Christmas 2009

So here I sit, completely exhausted yet toasty in my new fluffy socks and warm fleece, eating way too much leftover cheese ball and reminiscing about maybe the best Christmas we've had yet. It started early for the kids - 9am on Christmas Eve Morn when Fadia threw her annual Kids Christmas Party and Parade (the kids are the parade). It was from 9-11am which gave Ahren and me just enough time to get showered and dressed and back over there to pick them up. From there we went right over to Gigi and Poppy's house where Auntie Amy, Uncle Scott, and most importantly, the COUSINS had just arrived. It was at that moment that the craze began, and it did not slow down until we put the kids to bed on Christmas Day at 9pm.
Christmas Eve with my family was wonderful as always. We spent the day preparing for the party and eating...a lot...in very frequent intervals. But since we all tend to get grumpy when we get hungry, I like to think of it as a necessity rather than gluttonous. We were very smart this year, and had the entire family dressed for 5:15 mass by 4pm. This way, we were able to get all of the family photos done before the children got too tired, and before the craze of the party began. Mass was wonderful as always. We go to the Children's Mass now so that the kids can enjoy the live nativity and singing, and they even have ballet dancers now. It's quite a show.
By the time we got home we had only a few minutes to spare before the party began. And what a party it was!! We estimate that we had about 60 of our closest friends and family attend - some who haven't made it in years! It was an amazing celebration made even more fun by the fact that we had about 13 young children who were completely enchanted by our visit from Santa. While I always feel like I don't actually get to talk to anyone on Christmas Eve, I did have a chance to have a few WONDERFUL conversations this year, and I now have it on pretty good authority that 2010 is going to be a spectacular year...more on that to come later. Much to our dismay, the children did not go to bed well before the party ended, but rather were the last ones we saw off at the end of the night! Ahren brought Zach and Lexi home at 11:30, while I stayed behind to clean up and ensure that Christmas Magic would be alive and well in the morning.
After going to bed around 1am, Christmas morning came all too early with the 6:25 wake up call from the cousins alerting us to the fact that Santa had come and was not at all stingy with the gifts! It took us awhile to rile the Lippman troops, but we were able to get their engines going once they saw all the presents that had been left for them! The next few hours were a flurry of wrapping paper, and new toys and squeals from happy children. Lexi was thrilled to get her Ariel doll "with all the dresses and tail" that she had been asking for for months (Santa is such a good guy) and Zach thought it was pretty fantastic they we gave him a whole sock full of toys that he was allowed to pull out. Of course, he was far more interested in tissue paper than any of the presents he received, but that's pretty typical for my kids.
After some breakfast, showers and naps for the kids (or just a short rest in Lexi's case), we were on to round three. As always, Mama made a wonderful feast for us, and Great Gram, Uncle Jay, and Uncle Jack and Aunt DJ joined us for the continued celebration. It was a lively and fun filled dinner and dessert, and by the time we got to our third round of presents we had a hard time keeping some folks awake (the kids, of course, were still going strong)! After another wonderful afternoon, we cleaned up, packed up and took our very sleepy children home to bed. Both Lexi and Zach were asleep before their heads even hit their pillows.
This morning at 8am, Lexi tip toed into my room, came to the side of my bed and said, "Mama, I just have to ask you one quick question and then I'm going back to snuggle in my bed." "Okay," I said, "what is your question?" She replied, "Do giants live in this area of the world?" "No...giants don't live anywhere in the world" I said. "Okay" she replied, and went back into her room, climbed back into bed, and went to sleep. :)
Lexi will be enjoying her cousins' extended visit for the rest of the weekend, and then the best gift of all is that Ahren took next week off from work. So we are thrilled to be getting some time together as a family when we can relax and enjoy all of our new toys.
Merry Christmas, everyone! And Happy New Year! I hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas celebration as we did.

Christmas, Here We Come!

It's hard to believe that Christmas could be 4 days away. It seems like just yesterday that we were bundling little baby Zachary into his baby snowsuit for his first Christmas and I was wondering whether I would survive my first year of being a mommy of two. Well, the good news is that I have survived (assuming all goes will in the next week and a half!). Not only have I survived, but it's been a wonderful year. Lexi has grown and matured so much over the last year and she just continues to be a joy. She is such a great big sister to her little brother that when it's just me and Zachary at home alone I don't know what to do without her! Zachary is becoming more and more of a little person himself. It's so exciting when babies start to have opinions about things, and you see them get excited when you are offering them something they want. Zachary is a little ham, and loves nothing more than to laugh, joke, and play with his family.

