Jennifer and Evan's Wedding Weekend

June 2013

(I can't believe I haven't written about this) 

Jennifer and Evan had the most amazing wedding weekend/day in Telluride, CO. We flew in on Wednesday and flew back on Tuesday. Liam stayed with MeeMaw and PawPaw while we were gone. The first night I went with my parents to help Jennifer and Evan put together their welcome bags. Jennifer planned every detail of this wedding and went all out. Everything was pretty amazing. Everything in the bag had a Telluride theme. There were water canteens (with Telluride on them), energy bars, tylenol (for altitude headaches), sunscreen, chapstick, chocolate... all in a canvas bag.

Thursday afternoon they planned a picnic at the Telluride Town Park. You had to walk through town to get there and the street was lined with vendors. They got all the vegetables to grill that day from the stands. We found some chia seeds granola for Jason's Dad and jam for his Mom. The place of the picnic was pretty surreal.  Mountains were on both sides with a river streaming by. It was a really nice day. That night we went out to dinner with Evan's family. We were there for a long time and the kids did great. It helped that we were sitting outside.

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner at The Peaks Resort. The dinner was on a patio outside enclosed by a clear balcony. The sun was setting over the mountains and the weather was perfect. It was such a beautiful night. Their friends gave a few toasts during the night and it was fun hearing about them. They are such a cute couple :)

Saturday was the big day! My sister had a suite reserved at the hotel for all the bridesmaids to get ready. Again, it was beautiful. There was a huge balcony looking out at the mountains. There was even a masseuse there. We had lunch, got our makeup done, our hair done, hung out...

The gondola was a big hit with the girls.

Family Hike

Family Hike #2 and #3

Jason took the girls on a bike ride the morning of the wedding. I was with my mom and sister in the bridal suite helping and getting ready.

The kids the morning we left. We sure missed not having Liam with us!

Day 6: Epcot/Magic Kingdom/Cinderella's Castle

Our last day was a busy day. As I already mentioned, Jason, the girls, and I went to Epcot that morning so they could ride their favorite rides again and see Jasmine.

We came back to the hotel to rest for a bit, then we all went to MK to do a bunch of rides and eat dinner at Cinderella's Castle. Again, we didn't really have any waits for the rides. The kids loved the playground at Dumbo. I hung outside since Liam fell asleep in his stroller and I didn't want to wake him. We were having so much fun that we didn't realize what time it was and had to run to make our reservation at the castle, hence why the kids are so red in the picture :)

Cinderella's Castle was amazing. The food was surprisingly good and the characters were so sweet. Our waiter even gave Liam a free meal since we were going to have him share off our plates. Kate and Abby were fascinated by the entire experience and felt so special. Liam did have an incident which involved my Mom coming to help me and then taking Liam out to buy him a new shirt... Again, so thankful we had my Mom there to share this experience with us and to help with Liam!

My favorite picture from the trip and from 2013. This moment was the end to a wonderful week spending time as a family and celebrating our health. I am so thankful for my family and have been blessed with more than I ever hoped for in my life. 

Day 5: Magic Kingdom/Halloween

We all went to MK Halloween morning, then our hotel had a party and trick-or-treating that evening. Another perfect day. The hotel was amazing for the kids celebrating Halloween. They had crafts and candy and movies... We loved being at Disney World for Halloween.

Day 4: Animal Kingdom

Day 4: Pool Day and Animal Kingdom

We decided to have a rest day during the week. A lazy morning and afternoon at the pool. There were three pools at the resort but we only went to the one right outside our room. The Nemo pool was the best in my opinion. It had a splash pad area that was perfect for Liam. There was also a little climbing/sliding area and the pool itself was huge with a big wadding area. Jason also did a little work this morning too.

Later that afternoon, Jason, Kate, Abby and I went to the Animal Kingdom while Liam napped and played with my Mom. We got a deal with our park tickets where one was free. I really liked the Animal Kingdom but I don't know if it would be worth paying full price for everyone to go. The safari was pretty great. We literally could have reached out the jeep and touched some animals. They had a pretty impressive playground too. If you went over the bridge in the playground there was also a pit where kids could excavate dinosaur fossils. Kate and Abby played forever here. There was a 4D movie that was fun. Kate was really into all the effects. Some of it was a little too real for Abby and she'd take off her glasses for the intense parts. Lastly, Jason and Kate went on a roller coaster while Abby and I rode the train then went to the petting zoo area. We watched the parade then left right as the park was closing.

Magic Kingdom

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

This was a day I don't think any of us will ever forget. We had an early appointment at Bippity Boppity Boo. It was surreal walking into the park with barely any people. The girls LOVED getting their hair and nails done. They were too cute and it was definitely worth it. We were finished before the park fully opened so we were again able to walk on a bunch of rides. The girls loved the teacups and I personally liked Winnie the Pooh. Liam was hilarious during It's a Small World. He was laughing and saying wow over and over. It was so cute. 

At lunch time we went back to the hotel to take a break. Liam was exhausted and slept the second he got in the car. My Mom arrived then from her flight. We showed her around some, then after Kate and Abby napped for a bit, Jason and I went back to Magic Kingdom with the girls. They really liked Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo (especially the amazing playground inside the Dumbo area), Barnstormer (a real roller coaster!), riding the train, and a ton of other rides. We were able to do a few character meets too since lines weren't long. Merida was my favorite of the entire week. She was too cute and really sweet with the girls! Abby loved that she met Tangled (Rapunzel) and Kate loved meeting Snow White. It was fun for them because they were dressed as Snow White and Rapunzel and the princesses made a big deal about it.

We finished the day with dinner at The Crystal Palace. This never could have happened without my Mom being able to watch Liam. It was a long day and would have been too much for him. Kate and Abby really enjoyed being able to pick out their own drinks, dinner, and best of all, desserts! The characters were fun too. The Halloween Party was starting when we were leaving. We didn't stay for the party and it was a good call. It doesn't start until 7:30, the kids bedtime, and it was crowded and dark. I tried to get pictures of all the decorations though, because they really go all out! Unfortunately, it was just too dark. 

The Fairy Godmother was waiting at the castle entrance

Abby's experience. I loved when she saw herself for the first time.

 Kate's experience. She was so still while they did her hair. I loved seeing her expression at the end too!

Liam stayed away from the Fairy Godmothers and was content eating and staying close to Jason :)

Liam on the way back to the hotel that afternoon

 Watching the parade. 

The guys standing next to us were hilarious. They knew these tricks so all the characters in the parade would do special things as they went by.