Several months ago I learned that my dear friend, Denise, had the first of her three daughters, Kylah, getting married this month. Matt and I knew we wanted to try and get to the wedding. Unfortunately, timing-wise it just didn't work out that we could all go, but I was able to fly out for Kylah and Adil's wedding with Sawyer. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and so much fun! Adil is from Morocco, so they incorporated some of his food and traditions. It just didn't make sense for me to fly out just for the wedding, so we extended my stay by a couple days, so I could squeeze in as much friend-seeing as I could. Here are some pictures from my whirlwind visit. ...and I must say that you know you have good friendships when you feel so at home in two places. Obviously, Nebraska is now my home....BUT, Colorado and the deep friendships I have there feels like I just pick up right from where we left off...as if I never left despite the fact I will have been gone three years this October. Where does the time go? Thank goodness for cell phones and free minutes, EMAIL!!!!, & digital cameras and the pictures that float somewhere through space or wherever and end up right on our computer screens! As hard as it was to leave feeling like I just didn't have enough time...awaiting me at the airport were Matt and the girls with the most wonderful sign and flowers picked just for me! What could be better than that?!?!?
Kylah is Denise's middle daughter. Denise and I met at AT&T Broadband, my first job when I moved out to Denver. We worked in the same department and became friends, often meeting for Diet Coke breaks during the day. She was also Lainey's first babysitter and just a good friend throughout the years. Adil & Kylah's wedding was just beautiful. They had a gorgeous day, beautiful flowers, and delicious food. It was such a great time!
Nicole is Denise's eldest daughter (and also babysat for Lainey on occasion) and Whitney is the youngest. They were both beautiful bridesmaids as you can see. I was so glad to see both of them as well!
Adil is from Morocco, so they incorporated a lot of the Moroccan culture into the day. As part of the entertainment before and during dinner, they had a belly dancer. This wasn't just a one-time shot of Sawyer. He truly was awestruck by her!
I met my good friend, Annemarie Roy, and her girls, Emma & Madeleine, at a park because Sawyer was sick, and they just had a new baby. It was a beautiful day! We made bead bracelets and formed a girl club. :-) It made me miss my girls as we would have had a blast together!!!! (next time) :-) I went back that night after putting Sawyer to bed at my other friend's house to visit with Annemarie until the way-too-wee hours of the morning (but it was so worth it)! :-)
I got to meet 2 new babies while I was visiting...Benjamin Roy (8 weeks old) and Andrew Beatty (3 1/2 months) with his mom, Sarah.
I stayed with our good friends, the Maggio's, while in Colorado. Sawyer and I got to spend lots of fun time with them...Tracey and Nino..and their kids, Mason, Owen and Lauryn. Sawyer enjoyed the kids since he was really missing his sisters! Their lives are just a glimpse of what's to come for us...soccer practice and games, baseball, school activities, etc...but we loved every minute! Plus, they are doing some home remodeling, so I got to get a little glimpse of what that "little" project entails. Thank you for letting us make ourselves at home!
I got to visit with my friend, Tracy Gibbons. Her kids, Alex & Oliver, were in school, but Sawyer made a fast friend with their dog, Winston. He was kind and gentle with Sawyer, and Sawyer loved him!
I enjoyed a
precious girls' night out with my friends, Tracey Maggio (left front), Tracy Gibbons (left back), and Sarah Beatty (right front). We could talk for hours about everything and nothing...until we started getting dirty looks and head-nods from the wait staff! (Thanks, Nino, for staying home with Sawyer!)
I let Sawyer suck on some of the Colorado rocks to get those good ol' Colorado minerals in his system before we left. :-) [I NEVER would have let my first child do this. :-) ]
Sawyer was a trooper on this little vacation. He was always being shuttled here and there. Both he and I ended up getting horrible colds while there which put a little twist to some of our visiting, but he did a great job!
The best part of vacation was walking up the airport to baggage claim, lifting my head and seeing Matt and the girls with a wonderful 'Welcome Home Mommy and Sawyer' sign and gorgeous flowers. (I didn't think the girls were going to be with him...he had told me they were still taking naps.) When picking the flowers out at Sam's Club, Lainey told Sophie they had to pick me out the most beautiful ones...enough to make my heart just melt! I swear my little girls grew up in the week I was gone. Sawyer was just as excited to see his daddy and big sisters as I was! As wonderful as it was to visit friends and feel such at home in Colorado again...it was even better to be back with my family where I belong.
We went back to Kearney and celebrated Sawyer's 1st birthday and Sophie's 3rd birthday on Sunday afternoon with our families and Sawyer's Godparents. I don't know what I was thinking when I only rented the facility for 2 hours (including set-up and clean-up) to celebrate 2 kids' birthdays. :-) It was total controlled chaos, but the kids had fun. It was a beautiful day. Sawyer was fairly oblivious that the day was about him. Sophie took full glory in the attention. She was a hoot...pumping her arms at her gifts and taking bows when opening panties that she received (because she used to take bows when I would mention she was potty-trained to people.)