Ahren continues to do great at State Street, and we're hoping that all of the promotions he is receiving will eventually result in a pay increase as well! I am so proud of Ahren's work ethic, and it's clear that his employers appreciate it as well. I feel very secure knowing that Ahren is so well respected in his career. He works tirelessly day in and day out, but always has enough energy to play and laugh with the kids, and help me in the evenings. He is such an amazing husband and father - we are SO lucky for that.

While the economy has prevented us from doing some things that we would have liked to do this year, it certainly hasn't made us forget how lucky we are to have our friends and family. It's definitely true that it takes a village to raise a child - and an even bigger village to raise two, and I am so lucky to have a fantastic village made up of family and friends old and new.

We are so looking forward to Christmas this year. It's true that Christmas is so much more exciting when you can watch your own children enjoy it. There's lots more Christmas fun to be had, and then we will look forward to a wonderful 2010!

Kid Quotes

Funny quotes from my kids over the last week or so...

Lexi:

"Mama, how can Santa see us if we can't see him?" - This was one of those moments where Ahren and I looked at each other with panic and quickly said something about the elves watching on Santa's behalf!

Lexi was sick last week and I was trying to get her to drink something. I offered a few options that she turned down. Finally I said, "Hmm..let's see...what's your favorite thing in the whole world...?" She replied, "You, hugging me."

Zach:

I was feeding Zach a few weeks ago and he was very far away. As I stood up to move his chair I said, "Zachy, why are you so far away from me?" I SWEAR he said, "Actually, I'm not that far."

Last night at dinner Zach was pointing in Ahren's direction and saying "at, at" I thought he was pointing to the cat, and couldn't figure out why he was pointing so insistantly. Ahren said, "I think he's trying to say "catch"" (they both sound very similar) to which I replied that I was pretty sure it was "cat" because I could see that Charlie was standing near where he was pointing. Just as the words left my mouth Zach looked directly at me and very slowly and carefully said, "BALL". Sure enough, there was a ball there that I couldn't see, and that was what he wanted!

Zach Stats - 1 Year

Zachary had his one year doctor's visit today. He is perfectly healthy, and Dr. Martin has no concerns about his health or development...it's just such a nice change. :) He had to have one vaccine today, and also a blood test, so he was quite offended with being pinched so many times, but recovered from the insult quickly.

Here are his one year stats:
Weight - 20lbs, 9ozs - 20th percentile
Height - 30.5 inches - 75th percentile
Head - 47.3 cm - 75th percentile

He's tall and lean just like his sister! Obviously my children get their height from their Daddy!!

So, this morning Lexi was playing with Zachary in his little rocking chair. She was "hiding" drum sticks in his pant legs and telling me there was going to be a big surprise when I picked him up. After a few minutes she said to me, "Mama, are you determined to find out what the surprise is in Zachary's pants?" Determined...yea, what four year old uses that word?? Obviously a four year old preparing for her law degree...she had the following conversation with her Daddy a couple of weeks ago.
Lexi: "Daddy, are you going to take me to swimming lessons tomorrow?"
Daddy: "Sure, we can talk about that."
Lexi: "Well, Mama told me that either she would bring me, or you would bring me and I picked you, so....what's there to talk about?"
She had you there, Daddy! ...oh boy are we in trouble when she is a teenager!

Tree Trimming 2009

It seemed as though we might miss out on all of our annual Christmas preparations this weekend when Lexi came down with a terrible flu on Thanksgiving night. But, a girl after her mother's heart, she managed to recover just hours before the Christmas parade on Saturday - the unofficial start of Christmas festivities. Tonight we had Sunday dinner at our house so that Gigi, Poppy and Great Gram could help us trim the tree. We had a great time, and are very happy with the final product. A big thanks goes out to Annie who managed to find the cutest matching Christmas p.j.s (something mom has been failing at for weeks!). Here are a few pictures from our evening.

Happy 1st Birthday, Zachary Thomas!

