Long awaited weekend

When Lisa and Sergio got engaged we were thrilled and when they asked Eric to be part of the wedding party, we (yes me too) were honored. They decided to have the wedding in Atlanta so began the process of us deciding if we were going to bring the kids. Since Josh is Sergio's godson and Emma is absolutely in love with Lisa, I felt like they should come. I quickly got over that feeling once the reality of airline tickets hit so instead the kids got a weekend with Grammie and Poppa and Eric and I got a weekend with each other.

We left on Thursday morning after dropping Emma off at preschool. The night before as I was packing, she cried and cried about us leaving so I thought for sure she would do the same in the morning. She surprised us though and not a single tear was shed, she even forgot to give us a kiss as she went into Ms. Carrie's house. Of course we grabbed her quickly and smothered her with kisses and hugs, which was okay because none of her friends had arrived yet to see. After doing the same to Josh, we waved goodbye and laughed because he had no clue what see you on Monday meant. We picked up our friends Erika and Carlos on the way to the airport because we were on the same flight and within a few hours were getting off the airplane in a frozen tundra (#1 reason it was good not to bring the kids). Not really, but it was cold and I being a true Arizonian hate the cold.

The first place we headed was to Jos A. Banks where Eric and Carlos needed to pick up their tux rentals. After months of drama with JAB everyone had their tuxes except Eric! His was no where to be found but the manager promised to have it by the next day which was good because Sergio and Eric both might have come unglued if not. Next we headed to our hotel and after getting settled, we met with the other groomsmen and their wives to head to dinner. All being from Arizona we had no idea what was around and settled on a safe bet with Chili's. We loaded up into a borrowed 15 passenger van and drove around never finding Chili's (which was totally okay with me) and ate at some local bar, my food wasn't the best but the company made up for it. It was a fun night spent laughing, drinking, and not worrying what time it was (#2 reason it was good not to bring the kids).

Friday, Eric and I slept in and I took the longest shower I have taken in 4 years. It was so nice to stand in a shower and not hear "mommy, what are you doing" (Emma), "mommy, how long are you going to be" (Emma), "mommy, done?" (Josh), "mommy, Sophie NO" (Josh)! All you mom's reading this know exactly what I am talking about. I didn't actually realize how long my shower was until I saw the clock afterward, it was awesome! When we were finally done being lazy, we had lunch in the hotel restaurant and then headed our separate ways for the afternoon. Eric went out to get his tux and I went to some local antique shops with Erika and Carlos. That evening was mass with the wedding rehearsal and then the rehearsal dinner. When we got back to the hotel, we hung out in the bar with everyone (reason #3 it was good not to bring the kids with us) waiting for Danielle and Kevin to arrive, who drove down for North Carolina to spend the weekend with us. Once they arrived we closed the bar down and then went off to bed for our beauty sleep.

Saturday morning Eric, the groom, and the other groomsmen left for haircuts and shaves while I headed into Atlanta with Danielle and Kevin for breakfast and a tour of the Olympic Park and CNN building. It was freezing but once the sun came out, it was a beautiful morning. Our tour of the CNN building was informative and Dani and I were only slightly disappointed that Anderson Cooper does not report news out of the Atlanta location. Our tour happened to be with a lively young boy scout troop who asked so many questions our tour stretched over half an hour long. I was a bit panicked as we got back to the car at 12:20, having not showered in the morning and needing to be on a hotel shuttle at 1:30 to make it to the wedding at 2. When we pulled up to the hotel I ran to my room and took the quickest shower of my life. I still am not sure how I managed to get ready in 40 minutes and was incredible thankful I had shaved my legs the day before. :o) Once I got on the shuttle and sat down, I realized my hands were shaking and that I hadn't eaten since breakfast but was happy to be on board.

