiing was very tricky. We decided to go home and clean up for dinner.

There was some napping, some bags games and some showering. The girls grabbed some time and gave Tara a gift (official Bachelorette type stuff:) ..then we loaded up the boat again for a quick ride to a new restaurant on the water. The service left something to be desired but I hope everyone enjoyed their food, we like the food there. It was great to talk and visit some more, how did we luck out with all these great people? I have to mention though, half of the table was feeling dizzy and weird, we finally figured out that the choppy water all day left us feeling like we were still on the boat! It felt like the restaurant was moving. I was getting very nervous that we were all getting sick from something, but luckily it eased up eventually. 

It wasn't overly late (for a Bach party) when we got back, but we were exhausted! The girls changed for bed and then just chatted up in the loft for awhile and then went to bed:) The boys went out and had a fire and had some guy time:) The most surreal thing about the day was the fact that I had no children in the house. When I went to bed, there was no hoping for a full nights rest....I would definitely be able to stay in bed until morning. I couldn't even comprehend it. It was hard though, I wanted to go to bed early in order to "soak" it up! But I wanted to stay up if others were up, I think I went to bed at 1 a.m. We all slept in the next day, so I did enjoy a whole night spent in bed - yay! 

The next morning, we had breakfast (a special thank you to Beth, Amanda, Kylie and Mom for bringing so much wonderful food!) and then a friend of ours come take some pictures to commemorate the weekend. Note - the bride and groom do not like getting pictures taken so I am anxious to see how Saturday goes! Ha. I realized later that we did not get a picture of my and my "little" brothers...what?! I need to make these things happen. Sorry bros, but this coming weekend, we are getting some pictures taken. Just sayin'. 

People hit the road soon after as it is a rather busy week;) The kids came back in one piece - ha! I mean Gma and Gpa came back in one piece (bigger victory). They had a great time. Collin did give them a taste of my recent middle-of-the-night-blues, but they all survived. To recover, we napped and Kate and I headed to the pool to relax a bit. Floating in the water was exactly what I needed and felt so good in the heat. It was also some quality Kate & Mommy time which I am trying to find more of. 

Collin and Daddy after the company left:)

What a whirlwind weekend, but it all went great and we had a blast! We truly do invite any of these awesome couples/families to come up again, that is one of the reasons we got this place, for people to visit and enjoy! 

My mission for the week is to clean up the house a bit and get the family ready for the weekend! The kids and I will be heading to Decorah on Thursday and Dave will join us on Friday. I am very excited and just a little paranoid I'm going to forget something we need. 

Collin update: He discovered his toes last week, right around the weekend seemed super determined to roll from back to tummy and yesterday morning he finally did! In his crib after a horrible night of being up and fussy. Last night he slept all the way through (this happened last time too, his sleep seems disrupted before he does a milestone) and this morning I saw he was awake on the monitor, by the time I got upstairs - he had rolled onto his tummy! Whoa! 

We also gave him frozen banana a little while ago, yesterday we mushed it up and fed him by spoon, he loved it! I did rice cereal two days ago and he loved that too! So far, he is a good eater. I am going to stop for awhile with those two foods, let him adjust.

I think about half of it made it to his mouth:)

First time in the high chair!

Kate update: I honestly think we may be easing out of some terrible three stuff we hit just before her last birthday. Mom said she was an angel for them over the weekend and I think we are having fewer battles. She is very proud to do the right thing and do what we ask "right away." Her potty accidents have decreased a ton as well. 

Right now, she loves to do "dance shows." She will make you sit down and watch her on "the stage." During July 4th, she did a show for us all in the sunroom, but when everyone sat down to watch, she got shy:) Daddy needed to dance with her:) and then he lifts her and she does these crazy lifts like a real ballerina! She watches a Barbie movie about pink shoes or ballerinas and I swear she is doing the exact routine that they do on the movie. It is crazy. While Tony was here, I didn't get much quality time with him, Kate was latched to him and they were always off doing something:) They also did a lot of dancing. So cute. 

Okay, seriously, this post is a million paragraphs long. Time to get packed up for the wedding!! Expect an even longer post next week:)

Family & Friends!

After our whirlwind Iowa City tour, we drove back to our place with Dave's folks, Ron and Bobbi, following! It was a beautiful day and we ended up taking a different route than we normally take. Due to road construction earlier this year, Dave had found an alternate route and said it was very scenic (so is the normal one:) and so we veered off our beaten path. I drove and that was just a little frustrating as I wanted to look around more than you should when driving! 