Dear Zachary,

It's so amazing to look back at this day last year and remember that when I woke up on November 24th you were not yet in my arms. It seems as though this year has flown by, and it just doesn't seem possible that you are already one year old. You are such a pleasure, a pure delight, and like your sister, just the happiest baby on earth. You love nothing more than to smile, laugh, "talk", and play with all of us. Your favorite game is catch, and anytime you see a ball you quickly crawl over to it, pick it up, and turn to anyone in view and say, "atch!!" You also point to the cats and say, "at!" - someday you'll get that "c" sound. :)

Just in the last few weeks you have learned so many new things. You now nod your head when you want something that we have offered, or shake it no when you don't want something. You can blow kisses, and point to my nose when I ask you where it is. Just last week you took your very first steps! Poppy knelt down to say hello to you, and you let go of the chair you were using for support and took three steps right to him! Since then you have learned that this is a trick that gets a lot of cheering, you so try to do it any chance you get. It's very exciting for all of us! You have also learned to eat with a fork, and you're now eating just about anything we eat and loving it!

On Saturday we had a little birthday party for you. Your grandparents, aunts and uncles came, as well as your cousins, and buddies Jude and Tommy. You had a lot of fun, and really enjoyed all of the attention. While you seemed a little unsure about the crowd watching you eat your first piece of cake, once you took the first bite you were hooked, and gobbled it all up. You got tons of fun, new toys and you and your sister have been having a blast trying them all out. You've really become great playmates, and I know she can't wait for you to get just a little bigger so that you can play everything together. As for me, I am enjoying your babyhood while it lasts. You're growing up so quickly, so I will continue to cherish every moment that you still want to be in Mommy's arms.

I love you little Zachy T - you are the best baby boy a Mama could ever ask for. Happy Birthday, sweet boy.

Love, Mama

4 Things...

Dear Zachary,

The following are four things you've done in the last four days that your sister has never done in four years:

1. While I turned to rinse the fish I was preparing for dinner, you quickly crawled over to my oven that was set at 450, stood up, grabbed the handle and fell backwards as the piping hot oven flew open. I had to grab you with one hand, while trying to keep hold of the raw fish I was rinsing in the other.

2. Ate cat litter. And when I saw you pop it in your mouth and started running to grab you, what did you do? Did you spit it out? No. Stop what you were doing? No... You quickly grabbed another piece and popped it in your mouth before I could stop you. Good thing our cat litter is made from corn!

3. Washed your hands...in the potty...while Lexi was peeing into it.

4. Ate dog poo. Yes, that's right, dog poo. Apparently there had been some on my shoe and I tracked it into the kitchen. I looked down to see you eating something off the floor (again), and when I did the finger sweep that I've become so good at I found something brown. I suspected, and then checked the bottom of my shoe. Ugh...I actually considered giving you a shot of whiskey after that one.

Boys are different.

Love,
Mama

At Least Someone In This Family Does...

This afternoon I told Lexi that this year I am going to make Christmas Stockings for her and Zachary. I asked her if she had ever even seen me use my sewing machine, thinking I hadn't had it out since the first year I tried (and failed) to make her Christmas Stocking, when she was only 4 months old. "Yes!" She replied, sounding very sure of herself. "You have?" I said, "When?" "Remember Mom? Don't you remember that time that you sewed that skirt so that you could wear it?" I honestly have *no* recollection of sewing a skirt...at least not since I was a little kid at Nana's house. But since my memory is that of a mom with two young kids in the house I replied, "No, I don't remember that at all, Lexi. But you are probably right." "Yup." She replied. "I'm always right. I always have a good remembery."

More Happy Halloween!

The kids had a blast on Halloween this year! We started the festivities off by tagging our Christmas Tree!! Yes, it seems like an odd thing to do on Halloween, but we've been told it's the only way to buy a Christmas tree, and getting to pick when it's 70 degrees certainly beats 30! After that we came home and changed into costume to tear up the town! Mommy didn't do the best scheduling job this year, so we missed most of our own neighborhood, but we did get to do some trick-o-treating with Adam, so Lexi was happy. Even better, the kids got to ride in their wagon right up to the steps of each house, and most times didn't even have to step out of the wagon!! That kind of service did not exist when I was a kid! It was a successful night and both kids went to bed happy. :)

Happy Halloween!