The wedding mass was beautiful and you could truly feel the love and happiness all those attending have for Sergio and Lisa. Everyone looked wonderful including Eric (of course) who looked very handsome in his tux. After the wedding, the wedding party was off to take pictures with the photographer who just happens to be Eric's cousin. Paul shot our wedding too and I love his work, you can link to his website here or his blog here to see some of his amazing pictures. While they did that, the rest of us when to the reception site for cocktail hour. Looking back at the day now, I realize a number of things did me in this night (not eating lunch, getting ready so quickly, crying like a baby at the wedding) but the biggest was getting a vodka and cranberry that was 3/4 vodka and 1/4 cranberry on an empty stomach. About 2 hours into the reception my head began pounding at assuming it was hunger, I ate a small plate of food. 30 minutes later I was desperately trying to find a ride back to the hotel. My headache had become a full blown migraine and lucky for me these only end in one way, a trip to visit the if you're gonna spew, spew in this gods. I knew this is where my migraine was headed and fast so I needed to leave before something awful happened (reason #4 it was good not to bring the kids with us). Thank goodness the sweet Raus boys agreed to take me back and the rest is history (I realize this is the longest blog ever and I will save the migraine story for another time).

Sunday morning we headed to church and then over to Lisa's parents house for a BBQ. Her parents live in an incredibly beautiful house and it was another beautiful afternoon. That evening we met up with an old friend of Eric's from high school and her husband for dinner. We drove around for a bit and came upon a Bahama Breeze. Eric, myself, and the rest of my family were devastated when they closed in AZ so of course we sent many taunting texts to my parents while eating. It was nice getting to catch up with Stacey and Reggie and learned they are pregnant with their first baby!

Monday morning we headed home and I was ready to be back. I feel extremely fortunate that we were able to celebrate the sacrament of marriage with our friends and had an incredible weekend, migraine and all.

Busy Bee Me

Tonight I am blogging from my hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. I finally have a free minute and figured I would blog instead of watching the Steelers v Jets game on TV that I really don't care about.

The last week or so has been craziness for me. Last Friday evening I hopped on a plane to California for a quick trip to see my oldest cousin Ryan get married. Ryan and Katie began dating in high school so I have known my cousin-in-law (is there such a thing?) for quite some time now. I was honored when they asked me last August to do a reading at their wedding and quickly said yes. The wedding was Saturday afternoon and it was beautiful. Their reception location was equally beautiful and it was nice getting to spend time with my extended family dancing the night away. After a busy day on Sunday filled with more family time and lots of driving back to Orange County, I jumped back on a plane in the evening to come home.

Monday was MLK day and Eric had the day off with the kids and I. He went hunting in the early morning and I was glad he got time to himself after being alone with the kids all weekend. As a side note, I don't know many dads that spend whole weekends alone with their kids while their wife goes on mini trips. Eric is wonderful and knows just what to do with the kids! When he got home, we spent the afternoon together and enjoyed the beautiful weather Arizona had been having outside with the kids.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent working and fighting off another cold and pounding eardrums. Wednesday afternoon I made it to the doctor who didn't see an ear infection but said the pain I was describing sounded like one. I am not sure what's going on with my ears but would definitely like this pounding and constant dull pain to stop now.

Thursday morning Eric and I flew out to Atlanta for Sergio and Lisa's wedding (which I will blog about later because there is too much I want to write about). I will say the weekend has been eventful and the wedding was amazing. Tomorrow we fly back home and after 4 plane trips in 10 days, I will be happy to stay put with my kids for awhile!

Chew on this

Our sweet little Sophie has been an incredibly good dog so far. We really lucked out getting a puppy that is little and can grow with the kids who is already crate and potty trained. Sophie loves to snuggle and constantly follows me around the house. When I am in the kitchen, so is she. When I am in the bedroom, so is she. She has already taken to the kids and constantly kisses them and plays with them. With such a good dog you have to be wondering what the drawback is. At first, we couldn't find one but this week her true puppy nature has surfaced. Sophie is a chewer! The dog will chew on anything; a barbie, a rock, socks, washcloths, wooden spoons, firewood, golf balls, and you get the idea. The play room has been officially gated up to keep her from getting at the toys because that is the only room where stuff lays on the floor so she hasn't gotten too much. Outside is another story though. Today Sophie chewed a hole through the trampoline enclosure and dragged about 10 large pieces of firewood around the yard and chewed on them. I wasn't super angry about the disaster though because we had bad communication with the sitter and she didn't realize we weren't leaving Sophie outside alone for longer than 10 minutes yet. Here's to hoping we don't have a repeat of today's chew fest anytime soon and now I am wondering when puppies pass through this phase of life. Looks like I have some research to do!