We stopped for ice cream, drove through the many, many hills and saw some incredible flood damage. A nice bonus was that we hit the road in time to enjoy the evening once we got to our house. We got some pizza and sat on the front porch and enjoyed the weather! 

Grandma and the kiddos!

Grandpa talking with Collin

Dave still had to work - bummer, but luckily he was home pretty early each day to hang out and have fun. I always enjoy having Ron and Bobbi visit, we usually have super yummy meals, lots of laughs, and help with the kids:) We ended up getting to go to the pool for an afternoon, Kate is a fish and it is so much fun to watch her. I ended up nursing Collin and letting him sleep in my arms on a lounge chair and watch the others in the pool, which I didn't mind at all! It was very relaxing.

We were able to get on the boat one evening too. This season has left much to be desired for boating so far, so it was such a nice change to be out on the water. It was Collin's second trip and he did great. Kate is pretty much an expert at this point, and it was awesome to have Ron and Bobbi there to help (they have an amazing boat down in the Ozarks:) We ran over to the other side of the lake to get gas and then pulled up to a beach and let Kate play. Oops, we forgot the sand toys. Yes, we let her play with an empty red Solo cup we found on the beach. Best parents ever. One of the things I love about our lake is that it is not overly developed on the shoreline, but there are about a half dozen restaurants/bars on the water that you can get to by boat. So we just cruised over to Portofino Bay and had a nice Italian meal! Then Grandma and I took the kids home while the boys buttoned up the boat. 

Driving the boat

Out to dinner at Portofino Bay

It turns out that oftentimes, our guests are involved in some sort of home/property improvement when they visit...I just want to say that we don't require hard labor if you want to stay here:) It wasn't planned but we (I use that term loosely:) cleared out the "front yard." When Dave said he wanted the front cleared, I didn't think that was the first priority but afterwards...it is awesome! What a difference it makes! Our yard is just a total blank slate, nothing has been done, there is MUCH to do, slowly, over time, but I am already so happy with the little we have accomplished so far in 2013. Thank you to Ron, Justin and Dave for the hard work last week!

Collin had a doctor's appointment in the mix as well. Dave happened to be post-call and home and so he came along. The kids' pediatrician is one of our best friends up here and I did have to say at one point, "Dave, if you want to show Ryan the trucks you are looking at (on his phone) please schedule your own appointment."  :) Collin did great, Ryan kept saying, "Is he always this good?" Yup! He is average for his weight (15 lbs. 12 oz) and is 95% for his head and his height!! He is over 26 in. long:) Kate was (and still is) our 50% babe, but I'm pretty sure that this little tank I gave birth to is going to be...substantial:)  He is definitely a healthy, breastfed babe (and super cute!) Of course, then he had shots - boo and I was nursing him right after, when Dave got called back into the hospital! Ah! Not really wanting to abruptly end his feeding after getting three shots, I told him to just pull the carseat and go (we drove in the van together). He called back to the house where his parents were (had to call our home phone and convince them to pick it up since they have no cell service at our place) and Ron drove over and picked us up. This doesn't happen too often, but it is such a logistical problem sometimes, especially with two kiddos/carseats, etc. I am just so happy Ron and Bobbi were here. Ooh! We also had Collin try his first food while they were visiting - a piece of frozen banana in that little mesh thing. He devoured it. Well, he is trying to devour/gnaw on everything right now, I think the frozen banana felt great to him. I haven't done it since, just because I haven't had time/thought of it. So funny, with Kate, we were giving her rice cereal the day she turned 4 months old, this time I am just not getting around to it! He is 4.5 months old right now....

Happy baby!

After a nice long visit with Gma and Gpa L., the kids and I packed up to head to Decorah/Clermont for the weekend. Dave was on call but we had previously scheduled a get-together with the Swoboda's and Peterson's. I didn't want to miss it, it would be the first time all the kids were together after Lawson was born in April! I also needed to get my bridesmaid dress so, we had a nice trip to Decorah on Friday, though at one point due to construction, I was wandering around the gravel roads of extreme southern Minnesota, I have to admit that I was reciting Psalm 23 (my go-to verse) because at times, the road was about one lane and looked like it was just a driveway and I didn't know where I was, Collin was waking up...whew, we made it. The dress fit, Mom left work early and we headed back up north to the Laura museum in Burr Oak and then up to Canton to the antique shop! 