Lexi's Hair Cut

So, after chopping my hair off a few weeks ago (I just needed a change for awhile), I decided it was Lexi's turn. Her hair had gotten very long, and while it was adorable in piggy tails and braids, it often just looked messy. So, off we went to see Kelly on Saturday. She did great as always, and sat still and quietly while Kelly pulled her hair into a pony tail and chopped it off!! The resulting cut is very cut, and we'll keep it for awhile.

Here is a cute picture of Lexi washing the dishes (pre-hair cut). She LOVES this job, and begs to do it every night! Luckily, Ahren is patient enough to let her do it. :)

Zachary At 11 Months

Saturday Zachary turned 11 months old. It's so hard to believe he could be one month away from a one year old! He's growing up quickly and doing so many more things every day. He is trying hard to do some real talking now. One of the funniest ways that he babbles is when he goes, "dukadukadukadukaduka...hahahahaha" I really think he's trying to copy us when we are having conversations. Sounds like he's hearing us do a lot of laughing! :) The words that he's working on saying correctly are as follows:

Mama

Dada

Cat (at)

Hi (Hah!)

Uh-oh

I did it (I swear! Usually it's right after he does something and we go, "Hooray!" or "Tada!")

All done

Yah

Shakes his head no

Waves bye-bye

He is also pointing up a storm, although it still seems like he's pointing randomly at things. Either way, the communication is coming, and it's definitely getting exciting. The more we understand what he wants the more excited he gets. :)

He has not yet started to walk, but I really think he could if he just let go. He is very strong and steady on his feet, even standing by himself for a few seconds at a time, so he'll get there soon.

Zachary now has four teeth, and it seems like more are starting to bother him, but he still never gets very cranky. Even when he's sick he has a constant smile on his face. He's just the happiest boy alive.

Yesterday we went to the playground and he had such a blast! I let him go down the slide, through the tunnel, on the bouncy platform, on the swing, and just let him crawl around in the mulch. It was the first time he really got to enjoy the playground himself, and it was a blast watching him have so much fun there.

The last 11 months have flown by, and while I'm so excited to see my baby turn into a little boy, it's sad to see the baby go too...

And The Smokestacks Come Tumbling Down

Last week we had a very exciting adventure at work when right outside our door, two century old smokestacks were imploded. We knew about the event about a week ahead of time, and while I tried to convince Ahren to take the day off to watch (it was his birthday - cool celebration!) it had not occurred to me to take Lexi. Well, I guess it did occur to me, but I thought it would be a terrible idea. But I went with Janice, our assistant, and tried not to freak out when I looked up and saw my dad standing on top (and on the edge) of Building 9 - to get the best view, of course! My dad did get the best shots, but I took the little camera for the video feature, and was glad I did...although I have been having trouble posting videos to the blog lately.

When Lexi came home from school, I told her all about the implosion and showed her the videos (mine, and some for various news websites). She made me show them to her no less than 30 times and asked me why I didn't bring her. I told her that I would have kept her out of school for the morning if I had known how safe it would be, and that I was sorry I didn't. She made me drive her over there to see the remains, and had a million questions about why they took the smokestacks down, if any of the other buildings were hurt, etc. Then she said to me, "Mom, when they build new smokestacks, and then they get old so they have to come down, can you please tell my preschool teachers that I won't be at school that day because I'm going to watch?" I promised I would. :)

Here is a link to my dad's photos from the day.

And here is a link to one of the videos online...though I don't know how long this will remain available.

A Couple Of Cuties

My kids make me laugh everyday. They are my constant source of entertainment, and sometimes can even crack me up when I'm in the most foul of moods. Here are a couple of examples of their adorableness... :)

Lexi:
Lexi received a couple of hair clips in her birthday party goody bag this week. I promised she could wear them on Monday. So, yesterday we were on our way out to the store and she came running over begging me to put the clips in her hair. I did and when I was done she said, "Everyone at the store is going to think I'm SO beautiful! They're going to say, 'Oh, I wish I had a daughter that beautiful!'" Well, at least we know she has a good self esteem! :)

Zach:
Lexi's juice cup was sitting, empty on the coffee table. Zach had already been told earlier in the day not to touch the juice bottle, but of course he saw it sitting there and made a bee line to the table. He pulled himself up while I watched, not wanting to say "no" until I was sure he was going to grab it. He got this HUGE smile on his face and reached out to the bottle, one hand on each side, but not touching it and looked at me like, "See Mama? I'm not touching it!" and started shaking his head no. I smiled at him and shook my head no as well, and he started to put his hands closer to the bottle. I gave the warning, "Zaaach..." and he smiled again at me, shaking his head like, "What, Mama? I'm not doing anything!"...little innocent face smiling all along. We went back and forth like this many times until he did eventually grab it and try to take a sip. He seems to get great amusement from being told "no". It's very funny now that he really understands.

