Snow Mountain Ranch

The first weekend in July, conveniently as soon as our family moved to Colorado, our good college friend Joe got married up in the Rocky Mountains. We enjoyed a great weekend at Snow Mountain Ranch for Joe and Betsy's wedding!

The kids began their mountain exploration on the playground outside the lodge.

Gabi and Reve walking through the meditation labyrinth

When Kati saw the rocks forming the labyrinth walls, she exclaimed, "Ball! Ball!"

We went canoeing just before the wedding ceremony, and then we helped move things into the reception cabin before rushing back for the wedding.

The Notre Dame crowd filled a row on the groom's side of the outdoor chapel.

Joe played his bagpipes at the beginning of the ceremony, before the procession.

Kati slept through most of the ceremony, until the storm began rolling in and the wind woke her up.

Gabi and Bella's favorite part of a wedding is all the dancing (and the cake) at the reception! We all enjoyed the fabulous party, which was held in a large cabin where we also slept that night (eventually).

Kati was fascinated by the other baby at the reception. Our three girls plus baby Audrey were the only kids, but they had a blast.

Happy 4th of July!

We stopped by a waterfall on the way down the mountain.

Unfortunately, we got stuck in traffic and it took well over twice as long to get back to Denver as it should have. We had plenty of time to play with the camera in the car.

Since I am eternally a month behind on blog posts, I can also include here pictures from Joe & Betsy's "second reception" last night. Their wedding itself was small, so they invited all their local friends to a cookout to celebrate a month later, complete with a toast to the bride and groom and a wedding cake.

The girls enjoyed looking at the vegetables garden, tossing a volleyball, and playing with giant dominoes at the reception cookout.

Scott and Amy

The last weekend in June, my family reunited in Austin, TX to celebrate Uncle Scott & Aunt Amy's wedding. At the groom's request, I did not take any pictures of the wedding itself, but I'll share a few of the rehearsal.

Bella and cousin Swayzee were flowergirls! Bella was so proud and excited to be included in such an important role.

Beautiful Bride, Amy

My three daughters

Gabi helped pass out programs to all the wedding guests before the ceremony. This assignment made her feel special, and she took the job seriously.

Introducing the newlywed couple (at the reception):

The girls were well-behaved at the church so they could attend the reception (a.k.a. dance party)! They enjoyed dancing with their many cousins.

The kids also decided to play a game on the dance floor. I think they were playing "telephone." The cousins basically had the entire dance floor to themselves, as none of the guests wanted to follow the bride and groom's amazing first dances.

The reception was held in a museum lobby. It was a great location, walking distance from the church.

Of course, Michael danced with his girls! He bought a tie to match the wedding colors since he was an usher.

Scott and Amy leave the reception through a tunnel of bubbles.

Our girls were exhausted after a long day and a full evening of dancing.

The next day, I met up with my high school friends Sydney and Stephanie, who drove to Austin just to have lunch with us.

Stephanie brought her sweet six-month-old baby, Ella, for us to meet.

Notre Dame in June

We traveled to Notre Dame for Michael's 10-year reunion this summer. It was great to visit the beautiful ND campus again, hang out with some of our best friends, and catch up with friends we haven't seen recently.

My friend Trevor happened to be on campus working on a project with one of the engineering professors.

Michael and I renewed our vows at the Basilica.

We toured the impressive new engineering building.

Michael, George, Cynthia, and Joe at the new entrance to the JACC:

We stayed in the dorms for the weekend. It would have been more fun if it were one of the dorms we had a closer affiliation with during our college years (specifically Knott)... or if we could have been in one of the brand new dorms (which are reserved for older alumni during reunion weekends). Overall, though, it was a wonderful weekend and a trip down memory lane.

Of course we stopped by the Grotto, too.

Michael & Melissa, Margaret & Jason, Joe, and Emmet

Margaret's son, Emmet

Outside Knott: "Whoever's bike is in the tree, kindly remove it."

View from the library of Stonehenge, the Basilica, Washington Hall, and the Dome

God Quad

George, Michael, and Joe in front of Stonehenge

Michael climbing a tree on South Quad

Back in Little Rock, all the cousins gather to wish us fare-well:

Daniel, Stephen, Tyler
Jaymie, Julienne, Gabi
Kati, Bella, Caitlin

Gabi and Isabel at Isabel's birthday party
the weekend before we move

Kati with a giant bear near the Colorado border
on our drive to Denver