Ben and Sarah's wedding

Man, those California posts really put me behind in my blogging. So, BJ and Sarah got married back on August 7th. They had it at a beautiful place in Poulsbo called Kiana Lodge. It overlooked the water and they had different areas for dinner and then cake and dancing. A fun time was had by all (along with a great deal of wine). Here we are at the rehearsal before she officially became my cousin-in-law. All the girls back in the room at the Clearwater with hair and makeup done.

The multitasking bride.

The couple right before they become husband and wife.

The troublemakers, also known as the groomsmen.

Us girls all dolled up and ready for a wedding.

We stole the boys' cigars for this one.

The whole group of us. I don't know if one of these turned out because we never got warning from the photographer when he was taking shots. I know I blinked through several.

The ceremony.

Me and the hubby. We clean up well when we need to.

One more since most of our pictures are now usually of a sticky little one named Delaney and don't include both of us. We figured we better take advantage of the opportunity while we can.

The newlyweds, Ben and Sarah Kitchen.

My boys and I.

Dan, the bride and her beautiful daughter Emily.

Enjoying the open bar with my cousin Sam.

My cousin Kelli and I.

My wonderful mom and cousin Sam.

One more at the end of the night. Dan had been up since 1:30 that morning for work, so I continued on to the casino with some of the wedding party and he had to go back to the hotel to get some rest. It was our first night without Delaney since she was born, so I was making sure I lived it up while I could. Dan's mom watched her for her first overnight sleepover and she did great. I missed that little booger a ton, but I know it was good for her. We had a great time at the wedding and so glad to see these two tie the knot.

California by Mike

Finally. I have been having trouble loading pictures for this post, so it is finally done. Here are some pictures from Mike that he took in California on his nice camera (that I drooled over many times). He got a few pics that I didn't get including a whole group photo. Here is Delaney in the pool. All the kids enjoying the kiddie pool. Well, and I guess Karry and I were enjoying it too. Um, and I am going to bravely point out that I actually had a little bit of a tan (for me) in this picture and I am still blindingly pale. I will gladly accept the title of "Ginger" that the Kitchen boys have given me.

The castle at Disneyland. If you click on the picture, you can see the lot of us standing there on the right side. This was right before the glitter fairy sprinkled Pixiedust on the kids' heads which stayed there for weeks. Even with Delaney swimming everyday the rest of the trip and getting a bath every night, that Pixiedust lasted for weeks. Every once in a while, I swear I still see a little glimmer of something on her head.

See, I told you earlier that she had a good time on the carousel.

We had grand ideas of group shots of the kids that never seemed to actually work. I can't imagine why two 1-year olds and a 3-year old don't sit perfectly still for pictures whenever we ask them. :)

A nice shot of Dan, Mike and Ronan at the GardenWalk.

Ok, here is a group shot of the McGuires that actually shows the true nature of the group. These were just practice shots for when the lady came in to take the real photo, but I like that the candid shots are so revealing of us.

Here is the nice group shot of all of us. Somehow, everyone cooperated, no one was blinking, and the kids were even looking at the camera. It was a miracle!

Here is Mike, Karry, Harper, Ronan, Dan, Delaney and I.

The three of us up in the presidential suite.

California: Chapter 5- Family and Fun

The most important reason for our trip to California were these crazy people. We were able to spend some quality time with the whole McGuire clan for a week. Delaney and Grandma Marlene reading together.

I could just eat this cute little booger up.

My wonderful sister-in-law Melissa with D and I. Melissa was a HUGE help on the travel down since Dan wasn't with me and I needed a little extra help. Thanks again Melissa!

A few precious moments between Ronan and Delaney.

Four generations of McGuires. Great Grandma Poe, Grandpa McGuire, Dan and little Delaney.

A few of the crazy McGuire men.

Delaney finally let her Uncle Dave hold her on the last night. He even got a good night kiss. Lucky guy.

Oh, and Delaney discovered the toilet paper on this trip. Luckily, this little habit did not follow us back to Washington.

We had a great time on the trip, but it wore us out. We miss all you McGuires we don't get to see very often!

California: Chapter 4- GardenWalk and Downtown Disney

Right next to the condo, there is a mall called Anaheim GardenWalk. It is an outdoor mall with a beautiful fountain. One morning, we gathered up the kids and took them there for a walk before the mall opened so they could run around and get some fresh air. It worked out perfect because nothing was open but a coffee shop, so we got some coffee and the kids could wander around. Here is one out in front. Dan was taking the picture, so we are short one. Wandering around the fountain with daddy.

It was a little hard to keep her outta there.

Ronan couldn't quite get the glasses off of the statue.

Delaney tried picking her nose, but to no avail too.

The kids were psyched about the shark, can't you tell?

One afternoon, we also wandered over to Downtown Disney. My lovely sister-in-law, Kathy, was our tour guide and led us around. It is a neat little area of shops and restaurants right outside of Disneyland. We took Delaney to the Disney store to let her pick something out and I needed to get a few souvenirs. Delaney had a little trouble picking just one thing as you can see from the picture. In the end, we wound up with a baby Minnie Mouse that you can wrap up in her blanket.

Our little family at Downtown Disney.

My awesome sister-in-law and tour guide extraordinaire, Kathy and I at Downtown Disney.

Happy half birthday

Today, as of 5:22 this morning, Delaney is officially a 1 1/2 year old. One and a half sounds so much older than one. Anyway, I just needed to take a break from California posts to point that out. She has really been growing up lately. She can now lead us around to show us what she wants, she helps around the house with little things, she says "No" when she doesn't want something and "all done" when she wants to get down, dances to music and claps when the song is over, can fall down at the end of "Ring around the rosies", loves reading books, is now interested in Sesame Street, and continues to amaze us everyday with what she learns. She had a fork last night and I told her to go put it away. She walked into the kitchen, opened up the silverware drawer and put it in there. Nevermind that the fork was dirty, she knew where it belonged because she loves to help me unload the dishwasher. She is our little miss independent and fights hard to do things herself. It is amazing how much she has changed in leaps and bounds over the last 6 months and I can't wait to see what she accomplishes over the next 6 months.

California: Chapter 3 - Pools and Presidential Suites

The condos had a little kiddie pool which was perfect for the wee ones. It was 1 1/2 feet deep all the way across so they could stand up and walk in it. Plus, they had it as warm as bathwater, so it wasn't too bad for the rest of us to sit in either. The kids had a grand time in the pool which was an everyday occurrence. Here is Delaney enjoying the pool with her Aunt Karry and I. Splashing is fun!

Once Dan arrived, he got to spend some time in the pool with Delaney too.

One night towards the end of the trip, Mom and Dad McGuire were able to score a presidential suite for the night. These were beautiful condos on the top floor. Delaney and Ronan spent some time out on the balcony 14 floors up. Even though there was absolutely no way they could fall through the bars, it still made my knees a little weak when they walked over to the edge. Delaney, on the other hand, loved the sun, breeze and view from way up there.

Looking down at the pool from 14 floors up.

Sunset and the view of Disneyland from the suite. Delaney didn't quite make it late enough to see the fireworks from Disneyland that they do every night, but she was up late enough our first night there to see them. I don't think she cared.