My cuties...

I could write about them all day but I'm late...again...it's just how we roll in the Lippman house.

Fadia

This is Fadia. Sometimes I just cut short my attempts to describe her and what she has meant to my family because I feel like I can't find the words to do her justice. But today I'm going to try.

When Lexi was five months old we (Ahren, my mom, aka daycare provider, and dad, aka boss) decided that we needed just one full day of "real" daycare a week. I, like most moms, was incredibly nervous about sending my baby, my little, tiny, perfect angel, to spend the day with someone I didn't know, along with other little booger nosed kids that I also didn't know. In fact, the idea terrified me. But my dad knew of a women who lived in town who ran a daycare out of her home. Her name was Fadia, and he assured me that she was wonderful and that I would love her as soon as I met her. It took me days to gather the nerve to call her, but when I finally did she invited Ahren and me to come and meet her and see the daycare. So, we made an appointment and went. Immediately upon meeting her, literally within seconds, I knew she would be wonderful. It wasn't that she had entirely re-designed the entire downstairs of her home to be the most perfect environment for kids, or that she had carpeted her yard so that the kids could play outside without her worrying about them putting grass and twigs in their mouths, or that she told me that every day the children had a classroom time where she taught them colors, letters, numbers and THREE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, and exercise time. It wasn't even that she told me that she cooked for the children, from scratch, and made sure that every day they ate healthy, balanced meals in her home. All of this stuff was more that I could have asked for, but none of it was why I knew Lexi would be better than okay there. Fadia has a light, an energy, that simply makes you feel at ease. Every single child in her care simply adores her, and she them. She loves each of those children as though they were her own and has dedicated her entire life to making them feel loved, cared for, and protected.

On that day, almost four years ago, Fadia became a very important part of our family, and I know we wouldn't be where we are today if not for her. There has not been one day in four years that I have worried about leaving either of my children in her care - not even when we brought Lexi to her just a few short days after her surgery. I've often joked with the other moms that our kids are better off when they're with Fadia then when they are with us. Picky eaters will clean their plates at her house. Kids who refuse naps will sleep peacefully for her. She just simply has a way with children that cannot be replicated.

Lexi's last day with Fadia (or Yaya, as she calls her) was yesterday. I know that Lexi will still see Fadia all the time, when she comes to pick up, or drop off Zachary with me, and I know that even after Zachary graduates, we will never lose touch with Fadia, but I was sad for them to have to say goodbye to each other. I've always felt as though Fadia and Lexi have a special bond, and I know that Lexi's days with Fadia were some of her happiest days. She loves preschool, and she's happy, bright and ready to move on, but there will always be a place in her heart for her Yaya.

For me, Fadia is part of my village - a very important part. She teaches me a lot about how to raise children, how to relax and sometimes let them take the lead, and at the same time how to guide them in the right direction. We agree and disagree on a lot of things, but we both agree that when my kids are with me I do it my way, and when they are with her she does it her way, and for us it works. We've laughed together and cried together, and I know that she loves my kids as much as I do. Fadia is my friend and without her I truly don't know where we'd be. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

I've tried my best, but I simply cannot find the words to truly describe Fadia. All I can say is that we are so, so lucky that she is in our lives. For their last day together, I wrote a small poem for Fadia and Lexi decorated a beautiful frame for her. She told me in 18 years it was the best gift she had ever received because it came from our hearts. That, it did, and she deserved nothing less.

F is for the fun I have with you every single day.
A is for always giving me hugs and kisses and showing me how much you love me.
D is for the delicious food you make for me, from scratch, from your heart.
I is for inspiring me to learn and challenge myself.
A is for always – how long I will know you and love you and thank you.
“Fadia” is your name and how most people know you,
But “Yaya” is the name that I think really fits you.
You’ve helped me grow and learn and play
And I’ve felt safe and loved each day.
You’re more like family in my heart
So in my heart, we’ll never part.

