Uncle Eric's Wedding Weekend

Natalie's baby brother, Uncle Eric, got married a couple weekends ago at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, VA (about an hour east of Washington, D.C.), so our family made the road trip up to celebrate with him, his bride Grace, and the rest of the family. We arrived on a Friday evening, with about a half hour to spare before the wedding rehearsal. Noah and Micah had the special job of being "sign bearers" for the wedding ceremony, so they got to practice walking down the aisle, holding a cute little sign that read, "Here comes the bride." After the rehearsal, we settled into our room, ordered a couple cribs for the boys (instead of risking any craziness if we used the borrowed toddler air mattresses), then headed down to the resort wine bar for a surprisingly tasty dinner, with the company of Aunty Donna. Once the boys were down for the night, mama relaxed in the bathroom (where there was a tv!) while Mitch explored the cozy "library" and lobby area of the resort. 

The next day, the day of the wedding, we met up with a lot of family for breakfast, then explored the resort property some. There was a big emphasis on horses, and there was an actual equestrian center on the grounds with horses and a miniature pony. Eventually, we decided to venture off the resort grounds, and went to the nearby Leesburg Premium Outlets to walk around. After some time there and lunch, it was back to hotel to rest before the main event! Getting two year olds into suits and dress shoes was not the easiest task, but with the aid of gummies, almost anything is possible. ;) We made our way down to the wedding ballroom, and waited patiently for the ceremony to begin. The boys and their cousins were a little confused and not pleased about the waiting game, but everyone did well with their assigned duties once the wedding started (and then promptly exited soon thereafter with the dads, to avoid any outbursts or talking during the ceremony). It was a little surreal to see my little brother getting married, but he and Grace were both glowing with happiness and I'm very happy that he has found his life partner in her. 

Anyway, after the ceremony and a bunch of family photos, we took the boys up to our room to change them into more comfy clothes (i.e. pajamas), and then went back down for dinner. We dropped the boys off in the nannytainment room, where they did surprisingly well with eating and playing among strangers. So Mitch and I got to enjoy the remainder of the cocktail hour and beginning of the reception, before it was time to get the boys for bedtime. Mitch and I split night-time duties, with Mitch taking the first shift in the room while I ate dinner and mingled at the reception. Once I was done, I headed to the room for the night while Mitch got to eat his dinner and cake at the reception. It wasn't a perfect system, since we couldn't enjoy the full reception together, but it was what worked best for us given the circumstances and scheduling.  

The next morning, we got some breakfast at the restaurant for the boys before heading to the post-wedding brunch with the family and other wedding guests. It was nice to visit with people that we don't often see, and the boys always enjoy hanging out with Gung Gung. Soon, it was time to check-out and say good-bye, and so we made the 5.5 hour drive back to Davidson with one short rest stop along the way. As a special treat for being good boys on our weekend adventure, we treated the boys to chocolate ice cream at Ben & Jerry's once we got back into town. It was a huge hit, and now we have something to bribe the boys with when we're feeling desperate. ;) Anyway, it was a fun weekend, but we sure are glad to be back into our normal routine at home, with no more family trips planned for a while!