To Mich-AGAIN we go!

My cousin Santina was married on the 4th of July in Michigan, so we jumped at the opportunity make a trip Up North to visit our family & friends and to celebrate with the newlyweds.  I told Riley that we were going to Michigan, and he kept saying "Mich-Again??? Really??".  Such a character!  Both kids rallied for the occasion and we had a fantastic trip (albeit, without much sleep...)!

Gigi and Sami on the airport bus. 

Both kids were really well behaved on the plane, and we had people commenting on their behavior.... high five guys!!

We got in our rentals cars once we landed in Detroit and headed straight to Lansing for a visit with the Quincey fam.  Sami loved climbing around and putting finger prints on the windows! :)

I think she remembered Aunt Barbara from the Baptism!

My Grandma Alice used to make pinwheel cookies for us when we were kids, and it's one of my fondest childhood memories.  Aunt Patty made the classic cookies for our visit, and we got to take leftovers for the road.  Love her!

Meanwhile, while Sami was putting fingerprints on the windows, Riley was jumping on the furniture.  :)

We had a really nice visit, and we had more time to catch up the following day over breakfast.  Thank you for your hospitality, as always, Aunt Patty & Uncle Art!

After breakfast, we headed to Livonia to see Nicole.  Nicole and I grew up together, and have been close for over 22 years.  We haven't seen each other since her wedding almost 6 years ago, so it was so nice to catch up... right where we left off!

In the meantime, we both had little boys and they got to meet as well! Their favorite activity of the day was the firework "pops" that you throw on the ground and listen to them snap.  They also found that stomping on them did the trick.

Nicole's parents are like my second set of parents... so glad that they were able to come.  Matt loved the big backyard and cooler weather!

After our visit with Nicole we headed for the Henry Hotel in Dearborn.  The wedding was at this hotel the following night, so we checked in and had a yummy dinner at the Olive Garden!

This view summed up our nights on this trip.  Matt and I were in the bed, Riley was in a rollaway cot, and Sami Rose was peeping her head up over the side of the Pack and Play... ALL.NIGHT.LONG!! Good thing she is cute. :)

Friday was the Big Day! Santina and Anthony got married, and the ceremony and mass were absolutely beautiful.  Santina wore her mother's wedding gown, and it looked gorgeous.

There was a luncheon after the mass, and we are never ones to pass up food!  Here is a cute pic of Uncle Tom and Aunt Judy... and Grandma photobombing!

My cousin Katie has two little ones the same age as our kids.  Katie was in the wedding, so they rode to the reception in the party bus, and we got to take sweet Beni back to the hotel with us for a few hours.  

All day, Riley kept asking me when we were going to DANCE! He could hardly wait.  He did a little practicing in the church parking lot.  

As soon as we got back to the hotel room the kids wanted purple juice.  I could just see the flower girl's white dress with purple juice down the front of it, so we stripped the kids down immediately.  Beni wore one of my shirts as a dress and they jumped on the bed for an hour.  This is what we called "quiet time"...right!!

The two kids cleaned up nicely after play time.  They were the cutest couple at the wedding!  It seems like just yesterday when they were playing in Texas!

This was our only almost-family picture... which is sad, but not surprising. My son was probably in the middle of the dance floor at this point, and my hubby isn't a huge fan of the camera. Oh well! We tried!

These two ladies looked stunning!

Don't even ask me how many pieces of cake the kid had. Needless to say, he had enough energy to party well into the night!

Sweet Samantha napped in her stroller despite the loud dance music. She had Aunt Judy and JuJu watching over her!

And, then we danced!

.... and danced!

... and danced some more!!

I think the last time I checked my cousin's were little boys... this makes me feel old!!

The following day we headed to Katie's house so that the kids could run and play, and we could catch up.  It was a quick trip, and I wish we lived closer!

Can you find Riley in the orange shorts? 

We decided to bathe the kids before heading back to the hotel. It seems like just yesterday when we were bathing our 4 month old babies together at Spider Lake!

Matt will probably kill me for posting this picture of Riley in Beni's clothes, but it goes to show what a little running around will do for a few tired kiddos.

Santina gave Libby these classic pictures at the rehearsal dinner. We used to play "wedding" at Grandma and Grandpa's condo when we were little.  I was the bride, and Katie, Santina, and Lib were my bridesmaids!

Lib got her turn too!