So Much To Do, So Little Time

What's a family of six to do on a weekend when they are less than three weeks from moving to a new state? Pack? Organize? Rest? All rational answers to this question, but our family seems to find a way of making simple things difficult. No, we defied logic and instead of being sensible we decided to celebrate a graduation, birthday, and baptism all in one weekend. This seemed trivial when it was planned a few months ago, but that was when we were unaware we would be moving during this month as well. But, as they say, the show must go on.

We started the weekend off with Matt's graduation from his doctoral program! It was great to have our families there to celebrate all his hard work and commitment to his degree over the last four and a half years. We all managed to get to the ceremony on time to find seats, and I was especially excited because we seemed to have picked a good location for photos. I was planning on getting some good shots of the whole ceremony. Little did I know that this guy would show up ...

This, my friends, was the one-man picture police sent to wreak havoc upon all those adoring families of the graduates. He spent the better part of the afternoon patrolling up and down the aisles making sure no one was able to get a good picture of their graduate. This man must have walked at least 4 miles over the course of the afternoon by pacing up and down to lecture the rules violators who would (gasp!) try and get down closer to take a picture of their student. I don't know what type of vendetta he had against photography, but he seriously dampened the mood of the flashbulb happy crowd.

Being that the picture police limited my picture taking during the ceremony, I had to settle for most pictures being taken afterward. Here we are after the ceremony.

In case you were wondering, the triplets did not come to the ceremony. We were going to try and bring them, but when we realized that the ceremony was occurring during their naptime after a busy day at preschool, our sensible parenting minds took over and they stayed home. Once we saw the set-up and the length of the ceremony, it turned out to be a wise choice. They all celebrated with Daddy when he got home by taking turns wearing his doctoral tam.

Saturday was Birthday! The triplets don't turn 2 until a little later this month, but we decided to celebrate a little early since so many family members were in town. Nonni and Grandad hosted and it was so much fun. It was pouring, but luckily the bouncy house we had fit on the porch. The kids had a blast jumping and playing with balloons.

As always, the highlight of the day was the presents! Thanks to everyone for all the great gifts. However, as is always the case, everyone gravitated towards one favorite gift. Sam was in love with his "pire truck."

Adah, our reader, couldn't read through all the new book fast enough.

Peyton was in love with her "coloring." In actuality, it was a mangna doodle.

Luke and Daddy had fun at the party too. Luke entertained everyone with his dance moves and rocking skills. He is going to be crawling sooner than I would like.

The cake was also a huge success. Although the kids didn't get to dive into the cake head first like last year, they still found a way to make a mess. Sam and Adah pulled the figurines off of the cake and gave themselves a lovely makeover of blue lipstick.

Apparently I need to work some more with Adah on her make-up application skills.

We had such a wonderful time at the party and thanks again to everyone for the gifts. Afterward, we hung out at our house. Aunt Meghann and Uncle John got some good cuddle time with the triplets. I think John only had to read "Where Is Baby's Belly Button?" about 56 times this weekend.

Sunday was the finale, Luke's baptism. This was bittersweet because it was one of the last times we would be attending our church before we move. We LOVE our church and have made so many great friends there. They have been praying for us through both pregnancies and I cannot articulate how important all the people there have been to us. For this reason, we really wanted to have Luke baptized here before we moved. Everything went well and Luke really seemed to enjoy his water bath.

Everyone had to drive home after the ceremony and we spent the better part of the afternoon trying to recuperate. The house is still a mess and I have still not packed a box, but it was worth it. I know I'll be paying for it in the upcoming weeks, but a fun weekend with family was a good trade-off. The kids had a great time too. They can't wait to see everyone again. Here's a cute picture I took of the kids recently that sums up my feelings about the weekend.

I know I'm partial, but this is one of the sweetest things I have even seen. These are the times I am glad I keep my camera close by. I'm now off to make endless lists of all the things I need to do in the upcoming weeks. If anyone has advice on how to fit moving into the holiday season, I will gladly welcome any tips!