Adios 2010

In less than two hours it will be 2011. Amazing! I remember in high school when I thought 2010 was so far away and now here we are saying goodbye to it. This year was a good year for our family and we were blessed in many ways. When I look back fondly and remember this year, here are a few things I will remember the most,

*celebrating Josh's first birthday
*the kids and I spending spring break in California with my grandparents
*celebrating Eric's 30th birthday in Vegas
*Emma and I going to North Carolina with my parents to see Dani and Kevin
*Emma starting preschool
*finding a new sitter for the kids
*visiting California again in the summer, this time with Eric
*seeing our goddaughter baptized
*sharing in the good news that our closest friend got engaged
*having our new church building finished
*having the whole family together for Christmas

Goodbye 2010 and hello 2011, here is to another good year!

Merry Christmas

Well another Christmas has come and gone. Sometimes it is crazy how you plan, prepare, and shop for this day and then it's over in a flash. This Christmas was a whirlwind of family, presents, and thanking the Lord for the gift of His Son.

We began Christmas Eve at my parent's house and were blessed to have all the immediate family in one place. Eric arrived first with the kids while I picked up a special early present for them (which was originally going to be from Santa but he was just not sure how to deliver her). After playing with their new dog for a bit, the cousins arrived and then true chaos began. We ate dinner in the extremely small dining area and it was very cozy trying to fit 11 chairs and 1 highchair in that area. After dinner the gift giving began and there were presents everywhere!

Once presents were opened, we headed home to put out a cookie and milk for Santa and a carrot Emma peeled by herself for the reindeer to share (because sharing is better according to Emma). Eric and I were actually in bed by 10:30 which was a Christmas miracle of its own, mostly because I was feeling so icky from a cold and ear infection I had been fighting but also because I thought ahead this year and had everything already wrapped.

Christmas morning was exciting as Emma is at the age of true understanding now. I always thought she got it before, and she did understand somethings but this year she got it 100%. She was adorable as she came into the playroom where Josh and I (also the tree) were. She started jumping up and down and shouting. As she got more excited, Josh also got more excited. Before long they were both jumping up and down chanting Merry Christmas, the excitement woke Eric up and soon the four of us were exchanging gifts. By 8:30 we were headed to The Hildwine's house to exchange gifts and eat a yummy breakfast (everything Eric's mom makes is yummy). We didn't stay too long, Iyla and Josh were getting tired and Eric's parents were flying to Florida in a few hours to spend a few days with his grandparents so it worked out to have a quick morning together.

After some much needed early naps we headed back over to my parent's house for dinner. It was much quieter at the house this time around since we were minus a few members of the family. After dinner, Josh went to bed while Emma played with her cousin Abby and my parents, Eric, and I played a card game.

It was a beautiful Christmas and I am grateful to have spent it with the people I love the most. It is overwhelming at times going from place to place and every year I think to myself how can I make this easier but really family is part of what the holiday is about. As we have been teaching Emma, God gave us the gift of baby Jesus and that is why we celebrate Christmas by giving gifts, and I truly know the best gift I have been given is the gift of family.

Emma and Josh's Christmas gift from us

Christmas Eve with the Wiemann's

Josh with my dad's glasses on

Emma's bow board made by Grammie

Christmas morning with the Hildwine's

Caramels

It is a tradition in Eric's family to make caramels every year at Christmas time from a handed down family recipe. Eric and his sister did it when they were little with his mom and Eric began doing it when we got married. For the past two years Emma has helped out and this year Josh joined in the fun. There really isn't much for the kids to do yet since the majority of the work happens on a hot stove but we dressed them up in aprons anyway and let them put the ingredients in the pot. Both had fun and "cleaned" the dishes afterward. This year all three batches turned out great (not too hard, not too soft) and I think Eric has finally figured out the perfect caramel. I love this tradition that our family is carrying on and I also love sharing it with our neighbors who wait for Christmas caramels every year!

Christmas card

Each year Eric takes the picture we put in our Christmas card and each year he does a really good job. It's not an easy task being that he is taking the picture and in it at the same time but I always love his work. Eric has a talent for photography and knows how to use the light of the day to his advantage. I know that if he could, he would do photography full time but the day to day of life doesn't allow him much time to pursue the business. Maybe in time as the kids get older or when we win the lottery and he doesn't have to have a job anymore. Until then though, I love that we will always have fantastic pictures of our family and of the kids growing up.
By the way, that is cookie in Josh's mouth! The only way the little booger would smile at the camera was if I bribed him. See my hand holding his? That is me covering the cookie up!