Remembering December, Pt. II: Wedding #1

Yesterday, my sweet new sister-in-law posted on Facebook that it was her one month wedding anniversary, and that reminded me... I meant to tell y'all about that....

As you will remember, December was a wild month for us. And when the 20th came, it got a lot wilder. Our plans for the next 12 days: two weddings, three Christmases, and around 900 miles of minivan travel. Not in our plans: two kids with flu. It was a great two weeks, nevertheless, and I can't wait to tell you ALL about it!! [Try to contain your excitement!]

We begin in Austin, where my brother JC married the lovely Bethanie. Friday night, we gathered for the rehearsal dinner at Camp Mabry's museum, and my dad entertained us all once again with old favorites like "Put Another Log on the Fire," "The Bottomless Well," and "Wavin' Goodbye" (a true modern classic dealing with the universal grandpa experience of losing one's hair). Dad was wonderful, as always, but Sarah stole the show.... He asked all the kids to join him at the front for "The Cat Came Back," and by the second (or third? there are so many...) verse, she was dancing like no one was watching. Of course, everyone was watching. And her mother sort of got it on film, except I haven't quite got the hang of videoing with the DSLR, so it's terrible quality. Still, you can tell she's a natural. SYTYCD here we come!! [Do they still do that show? :-/ ]

As a side note, P and I were hugely entertained by "Put Another Log on the Fire," as neither of us had ever heard the whole song before - only that first line, which my parents often sing to each other as an inside joke (and not-so-subtle warning?). We laughed and sang it to each other all weekend... 

After the dinner, Mom let Sarah have all the little princesses and brides that she'd purchased to use as table decorations. It was Ah. May. Zing. She is still clutching those things and carrying them around with her everywhere.

P and the kids and I spent Friday evening with a dear friend who lives in Austin, staying up way too late visiting while the kids (who were supposed to be in bed) snuck around her house, exploring every fascinating inch. Every time we travel back to Austin, P and I spend way too much time reminiscing - and then hypothesizing ways we might move back. While that is not likely to happen anytime soon, it's always nice to reconnect with the people who made our time living there so special.

For the rest of the weekend, we just spent time at the hotel with my parents, my nephew Aiden, my Aunt Cadeeya and Unkie Joe (real names), my sister and her husband, and the Star and newest member of our family, making her out-of-town debut at one month, Ava Lee. The kids entertained themselves (primarily by wearing the hotel trashcans on their heads...) while the adults took turns holding Ava and raiding Mom's Diet Coke supply.

Ava might as well get used to the madness.

When it was time for the main event on Saturday evening, you would never have guessed that the kids had spent the morning with trash cans on their heads. We all looked pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself. (And I do.)

Sarah was especially fancy, with two purses, my bracelet, and a Barbie Bride. I was ridiculously relieved that she consented to wear the bow - that does NOT happen often...

Sunday morning, we enjoyed more leisurely family time over breakfast and then at our "family worship" in the hotel room (that's the photo in which we are all looking weird. I think we were singing, and I don't know who the photographer was, but he had a really shaky hand...).

Then a few more snuggles with Ava, and it was time to pack up our bags. 

We tried to give the kids more time with Aiden by stopping at Central Market so they could play on the playground a while, but Luke was acting weird and grumpy, so we ran over to EZ's in order to indulge P and myself eat lunch, and then we hit the road, Brady bound. Later, we'd realize that Luke was acting weird because he had the flu. But that's another story for another post.