weddings and family time.

this past weekend, emme and i ventured out on our first solo, out of town adventure.  we flew to pensacola, florida to attend my cousin robert's wedding.  it was so much fun.  like i told justin, e was a million times better than even my wildest dreams could have imagined.  she did not cry once on any plane ride or in the airport.  in fact, she hardly cried at all the entire weekend.  she's never been a big complainer in general, but she was just amazing for our travels.

our first flight was at 6 am on friday.  i woke up at 3:30, nursed emme, then let she and her daddy sleep a little while longer while i finished getting everything ready.  some friends let us borrow their snap-n-go stroller and that thing was a LIFESAVER.  i think it was actually easier than traveling by myself because i wasn't lugging all my stuff around with me - just the diaper bag in the stroller basket, and the little miss in her seat.  anyway...we connected in memphis and were magically on the same flight as my brother (uncle joey), seated next to each other all the way to pensacola.  emmeline slept through both flights and didn't even flinch at the change in pressure.  she was awake between flights and super curious about everything that was going on...

friday we spent time with kk and aunt elizabeth shopping for something for me to wear to the wedding.  i am struggling with my weight and my shape a lot and i didn't have anything that fit to wear, so everyone graciously attended to my shopping needs and we found a few cute things that were acceptable for the occasion.  aunt cynthia, the mother of the groom, joined us for lunch and we had a great time.

friday night was the rehearsal dinner.  i had planned to stay at the hotel with emme because it wasn't really an occasion for a baby, but everyone encouraged us to come for just a little while, so we did.  e slept the whole time there as well and i was so glad to get to visit and mingle with the guests for a bit.

saturday we drove to the beach because we planned to dip emme's toes in the gulf of mexico....unfortunately, it was really cold and SO windy on the beach, so that didn't happen.  we took her out there, so she's seen the ocean, but the tactile experience will have to wait for jamaica.  we did a little bit more shopping and looking around, and then went back to the hotel for a nap before the wedding.  all the excitement wore her out, and she took a really great nap curled up next to me in our bed.

robert and alex's wedding was at 3, so we all got dressed and headed to the church.  it was a lovely ceremony and everyone looked great.  emmeline fell asleep (can you sense a theme?) right before the ceremony started, which was awesome.  in the middle of the vows, i glanced down at her and her eyes had popped wide open...i was really nervous that she was going to choose that moment to get upset, but she just grabbed one of my fingers and closed her eyes to finish the nap.  whew!  my mom had bought her a dress and sweater for the wedding and i think she looked very grown up and lady-like....

saturday night after the reception, we hung out in the hotel room with jj and kk (and uncle joey for a little while).  emme was still in a great mood and she got lots of time to stretch out and scoot around on the bed and get loved on by everyone.  she is super talky these days and has a lot to say to her animals and anyone that's making eye contact.

sunday morning we got all of our gear together, visited with the extended family in the lobby for a little while, had a quick breakfast at the airport, and hopped on our flight to atlanta.  it was a whirlwind trip but SO much fun, and so great for emme to get to meet several cousins and other family members.  she was tuckered out after all the excitement and slept through both flights back to austin.  we were both glad to see daddy and the farm animals when we got back.  we have more adventures just around the corner, and i'm even more excited about them knowing what a good little monkey we have on our hands.

p.s. i didn't bring a real camera - just the iphone - so sorry there are so few pictures!  next time daddy will be there to ensure proper documentation....