Party Time and Gramp Camp

So many wonderful memories seem to take place in good ol' Ames, Iowa and the first weekend in June was no exception. It was chock full of fun, let me tell ya! Friday night we celebrated a huge milestone... my mom retired after 39 years of work for the state of Iowa at the DOT. Mitch wasn't able to make it, but the rest of the family paid tribute to our awesome mom/gramma!

There were a bunch of people from Mom's office or who worked with her over the years and attended the party. It was a real testament to her decades of hard work and the friendships she's established. Kendall wasn't so sure of all the people, but she was definitely sure about being on Gramma's hip :)

 I've always admired my mom and her ability to balance work and home life. It was fun to catch up with some of our longtime family friends and toast the newly retired lady, who by the way looks nothing like a retired lady! Congrats, Mom!! We are happy for you and look forward to all that's ahead!

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The next day was the wedding of a dear family friend. I used to babysit Courtney and her brother Tyler and they have been a part of our family friendship scene for as long as I can remember. Courtney and Ben got married at the same church that her parents did 29 years ago - when I was their flower girl at age 4 (Katelyn's age)! Crazy! It was fun to go to the beautiful wedding together - as a whole family - and the reception was a hit too. Ahem...

And does this give you a clue as to how much fun we had? Bahahaha!

It was the first wedding ever for the kids and they had a ball! So did we :)

Michael and I found out that attending weddings with our kids is equal parts exciting and challenging! But thankfully, Courtney and Ben definitely made things family-friendly - we appreciated that so much! A photo booth with props, a whole table full of candy, and great music to groove to makes for a fun evening for all ages. 

Here are the two guys that are mistaken for brothers all the time :)

Kendall had a great time with Uncle Ry. Uncles have a way of doing that! Weeeeee!

It was a great time celebrating a beautiful couple as they start their lives together!

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The next day was my birthday, so Michael and I enjoyed a rare breakfast date at a great restaurant in Ames called The Cafe. Breakfast and bloody marys for just us was a fabulous start to the day! Shortly  after that, we loaded up the car and Kendall (along with Malone) for home. Katelyn, the lucky ducky, extended her stay in Ames for a special few days with Gramma Kathy and Papa.

We called it Gramp Camp and it was the perfect transition for my mom into retirement :) The trio was busy packing their days with all kinds of fun things like bike riding. This is the church parking lot near my parents' house where I spent hours upon hours on my bike as a kid. It's so special to see Katelyn enjoy the same childhood experiences as I did.

They also hopped on Cy-Ride and rode all around town. I love the simplicity of that. Katelyn loved it and had never been on a city bus before.

Katelyn also got to do a gymnastics class at Courtney's gym, Success Gymnastics (the newly married woman was on her honeymoon though!)

They also went out for dinner, enjoyed the first s'mores of the season, and played at parks all while making some lasting memories. While Kendall and Katelyn missed each other, it was great for each of them to enjoy one-on-one time with family. And Katelyn just asked me today, "When do I get to stay at Gramma and Papa's house by my own again? Because we didn't get to go to the pool last time." Ha! A month later and she's still talking about it. That means something. A lasting something.