Mom and I found some fun stuff at the antique shop and purchased a few things (we always get more when we are together:) and then bought a bunch of baked goods from the Amish lady out front. Yum. We relaxed for a minute at Mom and Dads and once Dad got home, headed to the Old Armory BBQ, it was my first time and I loved it! Can't wait to take Dave there and hopefully we can sit outside without rain chasing us inside. 

Saturday, we headed to Clermont as my Mom went up the Cities to see my Uncle Jerry throw out the first pitch at the Twins game!! Dad was the poor one left to work on projects at the house. I can't even tell you how much I love spending time with my best girlfriends and their families. Luckily, we spent much of the time enjoying the (finally) nice weather! The kids ages are 3.5 years, just turned 3 yrs, 1.5 years, 4 months and 2 months:) I will never tire of watching these kids play and interact, I wish I would have video-taped a couple hours to show Dave. Kris cooked up phenomenal food, we tried to run the energy out of the kids:) and us girls got to catch up and hold babies! Fun note - Lawson and Collin are almost the same size..can't wait to watch these two grow up so close in age. 

Best college friends and our kids!

Loving the trampoline

Running around - God bless summer:)

Too soon, the kids and I were packed up and headed back to Wisconsin, though we were eager to see Daddy. It is somewhat of a new route for me to drive from Clermont to home, and all was going well, Collin asleep - which is the key to success, but Kate was complaining that her stomach hurt and cried out loudly waking Collin. I was in the middle of nowhere, Collin is screaming and Kate is crying and I keep saying, "Are you going to throw up? Do you think you will throw up?" Oh my gosh, there was no where to pull over, I drove for what seemed like four hours before I got to Caledonia and stopped at the Kwik Trip. I think we were there for about 45 minutes. I couldn't get him to stop crying and I thought I was going to lose it. After buying some food so I could emotionally eat the rest of the way, we hit the road and he finally slept once we hit La Crescent (after one more stop to sway the carseat).  The rest of the ride was fine and needless to say I was REALLY looking forward to seeing my husband:) 

Of course, Dave was still on call and he was called in two more times that night, so I ended up unpacking and doing bedtimes alone again. Ugh. I am super tired of his call right now. But, we had a blast visiting with friends and were home in our beds again. The best days of our life!!

We Heart Iowa City

Dave and I like to pack a lot of things into our free time and it is only partly because we are crazy and a glutton for punishment:) Life is short and we want to see people and do things while we can! So...on June 21, we headed to Iowa City for a wedding. And seeing friends. And a baptism. Collin's baptism! 

Walking downtown on our way to Todd's wedding...

My cousin Todd's wedding would be Saturday evening and of course we booked Friday night in town as well. Having lived there and loved it there, there is an abundance of people to see and places we want to visit. Of course, we now move a bit slower and have naps/meltdowns/BFing, etc. to consider, so our Friday night in IC consisted of getting some last minute outfits at Kohl's, grabbing some Mexican ("going to Mexico" according to Kate) and getting ourselves settled at the Sheraton downtown. It all went really well and once we were checked in, Dave and I couldn't help but venture just a little out into the Ped mall:) So, I strapped on the Ergo and Dave took Kate's hand and we tried to deal with the feelings that this brought up! Believe me, I do NOT want to be the girls wearing (practically nothing) uncomfortable outfits and shoes that can kill, stumbling around the food stands, trees and drunks on the Ped Mall, but it was very surreal to be out among them carrying around my sweetie and praising Kate for not having an accident today:) We grabbed some snacks and beverages (including a bottle of wine) from the Breadgarden (I go EVERY time I'm back, love it!) and headed back up to our room. The kids did great, I got to look out over the city we love and we got some sleep! A perfect night. 

Saturday brought a TON of fun for me. I met up with a girlfriend from nursing school who is 38 weeks pregnant and we chatted until I had multiple texts/calls from Dave wondering where I was:) Then we met friends for lunch at Quinton's (she is about 27 weeks preggo) and the kids did pretty well there too! Then it got a little crazy as Dave's parents were meeting up with us, I had a hair appt, my family got into town....ugh. I felt a little frazzled but headed to Zender's to get what is turning out to be my bi-annual hair cut. I needed a trim and since it was a million degrees and I am nursing Collin and hot-flashing, I wanted them to do an up-do as well. We negotiated on timing and I said I needed to be out of there as soon as possible. I had a nice hair cut but when they tried to put my hair up, it kept falling down, she struggled with the braiding...I was getting super anxious since I had no idea what was happening with everyone else. I kept saying, it's fine, maybe my Mom can braid my hair:) They finally figured something out (it looked cool, but was still falling down) and I rushed back to the hotel. Dave is amazing and didn't make me feel like I had abandoned him and left him in chaos or anything, though there was much to do. 

