Shennanigans

So our first toddler birthday party went off quite well. You have never seen two hours fly by so fast! The kids were happy, the parents were happy, and most importantly, the birthday boy was happy. Although he does sometimes get overwhelmed by lots of people, Nathan does like to play with other kids. And he certainly likes to open gifts.That went by in a flash of gift bags and tissue paper. The result = 3 Mr. Potato Heads, Jesse, another Woody, backpack, Buzz bowling game, PJ's, clothes, and a toy story blanket among other things. Since Toy Story was the theme of the day, there was lots of that around. The first few days, Nathan was all about bringing every character he had into bed with him. Thankfully that fad faded quickly. It's just about Nathan and his monkey now, and an occasional Elmo.

Last weekend we went to Annapolis for cousin Jill's wedding. What a blast! Unfortunately, Nathan caught some nasty little bug that made him miserable a few days after his birthday party (it's bound to happen with 12 other baby/ toddler noses around) and his sickness lasted into the weekend. But there was no stopping us from attending this party so off we went.

Ten minutes from the house on our way to MD, Nathan said "monkey". I knew instantly that in the rush to hit the road, monkey was left behind. Although Leo was very against making the round trip back, the mother in me couldn't help but go back home to get him. (Seriously, my heart hurt when I heard my sick little boy looking for his best buddy) It was added minutes to the trip but it saved us a couple days of whining, at least whining about monkey. Nathan's mood in general was pretty sour since he really didn't feel good. his fever continued and he was docile compared to his usual energetic nature. He snapped out of it a few days later but the weekend was rough for him.

Thankfully, Pop Pop and Jo Jo came down to Annapolis as well to help with the kids. They took Lily and Nathan and marched the streets of Annapolis over and over all day Saturday. Despite the sickness, they all had a great time. We couldn't have done it without them!

As for the wedding. It was so great for everyone to have time to hang out. Mom and Ed, Greg and Danielle, Tim and Jen were already in town when we got there. (You know, since the monkey adventure slowed us a bit). We had dinner in downtown Annapolis where Aunt Carol and Cousin Kathy from AZ joined us. Afterwards, we went back to our hotel to enjoy a much beloved game of the Kepler Kids - Kings. I used to think we would never have anymore fun when we had kids. We still do and the kids are right there alongside us watching their parents/ aunts/ uncles carry on like kids themselves. I hope we can continue the shenanigans for years to come. It's just too fun.

Saturday, we Kepler Kids borrowed Dad's van to take a short trip to a local brewery. It was Leo's idea and a good one for something different. It was timed perfectly with the wedding commencing at 3pm. We had just enough time for morning silliness. (TJ falling off the bench in the rear of the van is and will be a highlight. Dude, that was hilarious.)

The wedding was beautiful. I really couldn't believe one of my younger cousins was up there in that big white dress getting hitched. (I'm old) When the crowd cheered at the end of the ceremony we all knew it was going to be a really fun night. Jill and Greg's Marine friends sent them off by drawing their swords (so cool) and the fun times were on their way.

The wedding was at a Westin which was absolutely amazing. Contemporary and chic. Loved it! The food was simple, the drinks were flowing and eventually, the music was bumping too. We had to coax the DJ to kick it up a notch but once he did we were all 'jumpin around' on the dance floor. It was a familiar Garrison scene. When we returned to the hotel after the after party, we found the TV on, lights out and Joanne and Nathan snuggled in bed. What a sight. He did well (with some Benedryl) and it seems both kids and grandparents had  as much fun as we did.

Sunday morning was a little rough but the brunch hosted by Aunt Mary and Uncle Lee was a nice way to end the weekend. We said our goodbyes and got on the road by noon. It felt like the party was still going on though - Dad and Joanne would be joining us later that night down in Raleigh. Yay for visitors!

The time together in NC was really nice, as it always is. We really just hung around and enjoyed the 83 degrees on Monday (and the strange 58 degrees on Tuesday). They bought us some beautiful roses for our anniversary to put in the backyard (which the deer promptly ate the night after I put them in the ground. But that's another story. I'm too mad to talk about it). Then they were off to Florida to see Aunt Ruth and Nanni. Nathan is still asking for Pop Pop and Jo Jo.

Carol and Kathy came down to NC too for some other family visiting and Thursday Logan was here to play for a few hours. Nathan loved playing with his cousin since it had been so long and even asked the next day "Logan go?"

We are happy for a bit of a slow down now. And now that we are home back in our natural habitat, with a healthy kid again, we are odserving in all the changes that are taking place with our two-year-old. He is putting words together at lighting speed and comes up with a new way to make us laugh everyday.Stay tuned for the Trend version of "Kids Say the Darnedest Things." I'm sure he will come up with many a doozy to make us giggle. Right now we are enjoying the way he enthusiastically says "I Love You!"