Part II--The Wedding

So we've been home for 10 days now and I'm just getting to my second post about the trip! I've had an unfortunate distraction as my poor sweet baby girl has impacted bowels. We've made two trips to the doctor and one to the ER and I think we're finally getting somewhere. I was pretty angry that it even got to this point because I brought up my concerns with the doctor last week at her nine-month check-up and instead of tending to that, the ridiculous (nicest word I can come up with) doctor made a big fuss out of her not cruising, being small for her age, and even being pale! What?! Sorry, my children are not pale! I looked around the room to see if there were any other kids around and didn't see any, but clearly, we weren't talking about the same child! And since when was cruising a requirement at nine months? Pretty sure crawling is the norm for this age and we're all good there. Anyway....like I said, I think we're making progress. I've never seen any of my kiddos in such pain though. It's been awful.

Back to the trip....the wedding was beautiful! It was one of Ronnie's cousins who got married. He and his new bride are a beautiful couple. Thomas was set to be the "banner boy." Ronnie's aunt made this beautiful banner that Thomas was to carry down the aisle right before the bride that says, "Here Comes the Bride." On the back, after the ceremony, it says "Mr. and Mrs. Zach Ramirez." It was so pretty and I'm sure it took her quite some time to make. Well, at the rehearsal, the priest decided he was not going to allow the banner. Apparently, this had been agreed to by the priest prior to the making and then at the last minute, was not allowed. Frustrating. Thomas was fine though. He still walked in with the "kiddie entourage" just behind the ring bearers.

The boys looked so handsome! I told Thomas as he was getting dressed that if I was four, I'd want to marry him! Clayton was equally as sharp! And Gaby was as pretty as a picture (just like always!) We did get a really good family photo, but I'm not going to share it just in case it ends up getting used for a Christmas card! :)

Thomas did hold the banner as the new couple was introduced at the reception and he had a fine time! We let him change into a t-shirt and shorts though because it was an outdoor reception and nearly 100 degrees!

Recap (Part I)

Here we go!

We started our trip in San Antonio; a city that Ronnie and I really enjoyed way back when we lived in Del Rio, practically a lifetime ago. Since the wedding was in Ronnie's hometown of San Angelo, it was convenient to fly into San Anton and spend a couple nights there. It was super hot and super humid! We're certainly used to the heat having spent five summers here already, but the humidity makes you feel so awful when you're not accustomed to it. Anyway, we slept in (always a good way to start a vacation) and then headed down to the Riverwalk. We did the boat cruise along the San Antonio River which was really fun with the kids.


Can you tell the little one is hot?!


We all are!

After the cruise, we headed in to the mall food court for some lunch and more importantly, some freezing cold air conditioning! Afterward, we decided we had enough steam to walk down to the Tower of the Americas. Ronnie took a really cool photo of the boys in front of the tower with his phone, but I don't have it on the computer, so you'll have to wait on that one. Gaby fell asleep in the Baby Ergo on the way there, so she was able to get a needed nap. (Side note: The Baby Ergo is by FAR the best baby carrier I have EVER used! Love it! And it sure did make the trip much easier!)


Couple photos along the way to the tower.



We took the elevator to the top where the boys were able to look out at San Antonio with the use of telescopes.





After we were done exploring, we headed back to the car. Luckily, there were some great fountains along the sidewalk and Thomas had a blast running through them. Clay decided he didn't want to be wet for the walk back. (More photos on Ronnie's phone.)

When we got back to the hotel, we all went to the pool to cool off. It was Gaby's first time in a pool and she LOVED it! Lots of splashing and smiling!



It was a great day!

Important Update

I forgot to mention earlier some big news!

While on our trip, Miss Gab cut her first tiny tooth (so cute!) AND started crawling (army-style) all on the same day....which just happened to be our 11th wedding anniversary as well. Quite a big day for that little sweetheart!

Currently, she is about to embark on hour four of her morning nap! You think she's catching up on some sleep?!

Refreshed

Wow! It's been a long time! Ronnie, Gab, and I just returned on Sunday from two and a half weeks of vacation. The boys are really getting a great deal, spending two extra weeks on the east coast with both sets of grandparents. To say I had a hard time leaving them would be an understatement! Thank goodness for web cams! I was so glad to "see" them yesterday. And I know they are being well-cared for and loved tremendously (if a little spoiled!)

