don't mess with texas....

We just got back from Wes' first trip to Texas! This brings his number of states visited to three (not bad for a 9 month old!)

Neil's best friend, Ryan, got married in Austin on Friday, May 16th. My mom and dad came along with Neil, Wes, and me for the trip. Neither of them had flown in over 12 years so this was a big trip! One of the most fun parts of the trip for me was watching my mom as the plane took off and landed. She was craning her neck to look out the window, and then would turn around and grin at us and say, "OH! I'm SO excited!!" All the while, my dad closed his eyes and waited for the whole thing to be over. We had a very smooth trip - Wes is a fantastic traveler/flyer. He sleeps on the plane and then is easily entertained by his toys, bottles, or cheerios.

Once we got to Austin, we went to Serrano's near our hotel for some fabulous Tex-Mex (fresh tortillas, quacamole, pico de gallo, etc. etc...SO GOOD.) Wes loved the tortillas!


After some much needed naptime (our flight was at 7am!) we went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was so great to see and meet Ryan and Gina's families! Ryan has a huge family (2 brothers and 3 sisters and the most wonderful parents) and I honestly feel like an adopted Riess sister when I'm with them! There were also lots of other kids around, so Wes definitely had plenty to look at and do.


(check out the view in this pic...very texas!)

We had a lot of fun at the rehearsal dinner, and when 9pm rolled around (central time), we couldn't believe that Wes was still awake!! He didn't make it through the video slideshow, however:


On Friday morning, we slept in, went to breakfast at the hotel, and then went exploring around the University of Texas! We didn't realize that it was graduation weekend, but thankfully, once we parked, we didn't get caught up in too much more traffic.

Everything in Austin is UT related:



We couldn't see in the football stadium, but I took this picture from the top floor of the parking deck:


Texas also has a ton of statues around campus. We posed with Wes at several, because they were just so fun (Chapel Hill definitely needs more statues)!






And, finally, the wedding!!
Ryan and Gina's wedding was beautiful. Wes and dad spent most of the time outside (Wes doesn't yet understand that it's not appropriate to talk out loud in church) and Neil was a fantastic groomsman. The bride was absolutely gorgeous, and Ryan could not hide his excitement. I am so happy for both of them and can't wait for them to get back from their honeymoon and move into our neighborhood!


Wes (check out the outfit) and Neil

The reception was at the One World Theatre, which overlooked a beautiful valley in Austin.



Ryan's sister Alyssa with Wes and Xander (Ryan's nephew)



Neil and Me with Mr. and Mrs. Riess!!

Again, Wes had a blast with the Riess family, Ryan's sisters, and all the kids We danced to a few songs but Mr. Wesley conked out early, so we called it a night around 11pm. Another early morning flight put us back in North Carolina by early afternoon!

It was a whirlwind trip but so much fun. I love the Riess family and am so glad Gina is a part of them now, too. I also love getting my mom and dad out to faraway places to travel!