Lumination at Gilroy Gardens

On Saturday my parents invited us to go to Gilroy Gardens for their Lumination event. We've never been to Gilroy Gardens before, and weren't exactly sure what to expect. True to its name, it is a bunch of gardens, but it's also a little kid theme park with rides, arcade games, a train, a splash pad, and tons of stuff that'll entertain kiddos all day long. We got there about two hours before the park closed and Ez was in a mood so the only rides we did were the carousel (Declan only), the train, and the cars. The cars were probably the highlight. They were a much nicer version of Disney's Autopia, which is one of Ez's favorites. Declan was very excited about the train before we got on it, and kept trying to cut the line while pointing and screaming CHOO CHOO!!! But once we were actually on it he had the most serious, stony face you've ever seen. Kinda like his face on the carousel below ⬇

After the rides Ez and Declan beelined for the playground. It was a madhouse with kids running everywhere but they were in heaven sliding down the slides over and over again. We were there for an event for my stepdad's work so we got to stay for normal park hours all the way through the evening Lumination hours too. Basically they kick everyone out of the park at 5:00 and then at 6:00 they turn on all these really pretty Asian-inspired light installations. We also got a buffet style dinner too. Ez and Declan had a blast running around with the other kids in the event center. Or rather, running around next to the other kids, since most of them were quite a bit older and faster. 

Right at 6:00 they let us back into the park to check out all the lights. The displays were so intricate and made out of the weirdest things. Like a dragon made out of teacups and saucers. Or lions made out of little bottles of colored water. Unless you looked really closely you couldn't even tell. It was absolutely beautiful and magical, and unlike anything I've ever seen before.

The highlight for Ez and Declan was definitely the waterfall, which was lit up all kinds of changing colors. You can walk through a pathway behind the fall and Ez and Declan demanded to go again and again and again until we were all soaked. Ez would run through screaming the entire way and Declan would run right up until the actual waterfall part, then he would stop short and demand to be carried, screaming and laughing the whole way. Eventually we had to lie and say the waterfall was closing just so we could get out of there and check out other stuff.

The gardens are pretty expansive and even though it didn't feel like it while we were walking we wound up exploring over 6 miles. And Ez walked a good portion of that all by himself. He was so hyped up after the waterfall, and a rock maze, that he was on the hunt for more fun stuff to do the whole night. Eventually we went back for dinner, since we were all ravenous, and then we headed back out for more exploring.

My favorites were definitely all the installations they had on the water. The reflections were so pretty and you could walk around the entire lake and it would look completely different depending on your angle. They also have a butterfly house which was done up with pandas, and every single walkway was really elaborately lit up with arches or lights in the trees. Pictures can't do it justice, it was all so beautiful. 

Aside from the waterfall, and the maze, and all the rides and running around with other kids Ez and Declan's next favorite thing was the walkway above. They had all those red lanterns and twinkling icicle lights, as well as music playing from speakers. Declan was in heaven. He demanded to get out of his stroller so he could touch all the lights on the trees and stop and dance every few steps. We capped the night off with some dessert and refreshments and then headed home were the boys fell asleep right away and slept all the way through to morning. 

A big thanks to Gangy and Grampa for inviting us!! To say we enjoyed it is an understatement.

Happy Half Birthday, Ez! - 3.5 Years

Dearest Ez,

My sweet boy that made me a mama, here we are, three and a half years in, and I want you to know that you've taught me far more in these years than I've taught you. I know you would've learned your ABCs and numbers one way or another, but I can't think of anyone else who could have so perfectly taught me that the little things really are the big things. A trip around the block to see some motorcycles makes the whole day better. Taking a little time out each day to stomp some crunchy leaves or dig in a nice pile of sand never fails to bring a smile to your face. You're just as happy with a day at the park as a day at Disneyland.

You've taught me to forgive and forget. The faster the better. Because even though we've both seen each other at our worst you never hold those moments against me. The ones where I lose my patience and immediately regret it and we both need hugs afterward. You're always the first one to offer up those hugs. And while we're at it, you've taught me how to really snuggle, because don't tell your daddy or brother, but you're the best snuggler in the whole world. 

Your enthusiasm for the things you're passionate about is contagious. Seeing you jump up and down when we see a fire truck drive by makes me want to jump up and down too. Almost, anyway ;) I hope you never ever lose that enthusiasm my sweet, passionate boy. 

