Happy Wedding Memories

Brian and Nicole's wedding was the highlight of our summer. We loved being together to celebrate this great couple, meeting Nicole's wonderful family, and enjoying the beautiful beach setting of Santa Barbara.

Posing from Brian's patio at the beautiful hotel,
Andrew shows off his cutest "cheeser" smile.

While Brian and his buddies played volleyball, we took the opportunity to play in the sand and waves. Brad and the kids made an awesome sandcastle/volcano with a tunnel and a river. Andrew played baseball with anyone who would throw the ball to him.

How did we get all these kids (and ourselves) ready for pictures???
Whew! It was no easy task to dress them up and keep them neat until the wedding.

Weddings involve lots of waiting...what patient kids!

Not our best family photo ever.

Here comes the bride...riding in a two-seater bicycle! Way to go, Brian!

Random photos waiting for the flower girl (Lauren) and her escort (Caleb) to be cued to walk down the aisle together.
(Awwww, they were very sweet--all the little kids got to do this)My only photo of the ceremony--oops!
The DJ got the party started by doing the limbo and some line dancing with the kids, who were ready to show their stuff on the dance floor....they danced ALL night!

Samantha (sweetheart!) and Lauren
Cutting the cake and eating it--yummmm.

Where Dreams Come True...

This family reunion in Disneyland was something we had been dreaming about for many months.

Our group was big (20) but I think we each got to do at least one ride or activity on our wish list.

We could hardly sleep the night before because we were so excited!

(I had to include this picture because every time I see it I remember Andrew kept saying "cheeeeeese....bed....cheeeese....bed....")

We got some treats at Downtown Disney the night before with Gram-Z and Papa.

This was Caleb's dream come true: to be chosen for the Jedi Training. He took it so seriously...He attacked the enemy (Darth Maul) with a vengeance! I don't think he or his cousin Easton (who was also chosen) cracked a smile throughout the whole thing. They were very intense!

I think Lauren's dream come true was doing all the "Bugs Land" rides. They were just her speed. She did not like Space Mountain or Matterhorn--they were just too fast and too much for her this time. Andrew got the special privilege of driving a car with Daddy at Autopia. He carried the ticket around for hours. He also loved the Bugs Land train ride.

My dream come true was riding Dumbo with Andrew. I have gotten to do this with all my kids at about this same age. He actually loved it, unlike Lauren at his age, who was so upset she was trying to crawl out of the ride the whole time.

We were so happy we got to ride so many fun rides in one day. We really packed it in, from just about open to close. The babies did great, the kids (especially the ones who didn't have strollers) were troopers, and the adults hung in there 'til the end! It was quite a challenge to keep track of our big group, but it was also so much fun to be able to be together at "The Happiest Place on Earth". It was definitely a dream come true for all of us.