Love, Lexi

Zachary Is 10 Months Old!

Zachary has changed so much in the last month. At nine months he had some big leaps - he learned to crawl and became quite good at it very quickly, and he also sprouted his first teeth. Since then he has been a different boy - once content to sit and watch others around him, he is now constantly on the go, and always looking for new places to explore, and more stuff to put in his little mouth! When we came home from our vacation he suddenly realized there was a whole new world in this house just waiting for him to discover, and I think he's covered every inch. Within only days of being home he decided that crawling was for babies, and started pushing my stool around the house. It seems to be a slower process to me, but I think he feels like a bigger kid because he's "walking" like we do! He's had his hands in the cat food more times than I can count, and has a vision for dirt on the floor like no one I know! If there is a small rock, piece of cat fur, or anything else on our floor he will find it in seconds. One day while he was at daycare I swept, vacuumed and mopped the entire downstairs....within three minutes of being home he found a piece of dried up corn on the floor and popped it into his mouth...oh boy.



However, I have to say that in the last few days it seems as though he is beginning to understand what he is not supposed to do. Now when he picks things up he shows them to me (just like his sister used to do) and if I tell him, "No no, Zachary" he doesn't put it in his mouth. Also, at bedtime when I put him in his crib he will now lift his head with a big smile like he's going to sit up and play, but if I say, "No no, Zachary. It's night night time" he puts his head back down and goes to sleep. No...he doesn't always listen to the "no nos"...if he's crawling toward a cat's tail and we tell him "no no" he starts crawling faster....he'll learn.



He's a good boy, and I'm actually anxious for him to get just a little bit bigger so that he can really play with his sister - all he wants to do!

As for little Lexi Loo...she is back to preschool and loving it. She really enjoys New England Montessori, and although she misses some of her friends that are no longer there, she has made lots of new friends and always has great stories to tell about their adventures. She has also started another gymnastics class with her friend Riley on Tuesday afternoons. It's not a mom/tot class, so she's still getting used to going in without me, but I think it's good for her. I'm hoping by the end of the session she'll be completely comfortable with it, and we'll be able to put her into more classes on her own. In a few weeks we'll be doing another swim class at the YMCA...that one I have to go in with her, so it looks like bathing suit season does not end for this Mama.

Last weekend she helped Ahren paint the front steps. She is such a good little helper, so serious about each job she is given, and she really does a good job! It seems amazing to me that a four year old could really help paint, but she did great. I wish I had gotten a picture of her cute painting outfit, but Zach and I were busy doing the grocery shopping.

Breckenridge 2009 - Devan and Jen's Wedding

On the second Wednesday of our beach vacation we left the beach to board a plane to Colorado for Devan and Jen's Wedding. We were very excited for the wedding, to be visiting a state that three of the four of us had never been to before, and to get to spend some time with the Lippman family. The wedding was in Breckenridge which is somewhere around 10 or 11,000 feet up. This meant that we were dealing with both a time change, and high altitude, and while it did affect us all a bit, I was very impressed with how well the kids handled everything. They are always so easy to take along because they handle even the craziest of situations with ease.
We had a few days before the wedding to stroll around and enjoy a little bit of Breckenridge. It was especially exciting because there was a Labor Day Festival going on while we were there, so there were some fun activities for Lexi to do.
The wedding itself was phenomenal! Ahren was the best man and Lexi was the flower girl, and I was very proud of both of them for playing their parts so well! During the ceremony (outdoors) it rained a bit and even hailed for a minute or two and while some of the adults ran for cover, Lexi sat stoically in her seat and listened quietly. Zachary, who I had not noticed had woken from his nap, also sat quietly in his stroller through the ceremony...but luckily for him he was totally covered up! The reception was a blast, although both kids were simply exhausted and Lexi fell asleep far earlier than is her norm at weddings. After holding her in my arms for over an hour, we finally made a bed out of chairs for her and let her sleep next to her already sleeping brother while mom and dad got to have some fun.
Our time in Colorado was fantastic, and we are all simply thrilled to be welcoming Jen into the family! We love her so much, and most of all we love how much Devan loves her. They are a wonderful couple and we wish them the best of luck.
Again, here are just a few of the pictures from the trip. To see the entire album and a video of Lexi as the flower girl, you can go here.