What a weekend

It was a whirlwind to say the least, but David and Ashley's wedding in Arizona was a wonderful celebration that we were so lucky to be part of. Anthony and Dominic were the ring bearers and while they were far from being the stars of the weekend, they did a fantastic job and I think they actually had a good time too!!!! As if a 6 year old and 4 year old wearing tuxedos wasn't cute enough, the bride made them Bride and Groom bears at Build a Bear Workshop that they carried down the aisle. And to top THAT cuteness off, they got the boys Spiderman and Batman outfits for the bears for after the wedding. They carried those bears around all night and have not put them down since. And the funny thing is, they got to keep the bride and groom outfits and they have loved dressing them up as either bride and groom or Spiderman and Batman. So adorable!!!!

So, the festivities started off on Friday at the rehearsal, which we barely made it into town for, but we got there. The dinner was held at Dave and Busters which, if you have never heard of it or been there, is like Chuck E Cheese's for adults. They have video games and bowling and it was perfect for the kids AND adults. The boy's got to wear their costumes and cousin Kelly and Auntie Gloria were so sweet and brought them trick or treat bags full of goodies! So much better than going trick or treating.

Saturday was a busy day. We had to go get the tuxes in the morning and make sure the boys ( and Joe and I) were ready to get to the hotel where the weddding was being held by 1:30 for pictures. It was a mad dash at the end, but we made it. After that it was a whirlwind of photos, meeting the rest of the family, getting seated, and finally, the wedding! It was beautiful to say the least. The boys did so great, and not just in the actual wedding. They were so grown up and sweet the entire day. The few times they started to whine at daddy (he was in charge of them) he would just tell the wedding coordinator to ask them to do what they needed to and they did it without question.

During dinner there was still much cuteness to be had. One of the starter courses was lobster ravioli, which we didn't think any of the kids would like, but Anthony wanted to try it, and one bite in his exact words were "this has an amazing taste." Dom and Nico weren't as impressed, but perhaps their tastes aren't as mature yet. They did get chicken fingers and mac n cheese for their main course rather than filet mignon that the other guests were served. They ate very nicely and really enjoyed the mini creme brulee's that were served as pre-dessert desserts. They mingled and drew to pass the time and Nico even took a little nap. Dom had had enough at about 7 and grandma Janis was able to put him to sleep for a little while. Anthony was ready to go home about that same time but refused to lay down. He also refused to take off his jacket almost the entire night, he kept saying he wanted to look really handsome and he could only do that if he was wearing his entire tuxedo. So cute. They were both so excited about gettine dressed up it really made it easy. I was a little worried they wouldn't want to wear their "monkey suits", but once they were in them at the tux place they both kept saying how handsome they looked and they didn't want to take them off.

Of course, not to be outdone by the older boys, Nico and Gavin also wore tuxes and were so adorable! I did post photos on a web album so hopefully you all got that email, there were just too many for the blog, it takes a long time to upload them here.

It was a wonderful weekend and we felt so lucky to be a part of it. DAvid and Ashley have an incredible group of family and friends surrounding them as they begin this new journey together. It was so great to see everyone and meet the newest members of our clan!!! Can't wait until next time.

Love you all,

Emily