Livin' the Dream in CA: Part II "The Wedding"

Photos do not do this wedding justice!  The venue was so beautiful and it was awesome to see Lauren and her new husband, Santosh, so happy on their day.  Not only was it beautiful, but it was super fun, too.  Here are some highlights...

The bride and groom with Lauren's bridesmaids.  Her dress was so elegant - what a beauty!

During the reception, Lauren changed into a beautiful sari.  There were a few other Indian traditions that were part of the evening that were cool to learn about.  It also made for a beautiful sea of color when you looked into the crowd of wedding guests.

A couple of great family shots! 

Livin' the dream.

At the reception getting ready to party.  

Jessie, Shawna, Grace, Me

I have one question for you:  When is a photo booth NOT a completely awesome idea?!?!  Yes, we are easily entertained.

How ridiculous is my brother?

Not to mention my sister?

Ok, this was supposed to be our "serious face" shot.  Instead, I think we all just look miserable.

I'll leave you with these two, just to prove that we can be normal.

Livin' the Dream in CA: Part I "Pre Wedding"

My cousin Lauren got married in Half Moon Bay, California, on July 21.  Phil and I attended the wedding and then decided to make it into a little trip for the two of us.  Grandpa and Grandma Swenson came out to be with the kids at our house and we were so thankful - the kids had so much fun!  Phil and I had a wonderful time, spending the beginning of the trip with family and then spending the last part by ourselves.  It was a much needed retreat!

For the first three nights, we stayed in a beach house that Jessie found - it was brilliant!  Perfect for our fam and very close to the beach and the wedding venue.

Matty and Dad check the balcony to make sure it is safe for everyone.

There were some tense moments...

There are some good sports in this photo, I tell ya.  I made them patiently (or not-so-patiently) wait to dig into a yummy dinner just so I could take this picture of all of us.  Worth it, right???

Thursday night dinner - cooked at the house.

 We were included in the rehearsal dinner, which was at a restaurant right on the water with a beautiful view.  It was great to see some cousins, aunts, and uncles.  I love my children, but it was wonderful to be able to just sit and have real conversations with these people.

Here I am with the very beautiful and very soon-to-be bride.  Lauren is older than me by just four months, so we have a lot of cousin history.  I heart her.

 

 

 Speaking of cousin history...here are two more of my favs.

Claire, Shawna, Me

 

The brother and sisters!

 

Much more fun to be had on this trip...more posts coming very soon!

Messy Monday - #3

I know, I know...I'm way behind in blogging.  I figured I should at least put up the photos from Messy Monday (two weeks ago now!) before we go for round four tomorrow.  Still to come are posts from our trip (sans kids!) to California and other random fun.

Ok, so two weeks ago we had bubble bonanza!  Adam loves bubbles, so I took him out of school so he could come and it was a fantastic decision.  He really enjoyed it and so did Clara.

Here are some of the kids and mamas gathered around the pans of bubbles.  Carolyn had lots of tools that were very easy for Adam to maneuver so he was able to blow lots of bubbles.

I didn't get any great photos of this, but Carolyn made these really cool bubble blowers that made bubble snakes.  The kids were a big fan.  Here is Adam with his, but you can't really see the magic in this picture.  Carolyn cut the tops off of plastic bottles and stretched fabric netting over the hole in the bottom.  You blow into the regular mouthpiece of the bottle and your bubble snake forms.

Clara decided she would have much more fun if she sat in the bubbles.  Look at her mimic the other kids with her bubble wand.  She may or may not have consumed a good amount of bubble mix at this event.

Messy Monday - #2

Just another Messy Monday!  Adam was at school during this one, although I have been thinking of taking him out of school on Mondays to come be messy with his friends.  I mean, hey, summer is for fun, right? 

This week, it was pudding body painting. 

Before the mess, Clara was fired up and ready to roll!

 Thanks for the ride, Hannah!

 Clara was not nearly as enthusiastic about this mess.  I guess shaving cream is more her style.

 Her little buddy was pretty into it, though.  Cute, eh?

 Then, the kids thought this would be a good idea.  There may or may not have also been a pudding slide.

Another Cook in the Kitchen

 Adam has been expanding his culinary skills - learning how to read the recipe and measure the ingredients.  He also expertly operates both the mixer and the food processor.

Clara can't wait to be able to get in there and help, so she's been practicing in her play kitchen.  She wears her oven mitt (backwards) around the house and has been cooking up some real masterpieces.

"Don't worry guys, I've got this."