Mason's 1st Birthday!

Our nephew Mason turned 1 year old on September 24th! Laura and Tyler threw a party for him on the 25th and we were able to attend. It was a lot of fun!

Tyler's parents donated their home for the party. It was a large group with our family and the Calderwoods.

Mason and his pretty mommy, Laura.

Enjoying some attention from Aunt Jamie and cousin Andy.

Family

Lance was with his dad that weekend, but was able to make it for most of the party. He spent the majority of his time playing with the Calderwood boys--it was a perfect match!

"Happy Birthday to you!"

Lance was super excited about the candle.

Yay for Mason! Mason wasn't too sure what to do...

He got some help from Mom and Dad.

Happy boy!

Jude enjoyed the cupcakes Aunt Laura made...

...as did Lance. What a goof!

Happy Birthday, Mason! We are so glad to have you in our family!

Valuable Life Lesson #247

Never pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for your not-yet 2-year-old to eat in the car while driving between errands.

I came to this realization today somewhere between the jelly that somehow managed to end up on the inside of the front door (Jude was eating in the back), the jelly on the carpet from the sandwich being dismantled and mashed, and the numerous wipes I had to use to clean not only the door and the carpet, but to wipe off the peanut butter that managed to find it's way onto every square inch of Jude's face, his shirt and his carseat.

I think we'll stick to cheerios. At least those you can vacuum.

Matt and Lindsey's Wedding

Two weekends ago, George and I got to attend the wedding of some of George's best friends from college. Matt and Lindsey have dated for years and got married September 25th! George knows Matt from Glee Club at UVA and they both met Lindsey through Women's Chorus. 

I was lucky enough to get to tag along for the ride and hang out with these fun people. It's always a neat experience to be with George's friends from college and hear some pretty interesting stories from those years. I had a great time!

We left Jude with George's family and Lance with his dad so we could attend both the rehearsal dinner Friday evening and the wedding Saturday afternoon. George was a groomsman so we got to go to both functions.

Matt and Lindsey going over some last-minute instructions.

Couple and Lindsey's family

Couple and Matt's parents.

Wedding party table 1

Wedding party table 2

A friend of theirs made a Groom's Cake for Matt--a Kindle with the first pages of one of his favorite books. It looked awesome and must have taken forever to make!

The next day, we made it to the church early so George could be in some pictures.

4 of the 5 Groomsmen

Waiting for the ceremony to start...

Friends from Glee Club

Preparing for the ceremony

Last-minute set-up

George and Matt with Frank Albinder, the Glee Club director.

Friends

Walking down the aisle

Here comes the bride!

Man and Wife

Love the gaggle of wedding party kids following the photographer

Groomsmen

Smile!

After pictures, we drove to the reception site and enjoyed lots of delicious food, drinks, and wonderful company. It was a beautiful reception.

Loved the colors--perfect for fall!

Gorgeous cake--and no, that's not fondant as I originally thought. Just very, VERY smooth butter-cream frosting. Wow!

Dancing

Line-dance with the married couple.

It was a new one for George...

They even had games set up outside for guest to enjoy. It was a hit, as you can tell.

One of my favorite people ever:  Karl Lugo.

Cheering Lugo on.

 

Toasts.

Elliot Neal, Maid of Honor

Garter

Mad dash from the single men to grab the garter.

Shoe game--the couple was asked questions about their relationship or different dynamics in their marriage and they answered by holding up the corresponding shoe. Very cute game and a hit with everyone.

As people started to trickle out, the Glee Club/Women's Chorus group had more and more fun.

"Hold on to what we've got... We've got each other, and that's a lot!"

 The Glee Club even sang a few of their favorite songs with the aid of the Women's Chorus. It started out like this...

...and ended like this.

Wishing the couple well with sparklers.

George got to be the DD and drove Matt and Lindsey to their hotel in Charlottesville.

We had a great time with our friends! I was honored to be invited to share this neat couple's special day. It was wonderful to see old friends of George's and catch up on their lives. He is lucky to have such good people in his life!