That same enthusiasm you have when you're excited about life? Well that works in reverse too. If you're not happy you're really not happy. I guess we'll just say you know what you want when you want it, and anything less just won't do. Of course you're not going to get everything you want all the time, and sadly it's my job as mom to teach you those hard lessons. One day you'll thank me. Probably not until you have kids though. But at the same time, even though it makes my life a little harder, I want you to keep some of that fight in you, and stand up for what you want. Not necessarily candy 24/7, but the really important things, and I know you'll be wise enough to figure out what those important things are.

And, most important of all, you've taught me that you are you, wonderfully unique and absolutely perfect just as you are. You're not height and weight percentiles, you're not milestones, and timelines, and benchmarks and averages. You're so much more than that, and as my first child it's been a long slow lesson for me to learn to tune out that white noise from experts and parenting books and "online experts" and just let you be. Because when I do that you never cease to amaze me. Your imagination, the way your mind works, how much you care for others, your playfulness, your serious contemplation, and a million other things that make you you. Your daddy and I so, so proud of you every single day. 

I was just reading through my last Ez update at 3.25 years, and it's amazing to me that you've already grown out of so many of those sayings and favorites. These months really are so fleeting and then all of a sudden you're a little bit bigger and more mature. To call it bittersweet doesn't even begin to do it justice. Here are a few things I want to remember about you at 3.5 years:

- You've just learned to "whistle" - but not actually whistle, you just put your fingers to your mouth and then make a loud, shrill, ear-piercing sound that sounds almost exactly like whistling.

- You call Tootles for just about everything that you possibly need to do in a day. Need to reach something off the counter? Let's call Tootles and ask for an elephant. 

- Monster trucks are currently out, motorcycles are in. 

- Airplanes and trains are also pretty popular at the moment.

- Playing chase at the playground is your new favorite thing. You've branched out of your shell a bit and you love playing tag with any kids that'll join you. 

- If you're trying to get Daddy to chase you, you'll grab a leaf and tell Daddy, "I'm pretty sure this is your leaf!" and then run away. 

- You like to dictate our days now: "Moppy, we're going to see motorcycles today" or "let's go to the playground now." How can I say no to that?

- You get so excited when we pull out the steering wheels for Mario Kart. You run up to me and ask "Are you ready Moppy???" Then you race around the living room with your very own steering wheel.

- You've turned into a bit of a bully. On the one hand I'm happy you're standing up for yourself, on the other, I don't want you to be the instigator. There's a fine line bud, and I think we need to work on that a bit more.

- You love to grab a blanket and come snuggle next to me on the couch, cover us both up, and then say "Now we'll be clean" which apparently means cozy, and it actually makes me a little sad that you're finally learning the actual word cozy.

- Your facial expressions are pretty extreme. You've got your happy face, your mopey face, your intense eyebrows furrowed face. I would not be at all surprised if you wind up an actor some day. 

- You've started doing these sad little puppy dog whines. I gotta admit this isn't one of my favorite phases.

- You're still the king of all engine sounds. If I had to name the current soundtrack of my life, it would be your interpretation of various engines. All day, everyday.

Your daddy, brother, and I love you more than you'll ever know! Happy half birthday to our #1 3.5 year old.

Saying I Do

Funny how our wedding was only six hours long, but I've managed to turn it into a saga here on the blog ;) We've already covered the rehearsal, getting ready, the first look, and that brings us to the good part: Saying I do!

We got married on a sunny but slightly chilly and breezy Saturday evening. I mentioned in my last wedding post how seeing Joe before the ceremony got rid of most of those pre-wedding jitters. After our first look my mom, my sisters, and I rode up to the reception site and waited it out until it was time to walk down the aisle. The anticipation of waiting brought those jitters back full force. My mom rustled us up some snacks since it was almost six and none of us had eaten since breakfast. My sisters calmed down a minor freakout I was having over my windblown hair and put everything back in its place, and then before we knew it it was time to head down to the ceremony site!! Yes, there was more screaming in the car. Hopefully we paid the driver a little extra to deal with all our madness. But we couldn't contain ourselves. It was just so surreal that it was finally happening.

We got out of the car and I could see all the guests seated. Joe, Ez, Declan, and the rest of the family that would be walking down the aisle were all gathered at the beginning of the walkway. From that point on things went by in a blur. Thank goodness for our wedding coordinator because I couldn't do much else than follow simple instructions by that point. Stand here. Wait. Wait. Wait. Go! But slowly!