I have bunches of memories and photos to share. I will try to post a bit each day. It's a lot to recap all at once. I will tell you for now that the kids were amazing travelers....amazing!! We headed to Texas first to attend a wedding of one of Ronnie's cousins that Thomas was in. We ended up traveling to three different cities in just six days. It was wonderful to see so much of Ronnie's family, some of whom had never met any of the kids, and to have some fun time just ourselves as well, but it was busy and tiring for little people. They were such troopers! We then headed to the east coast to spend time with our parents and my brothers. Wonderful time spent with all of them! We had lots of fun and managed to relax after the exhausting pace of the last six months.

So today, Ronnie returned to work. He actually just sent me an e-mail saying he's "back in the saddle." He has a new position after finishing Weapons School. I'm certain he will be challenged and busy with two squadrons to care for as their Weapons Officer. Also certain, he's up to the challenge. I already have a long list of projects that have been neglected for too long around the house and we're hoping to do some room-shuffling/remodeling before the boys get home as well.

One last note before I sign off for now, I'm so sorry to my dear east coast friends who I didn't get to see (again!). Please know it's not for lack of desire, just lack of time. Two weeks feels like forever until you realize how many people want your time. We always do the best we can, but it never seems to be quite enough. I'm sorry. We're still hoping we'll make it back to the east coast to live one day and I will cherish being able to drive to visit family and friends.

Love you all! Thanks for an amazing couple weeks!

Proof and The Celebration

We made it. We all made it. Yes, all of us. I'm so proud of all of us, but mostly Ronnie. He's my hero. He balances it all so, so well. As hard as he worked and as little as we saw him over the last six months, he engaged the second he walked in the door; no matter what time it was or who was awake. He got up with us most mornings, even if he'd just gotten home a few hours earlier. And I can honestly say that his relationship with the kids did not suffer at all. (Ours didn't either, but I probably stressed him out with my stress from time to time....or maybe, more often than not!) He told me Sunday morning that his awards are that Gaby smiles at him all the time, that Thomas continues to do things like getting up from the table at Olive Garden on Saturday afternoon just to make a special trip over to Ronnie to tell him he loves him, and Clayton's looking forward to him coaching his football team next season.

Proud beyond words to be the wife of a man who graduates from USAF Weapons School and still holds his family as his top earthly priority. I love you, Ronnie.

Patch Night was fun and the graduation celebration was really nice. Enjoy the photos.

Done

The boys are done with school!! Half days for both of them today to finish up, so we followed that up with McDonald's for lunch, rest, sprinkler fun, and movie night. Doesn't get much better than that!

The boys both brought home fun mementos from the year today. Thomas' preschool teachers made a scrapbook for each child with some of their artwork and photos. There was also a sheet of questions that were asked of them early on in the year. Some of my favorites....

*Who is God?
"Daddy and Mommy."
*What do your Mommy and Daddy do when you are at preschool?
"Mommy's getting a baby test and Daddy's on the predator."
*What do you like to do on weekends?
"I dust the furniture and the computer." (WHAT?)
*Why do you love your Mommy and Daddy?
"Because there's a new baby coming."

That's Tommy. Super silly. Super sweet.

Clay brought home a journal collection. A couple of my favorite entries....

"When I graw up I want to be a Mishanaery. A Mishanaery gose a rald the world teching about Jesus. A Mishanaery dosn't get to see it's famliy." (Beautiful or is he just wanting to get away from us? Hmmmm.....) 4/27/10

"My favorite thing about my dad is he helps me with homewrlk. Also he and I have boys night. I love my dad." 5/14/10

I love how my Clay-man loves.

Happy Summer! May the days be full of special memories and lots of rest. (I'm super excited just to not drive to school three times a day, three days a week!)

Oh, and only one more week until my other boy is done with his school too! Yippee!

And Now....For Her Latest Trick

Gaby's finally mastered the sitting thing. Funny....she's a late sitter and went from not being able to do it at all, to having it pretty much completely mastered in less than a week. She sat for the first time last Friday, May 21. Today, she's sitting steady and tall.

Here's a little clip from last Saturday when she was still a little wobbly.