A Santa Barbara wedding

Like I said already, the wedding could not have been any more beautiful and was so special that it was at Lauren's (the bride's) Aunt and Uncle's house. They had the ceremony in front of the house and the reception in the back complete with an awesome salsa band.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous about how Luke would do as a ring bearer but I'm proud to say he did AWESOME! He walked down the aisle all by himself with just a brief hesitation to stop and see where I went and he even walked up to hand Michael the rings right on cue in the middle of the ceremony. I was really proud! We also couldn't get him off the dance floor the whole night which came as a surprise to me. :)

Matthew and Lauren looked sooo happy and it made celebrating them so much fun! I was too chicken to toast at the rehearsal dinner but I wish I would have gotten up to say how excited I am to have a "sister-in-love!" Vacations and holidays with the Merrick's will be so much fun with another girl around to even up the numbers a bit. :) So welcome to the family, Lauren, and congratulations to the newest Mr. and Mrs. Merrick!

Californiaaaaa....

We got back late Sunday night from an AWESOME week in Santa Barbara for Matthew and Lauren's wedding! It was so special to have so many family members staying under one roof for the week and for such a special occasion!

I don't even know where to start in describing the week because it was so much fun and couldn't have gone any better. The house Kellie and Robert rented was amazing and the weather was

nothing more than perfect! I think I could live out there forever

too!

We had fun playing all week in the pool, at the beach, at the zoo, and shopping down on State street, just to list a few. We also just enjoyed being at the house playing play-doh and learning how to salsa dance! The wedding was fabulous also, but it deserves it's own post so I'll leave you with a bunch of pictures from the week.

Yesterday's crazy adventure

Yesterday Michael came home around 7:30am, just as Luke and I were eating our cereal with the rest of the day off! An awesome surprise for all of us! We were talking about what we had going for the day and discussed doing yard and house work when Michael said wait, "let me see if the Cubs are playing."

Sure enough they were and even better, it was the Cubs vs. White Sox series. After some contemplation and a check of the weather we decided to go for it. Michael's schedule in his second year (which starts July 1st) is quite intense and with a new addition to our family coming VERY soon we decided this was a great time to try such a spontaneous excursion.

Now for those of you that don't live around here, Chicago is not exactly quick drive from GR. :) But we made it with plenty of time for the game at 1:30 with just a few potty breaks (for me and Luke). We even snuck in a stop at the Michigan City Outlet mall. Strategic planning on my part no doubt.

We got some awesome tickets from a scalper right behind home plate and we all enjoyed seeing a game like that where they were both "home" teams. After the game we walked around Wrigleyville for a while and then headed to our favorite Chicago pizza place, Oven Grinders. Delish as always and by then it was 8:00 MI time so we started the drive back. All in all it was an awesome, yet a little bit crazy, day trip but one we will definitely remember.

Oh, and I added a belly pic at the bottom for good measure. I got some comments about the golfing pictures not looking like I was pregnant so here's proof she's definitely growing in there. :)

I've been slacking...

So I took an unintentional blogging hiatus and it wasn't for lack of things to blog about. I guess we've just been keeping busy.

Since I last posted we've celebrated Memorial day weekend with LOTS of Bar-b-que, golfed at 30 weeks pregnant, played outside with friends, played inside with friends due to lots of rain, made Pioneer Woman's homemade cinnamon rolls, Michael went fishing with a friend, basically just enjoying summer! Can't believe it's already June!

keeping cool

We have had some unusually hot weather for May in Michigan this week. I promise I'm not complaining because it is nothing compared to Houston and I have been waiting ALL winter for this. Unfortunately we turned our A/C on for the first time Sunday and it's not working. We should be back in business today, Praise the Lord because I don't think this pregnant momma can handle one more day of this.

Because it's been so hot inside and out we have opted to spend most of the days outside in the water. I even got in the baby pool on Monday because I was sweltering, Luke thought it was hilarious. :) We've been eating lots of popsicles and went to Meijer Gardens late yesterday to play with the boats and in the mini splash pad. Definitely kick starting our summer. Here's to working A/C for the rest of the summer.

this week we've been...

rewarding poopoo on the potty with ice cream...

swimming with friends in the backyard...

and just having fun!

Summer is definitely coming and it makes my heart happy. Next week we are supposed to have temperatures in the high 80's! Oh how my attitude about warm weather has changed since moving here. I feel like my bones still need warming after the winter.

Girls weekend :)

For every boy's weekend there has to be a girl's weekend, right? I had such a fun trip home for Lisa's wedding shower. It was a really quick trip but I was so glad I was able to be there and especially since I got to see lots of relatives who came in for the shower too. The shower was really special and Lisa got lots of great things to fill her kitchen.

That evening the whole extended family went to none other than Lupe Tortilla, my fav. :) Afterwards I was even able to run over to one my best friends and bridesmaid's engagement party for a little bit. It was a VERY quick trip with a lot squeezed in but was so fun to see everyone.

P.S. Sorry the spacing is weird. I am still having issues with this in case you can't tell. :)