We are back from a wonderful week in Maryland! The purpose of our trip was to attend Tim and Julia's wedding, but we extended it a bit, and fit in a whole bunch of fun with Grandma, Pop Pop, and lots of other family members.
We arrived on Thursday June 29th. After waiting a ridiculously long time to get our rental car, we headed over to Grandma and Pop Pop's to hang out and catch up. We went to Chick and Ruth's Delly for dinner for crab cakes and large chocolate shakes. Then we went down by the water to look at sail boats and enjoy the beautiful weather. Downtown Annapolis is one of my very favorite places.
On Friday, it was Adrienne's birthday! Pop Pop was so kind to pick up some Dunkin Donuts, so she had a lovely treat waiting for her when she woke.
I surprised her with her birthday shirt, and a button to wear so that everyone we saw that day would know it was her birthday.
Opening a couple little gifts I'd saved so she could open on her actual day.
We loaded up and made a fast stop at Chick Fil A for lunch before heading south to the wedding venue in Mechanicsville to help decorate.
Then we made a little drive to Solomons Island to check into the hotel and get settled. We had to drive over a huge bridge that was super scary. Not accurately represented by the picture.
We got cleaned up and headed back to the Flora Corner Farm for the rehearsal. The birthday girl couldn't hang on and took a little nap in the back of the van.
Wedding rehearsal. Such a beautiful spot!
After the rehearsal, we drove back to Solomons Island for the rehearsal dinner at the Lighthouse Restaurant. We had a wonderful meal in a beautiful setting.
Grandma ordered a cake to surprise Adrienne. Uncle Tim brought it out and Adrienne had all 30 people at the table singing to her. Very sweet moment.
As the dinner ended, the kids enjoyed walking down around the dock and spotting jellyfish in the water.
On Saturday morning, wedding day, we had a great breakfast downstairs in the lobby with Pop Pop, and met up with Brian and Jen and their 4 boys. Then we decided to try and go wake up Uncle Tim for his big day.
The girls, Jen, Pop Pop, and I enjoyed a morning at the pool and in the hot tub, while Matt, Brian, and Uncle Tim picked up wedding flowers and then brought pizza for us for lunch. The girls had such a wonderful time getting to know the Schulz boys. I loved chatting with Jen.
6 kids in a hot tub! Dillon, Lucas, Jillian, Benjamin, Eli, and Adrienne.
After pizza and showers, it was time to take the girls up to Julia's suite to get their hair done. Adrienne of course loved this process.
Julia getting her veil on! She wore her mother's veil.
The bride, bridesmaids, and flower girls. Getting their gifts from Julia.
Soon it was time to head to the wedding venue. Trying to keep the flower girls clean and neat was no easy task. The deck of UNO cards I brought did help to pass the time.
Quick photo with my favorite groomsman.
Family photo post ceremony
Storms were all around as the photographer tried to get all the obligatory pics in. Jillian was struggling to wait. She was hungry, tired, and complaining about her dress being itchy. See the tiny rainbow behind her in the below pic?
Grandma and her girls--three beautiful ladies!
Twirly girls!
Me and my new sister. Love Julia so much!
Grandma and Pop Pop lookin' good.
Matt and his bridesmaid partner entering the reception
A few funny selfies with Adrienne at the reception
Eating cupcakes, making s'mores, and playing a massive Jenga game made for the best evening ever for the girls.
Girls on crack. Sprite number 2 for the evening. Can you say sugar high?
Soon it was time for the bouquet toss...and guess who caught it?!? She was so excited.
After enjoying ourselves to the fullest, we made our way back to the hotel in a major rainstorm. On Sunday we had a leisurely breakfast, said our goodbyes to extended family, and headed back to Grandma and Pop Pop's house. We were lazy that day--napping, grocery shopping, and just recovering. On Monday, we went downtown and enjoyed a boat cruise on the Severn River to the Chesapeake. We had a delicious lunch (more crabcakes...when in Rome!), then enjoyed an evening with Tim and Julia as they came over for dinner that night. Grandma was gracious and let me cook in her kitchen.
Grandma has two cats--Bella and Lily. They are sisters and the girls love them. Bella is so fat, we just can't get over it! Grandma says she is nearly 30 lbs!
On Tuesday, the 4th, we just relaxed and hung out at Grandma and Pop Pop's house and got ready for a big family gathering at Uncle Mike and Aunt Nancy's/The Wheeler's. The girls were introduced to more cousins (I think we figured out they would be 3rd cousins??), and they enjoyed getting to know Jenna, Luke, Abby, Polly, and Ellie. As we began to eat, the sky opened and it poured like crazy. We let the kids go wild and they put on swim suits and just danced in the rain, jumped on the trampoline, and lived it up. They were so happy. After that, we put them in dry clothes and put on a movie. We intended to take everyone to see the fireworks in Annapolis, but the storms convinced us otherwise. We headed home around 10, then had to be up at 3:45 to head to the airport! Short night!
Jenna and Jillian...same age; two peas in a pod.
Movie time! L to R: Jenna, Jillian, Adrienne, Ellie, Luke, Polly, Abby
We made our 6 a.m. flight and for the first time ever in my life, I actually fell asleep on a plane and completely slept through the food/drink service! My row mate (Jillian) did too! After we woke, I turned around to find Matt and Adrienne in a similar way.
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