10 Year Reunion

I had my 10 year class reunion last weekend.  Several month ago, when I got the Save the Date card, I just assumed I would go.  However, as it got closer, I started to change my mind.

I think reunions are different now because everyone knows what everyone is doing thanks to Facebook.  I also think that at one time, a lot of people from our class were planning on attending, but as time got closer and people were saying on their Facebook status that they were not going to the reunion, it just started to look like it wasn't going to be as good as we once thought.  I decided I wasn't going to go.....

Then, I started to feel the pressure of going from several friends, but I still wasn't all that motivated to go.

The Thursday before the reunion, I just started thinking - it will PROBABLY be lame, but what if it isn't?!  What if I miss something good?!  And really, if there are a handful of us going and a bar....we can make it fun!!  And that's just what we did!

There were a lot of people there, but not a lot when you compare it to how big our graduating class was.  It started off kind of quiet and awkward and I worried that Aaron and I just threw $71 per person down the drain, but after a few [maybe too many!] trips to the bar, I think mostly everyone was having a good time.  I really did have a good time and I am glad that we decided to go.

There was a photographer there to capture the night, so I really didn't take that many pictures.  I will share the other ones with you when we have access to them....

We were so close.....

.....to surviving the whole wedding without Jackson putting on a show, but like the saying goes, close only matters when playing horseshoes.

I sat a little tray of goldfish, animal cookies, and popcorn behind one of the speakers on the front of the stage in hopes of keeping Jackson and Parker happy throughout the whole ceremony. Jackson watched me make this tray the day of the wedding and was looking forward to eating it.

He walked down the aisle without a problem. He sat by the snack tray and started eating his snack in silence. Parker went down the aisle without a problem as well......while pushing a little baby stroller down the aisle that she didn't want to leave behind in the church nursery. It was precious and makes a great memory!!

Jackson and Parker sat together quietly and enjoyed their snack. During the wedding, I actually was telling myself how much Marla and I lucked out. The kids were doing great!! HOWEVER....we were so close to the end of the ceremony when Jackson decided it was time to play. Aaron was sitting in the back of the church with Garrett. He had the video camera and taped "Jackson's Performance." The video is shaky due to the fact Aaron is laughing, while I am turning bright red! The hard part was I knew if I grabbed him while he was in the middle of the stage it would only cause a bigger scene. Luckily he agreed, without a fight, to go sit with Aaron when I told him to. So embarrassing.........and Kristin said she didn't even know he did this. I think she is just trying to make me feel better.

To Aaron's Family: Does this remind anyone of Aaron being an airplane in Randy and Dianne's wedding when Aaron was two? Like father, Like Son, so shouldn't he be the one in the front of the church being paid backed and not sitting in the back?! ;)

The church video crew had issues with their camera and grabbed ours from Aaron to tape the end of the wedding. I love the very end when Parker goes back for her baby stroller. Her act seemed so much sweeter than my crazy child's act.

The rest of the videos are the boys dancing at the reception. I only brought my flip video camera, but Marla took some I will share later.

I LOVE this video of the boys dancing together. They are both doing a little neck roll dancing move. It is very short, so you may have to watch it more than once to really see their moves. ;)

If only this were the hard part of being a Ring Bearer....

Jackson is the Ring Bearer in Kristin and Phil's wedding Friday night. Thursday night was the rehearsal and as you can see from the video, he did well..............walking down the aisle........and that's about it. :)

Just to sum things up, Garrett who was sitting with Aaron was crying "Mama! Mama! Mama!" so Aaron got up to take Garrett outside. Jackson then walked right behind Kristin and Phil and yelled and waved at Aaron and Garrett "BYE!!!!!!!!!!!" A few minutes later he told me (and everyone....) "I'm just going to find Daddy and Garrett now," which he did try to do, and I had to run after him. He also enjoyed dancing and spinning behind the Preacher, walking up and down the stairs, etc.

Wish us luck. Lots and lots of luck. We decided to put together a little combo platter of treats by where we stand to hopefully keep Jackson and Parker in one location. Once upon a time we thought it would be easy. Parker would stand by Marla, Jackson would stand by me, Kristin and Phil would get married and live happily ever after. However, tonight Parker was with her Daddy Geoff and Jackson was everywhere.

Parent Approved Double Date!

We had a fun Saturday night! Kristin, Payton, Marla, Geoff, and Parker all came over for playtime and dinner. Here are some pictures -

Kristin was making Payton's bottle, so I told Jackson that we had to watch Payton. He's a good "watcher," don't you think?!

Kristin & Payton

I love Payton's chubby cheeks!!!

Parker, waiting for someone to take her on a ride -

Garrett, the child is fearless -

Parker & Marla

Parker, Jackson, Payton, and Garrett -

Garrett looks like a giant. I should have pulled him down some.

After Parker and Jackson's birthdays in September, we can say these kiddos are 0,1,2,3.

Here is where I told the boys to give the girls a kiss. Garrett didn't follow through, but Jackson....

....tried his very best to follow his mamma's orders. However, Parker remembered what her parents taught her about boys! :)

Garrett is currently going through a major "Mommy" phase. I watched Payton for a little while a few weeks ago and he didn't seem to mind me holding Payton. Tonight however, Garrett was a little jealous! He didn't object to it, he just wanted to lay in my arms as well.

I must share what we had for dessert. This is not a picture of my dessert. This picture came from the website I got the recipe from. I would have taken a picture, but at the moment, I didn't think risking my ice cream melting was worth it for a picture.

If you love Strawberry Shortcake, especially the one from The Cheesecake Factory, then you will love this!

Click for Recipe: The Cheesecake Factory Strawberry Shortcake

Today, my friend Kristin and I had to run some errands and then took the boys to a park. Kristin and I have been best friends since about the 2nd grade. She is expecting her first baby at the end of April/first of May and I am so excited that our kids will be able to grow up together. Kristin's niece, Parker, and Jackson are 1 year apart and Garrett and Kristin's baby will be about a year apart....so we will just have one big play group one day! :)
....cleaning his shoe out. He wasn't a fan of the mulch in his shoe at this playground either. I guess I should of brought the cowboy boots.
Garrett and Kristin, only you don't see Kristin's head.
When it was time to leave, I knew Jackson was tired and it could have easily turned into a battle since Jackson was not ready to leave. I told Jackson "Let's go and when we get home you can have some ice cream." (I knew he would forget!) Without a battle, he was QUICKLY ready to go! He fell asleep in the car right away. I had to take Kristin home and then drive home, so we were in the car about an hour. When we pulled into the garage, I woke him up from his car seat and asked him if he wanted to go check the mail. He normally loves checking the mail, but today he was waiting at the back door still half asleep. I opened the door, he ran and climbed up into his booster chair and said "Ice Cream!" He didn't forget, so luckily we had some ice cream left over from his birthday party.