These pictures of my brother walking Ez and Declan down the aisle are some of my favorites. I wish I could've been at the other end of the aisle watching because I think their walk down the aisle probably topped mine as the highlight of the procession. Brett (my brother) said it was like herding cats. Declan kept staring forlornly back toward me. Ez was in charge of the ring box which he alternated between driving like a car, complete with vroom sounds, or trying to open.  Despite it being a rather slow walk, it all went so much better than I was anticipating. I thought for sure Declan would hurl the wooden sign around his neck at someone's face, since that's what he did during the trial runs at home. I thought Ez would freeze at the sight of all those people and just plant his feet and not walk. Also, we got married on a cliffside, and I was definitely second guessing the wisdom of that decision with two toddlers in the wedding party. But in the end they were little rock stars and did a great job, and Uncle Brett was amazing for herding them along so efficiently. 

Once Ez and Declan were safely at the other end of the aisle it was my turn! My dad and stepdad both walked me down the aisle, which was 212 feet long I might add. It looked like a mile when we were standing at the other end. I remember as we were walking along we'd speed up a little bit because it looked like we had so far to go, and everyone was staring at us, but then one of us would remind the others to slow down. I also remember that as we got closer to all our guests I saw so many friendly faces staring at me, and it was like it dawned on me for the first time that I wasn't just up there in front of a crowd of people (which is scary) but that I was surrounded by my closest family and friends. And I don't think there's ever been a situation before where all these people I love so much were in the same place at the same time. As I was walking past everyone it dawned on me how special it was that all these people showed up for us, many from long distances, and that's a moment I'll never forget. 

I also remember getting closer to Joe and seeing him standing there looking so handsome and just beaming. That's another moment I won't forget as long as I live. 

After a few minutes that simultaneously felt like an hour and no time at all we reached the end of the walkway and our Pastor asked who gives me away. Both my dads said we do, and it was time to hug them goodbye (which hopefully wasn't awkward after our wedding coordinator made us practice over and over at the rehearsal). From that moment on it was just me and Joe, and I wasn't aware of too much else around us. I wasn't sure if we'd be emotional or nervous, but we were both just beaming from ear to ear and so happy. No tears at all. Not from us, anyway ;)

Another thing I was slightly worried about with the boys was whether they would actually sit through the ceremony, or if they'd see mom and dad up there and want to join in on the fun. During the rehearsal Ez sat himself on the ground right between Joe and I and couldn't be dragged away, yet miraculously he sat perfectly content on Grandma's lap the whole time. Even though neither of them look too happy in these pictures, I was still pleasantly surprised that they sat quietly still.

When it came time to say our vows, the Pastor told Joe to repeat after him, and then, at the end, when I was supposed to say I do, the Pastor said it first, so Joe repeated him, which was pretty funny. He basically married himself. Other than that, the only parts that really stood out to me were that I realized I've never stared into someone eye's for a full ten minutes before. Especially not with an audience. I'm not sure if those are the thoughts you're supposed to be thinking while you're getting married, but Joe said afterward it felt like a long time too, so at least we're on the same page there. The other thing I remember is that right when Joe said I do a huge gust of wind blew past us, which seemed like a sign of some kind. Not sure exactly what that sign meant, but we'll assume it was good luck.

When it came time to kiss we made sure to do a nice long ten second one, for photo purposes, and because we just got MARRIED, but mainly because that's what the coordinator told us to do. I think we knew it was long enough once people started laughing and the pastor said "I think you'll get a good photo out of that one." Mission accomplished.

The photographer asked for one more kiss, "because obviously you guys like kissing.":

This little guy could not wait to see mommy. You can tell by his walk he meant business. Joe tried to bend down and intercept him for a hug, but nope. He just wanted mommy. And he may have been slightly intrigued by the giant bouquet of flowers. Love this kid so much.

My mom had shuttles take all the guests up the street to the reception, and while most of the guests were leaving we managed to snag a few more photos just Joe and I, as well as some with the family. As much as I love each and every one of these photos, now that the blur of the day is over and I've had time to think there are so many more group shots I wish we'd gotten.  I definitely wish Ez and Declan were in more shots. I guess you can never have too many wedding photos, right? But thankfully all the ones we did get are lovely and I'm pretty sure my face muscles would have frozen in place because I was smiling so much anyway. My jaws and cheeks actually hurt the next day.

Before we look at all the lovely bridesmaid photos I just want to point out that my sisters all bought their dresses separately, in two different countries, without any consultation other than some texts to me, and following my vague "peachy" color instructions they somehow all managed to match perfectly. And I mentioned before they all did their own hair and makeup and they look absolutely gorgeous. Thank you ladies, I couldn't even imagine the day without you by my side!

Now that the formalities are over with, it's time to PARTY!! So many fun photos coming up next week.