I should mention, Dave had charge of both kids for much of the day. There was help from Grandparents along the way, but he did really well for being out of town and not fully used to manning both of them yet! They tried swimming, went out for breakfast, took naps, had a bath. I can't tell you how much that eases my mind.

LOVED this outfit on him. 

Anyway, we were all dolled up (by the way, my children are too cute for words:) and we walked to Old Brick for the wedding. I know I am no longer pregnant, but I just can't take the heat and humidity this summer! I hope I didn't complain too much...Old Brick is awesome and it was so fun to see family that we don't see often. I loved how personal the whole evening was and had a blast. The kids went back to the hotel with Dave's folks so Dave and I could have a few hours free (thank you!) and we had fun walking back across downtown. So many memories for Dave and I...we rejoined the fun and started cutting a rug in between feasting on Norwegian treats and cake (and wine!) 

We got the dreaded call that Collin would not go to sleep (always an issue with our kiddos and I worry about it all the time). Luckily, the reception was almost over and because we were getting up SO early the next day, it was kind of perfect timing. And of course, when we got up to the room, he just slept in Dave's arms right away, no problem:) I wish I had slept better, but oh well, I got up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for his baptism! 

We used to attend Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in North Liberty and absolutely love that church. We are founding members and will just never find another church home like that. Since we were still technically members and love our Pastor Tim, they were able to squeeze Collin's baptism in at 8:15 a.m. You know your family loves you when they get up super early on Sunday after a wedding and get to church! The other family members needed to do various things in the morning so it was just Dave and I wrangling the two kids. You would think that would be enough manpower. 

Dave went to get us coffee and breakfast but took a long time (waiting for a place to open) I was doing fine getting ready and let the kids sleep since they were tired (and just kept sleeping!) I woke them a little too late to get ready on time, and after abandoning the plan to check out before we left, we headed down to the parking ramp. Dave and Kate went to get the car while Collin and I headed down a second after them. As I got to the curb, I realized I did not have my phone or my glasses. Yup. Awesome. I thought, if I go upstairs, he'll be mad if he shows up to the curb and I'm not here. So, I used the valet phone to call him (we still have Iowa City numbers!) and he angrily says he can't find the car and hangs up before I can tell him that I don't have my phone. So I wait it out and just prayed we wouldn't miss the service. Finally they came and we headed over. 

It was a beautiful morning and we had plenty of time. I changed Collin into his adorable and expensive Christening outfit right before church. Lovely service, Collin gets baptized..just a little fussing, he isn't a newborn that just sleeps right through! Right at communion Dave looks at me funny and I check our sweet baby's patoot and sure enough he has blown out. It took both of us to get him changed, a quick wipe of Dave's new tie :) and we were back in church with a onesie on the special boy. Thank you Aunt Tara for the "tie" onesies, it came in very handy! I am just so glad it didn't happen while Pastor Tim was Christening him. Whew. 

One of only two pics in his outfit? Good grief;)

We took some pictures afterwards, in which Kate appears in just a few. I have a feeling that we will be explaining a lot when we look back at this time period ..."Yes, she was there. She just wouldn't go in the picture." We had to then go back and check out and change clothes (yay!) and head to brunch. We went to Red's in North Liberty, an old favorite, and had a great time! I wish we could have done more to celebrate the occasion, but just having both sets of grandparents and Great-Grandma Elsie there was enough to make it very special. His Godparents - Tony and Tara Brown and Jesse and Jami Simpson - couldn't make it and honestly there was no time to get even a majority of them together. My plan is to get together with them some time and honor the occasion when we can. 

Yay - family!

We then headed back to Wisconsin with Dave's folks driving behind us. It went great, beautiful day, ice cream treats, sleeping kids, and we were back in time to enjoy our front porch and order some pizza;) 

It was a whirlwind. It was a little stressful for me (really, what isn't?) But we saw people we loved, places we loved. I just felt blessed the whole trip. It made me really feel how fast life moves and how much we need to take any opportunity to make memories, say  I love you, do what you makes you happy and share joy with others. And of course a little wine or ice cream never hurts!