Colorado 2012 & Anna and Matt's wedding

Every year we go to Colorado with my family. This year was extra special because Anna and (her now husband) Matt decided to get married at the tail end of our vacation. It was also really special because it was the first year that my ENTIRE family was there.

Here are some snapshots from our family vacation...




Trip holding up the "Family Points" trophy. This trophy is a combination of trophies from all of my siblings. We always joke about who gets "family points" for random and meaningless accomplishments. This year, the winner of the trophy was Anna's new husband Matt. Anna was runner up :)

My siblings were very patient with my kiddos and did a lot of make believe with babies and Spider Man. In this picture and the next, Anna Kate is playing babies with her Uncle Matt. This basically consists of the Jessie doll and Spider Man kissing and giving hugs over and over. Matt was pretty patient and obliged.

 

The little brothers, Timmy and Trett, drove to Colorado together this year and I think bonded over their current lifestyle of staying up all night and sleeping past noon. They also arrived with similar facial hair. When they got in, they had full beards. But as the week went by, the full beard turned into scenes from That 70s Show. The goal was that they be clean-shaven for the wedding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J and I took the kids to ride the Gondola one day after naps. I'm not sure they were as impressed by the view as we had hoped, but they did enjoy the ride. After Trip worked up his courage to jump on the big trampoline. The look on his face was a mixture of terror and excitement. He couldn't decide if he wanted to smile or yell. We were proud that he made the attempt. He actually got pretty high.

 

 

 

 

A couple of days before the wedding J and I went with Anna and Matt, and with Whitney and Mike to check out the ceremony site and to take some "engagement pictures". I'm not going to post many of Whitney and Mike because I think they will be using them soon and I don't want to spoil it. It was fun to walk around the Catamount Lodge. The lighting was perfect, and it was fun to see my little sisters with the men they love.

Mom and Kent at the rehearsal

These guys should get a reward for taking care of the kids while I was busy with matron of honor duties. I know they were a handful! J was in charge of them for two days, getting them ready for the wedding and everything else that comes along with taking care of little ones. Whitney's fiance, Mike, was a big help.

Trip trying to sneak a taste of the cake at the rehearsal dinner

The entire family - new brothers included

Gigi with Anna Kate

Trip was rewarded with a Sprite at the rehearsal dinner

 

My big boy ring bearer giving his Mama kisses

The actual wedding pictures are beautiful, but we don't have the digital images yet. I'll post more of those when we get them. Anna was glowing, and Matt looked like the happiest man alive. As we were loading the limo for the wedding it started to rain. Thankfully because this was a family only wedding, it was no problem to wait out the weather and start the ceremony 30 minutes late. Everything cleared up and the wedding moved forward as planned. The ceremony site overlooked the lake and there were two large trees flanking the aisle. The mountains provided the perfect backdrop. It was truly beautiful and, most importantly, Anna and Matt are married!!

Anna Kate headed home to bed after the wedding, and Trip was such a trooper staying up til past Midnight, which is 1 a.m. Texas time. He was so much fun and it wasn't until the end of the night that he had a complete meltdown. Who can blame him?

We had planned the trip to Colorado before Anna was even engaged, so our schedule was to wake up the morning after the wedding and start our 20 hour drive home. I stayed up late packing our bags, and J woke us all up at 5 a.m. to start driving while the kids and I slept in the back. Amazingly, with almost 40 hours in the car, I estimate we only had 30 minutes total of crying/yelling. This truly is a miracle seeing as Anna Kate typically melts down on a short drive in to San Antonio. That wild woman can't stand being contained in a car seat!

Despite the week being a little bit on the exhausting side for an 8 months pregnant person and my patient husband, it turned out to be a success. We made some really great memories, enjoyed getting to know our new brothers a little better, and ended the week with a heck of a wedding. 

Next year we will be skipping Colorado in lieu of a Montana wedding for Whitney and Mike!