Okay back to Andrew. Andrew and Katherine decided to get married in Navoo. Which though very romantic seemed like it would be quite the ordeal (more for us than for others, we are the only ones with small children) but I have to say it all went way smoother than I would ever have expected. My only regret of this trip is that we didn't have more time (and take more pictures). Andrew was so happy. I can't believe our little boy, "the boy" is married. I am so happy for him and Katherine. I think she will fit right in to this crazy family of ours. Even if she's a democrat. :)
We started out the trip in Chicago/Naperville. After Jayni and Amanda picked us up from the airport we drove out to a very nice suburb of Chicago called Naperville. I had been here before to visit friends including BFF Stephanie "HotRod" Rodriguez and her family years ago. But I guess I didn't realize through those visits how great this place is. Then again at those times in my life I really wasn't looking for a place to raise a family when I visited before. We all loved Chicago. The drive from the airport took at really long time. Someone in the car decided that she needed to eat Boston Market for lunch because they don't have it where she lives and somehow instead of stopping at the one in Napperville she led us on an almost hour detour to one if some town in some ghetto looking area that I can't even remember now. But once we got to the restaurant it was in a really cute little downtown. And she loved the food and everyone was mostly happy after that. So I don't think anyone is still holding it against me, I mean her.
Out flight got in just late enough that we missed getting to go to the Chicago temple with Katherine but early enough that we had plenty of time to make it to her shower that night. I was nice meeting her friends and her mom and getting to know more about Katherine. The next day we headed into to the city for some sight seeing. The Chamber's (my dad's sister's family) and Grandma Mary came from California to support Andrew. We got to spend the day with them and that was really nice. We went to Navy Pier and had other plans for after that but with the kids and the traffic and having to be back in Naperville for dinner at Katherine's families favorite deep dish pizza restaurant we headed back after walking around the pier. I think all of us girls were hoping to make it to a little more shopping but it happens. It wasn't our main priority. Gigi and Carter were really good. They are little troopers. They both had more attention than they knew what to do with. We didn't get to even do everything you would want to do while at the pier but Gigi did get to ride a train, we got some Garrett's Popcorn (a Chicago must, the Carmel/Cheddar Chesse mix is really good) and we sampled some of America's Hot Dogs. This place of course carried the Chicago Dog (hot dog, pickles, tomato, onion, mustard (I think) and jalapeno on a poppy seed bun), they also had about 20 other types of hot dogs from around the country. We tried the Memphis Dog (pulled bbq pork, fried onion and I think some slaw) and the Richmond Dog (mac n cheese and bacon crumbles, oh yah). Granted what did Bubba and I need three hot dogs for but they were so good. Beside, what would Quinn and Bubba have said if I came back without the Richmond dog. I think I would have been kicked out of the family.
That night we had some deep dish pizza (you eat it with a knife and fork). It was really good but I am not sold. I am still all about the New York style. Thin, dripping with cheese and delicousness, fold it up and allow it to melt in your mouth. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. But the Veggie pizza at this place was great. It was really fun sitting around visiting and enjoying each others company.On Friday morning we set off for Navoo. It was a four hour drive and the happy couple had to be in Carthage before close of business to get the marriage license. That drive was really long, not to mention the 2 year old who is now potty trained needed to stop and go. We decided to buy diapers when we got to Chicago but didn't need them until we were on our way to Navoo. Did you know there is nothing? I just figured there would be a Wal-Mart. But there was not no convenient Wal-Mart. It would have added another hour to our drive getting to the Wal-Mart once we left Carthage. So we went to the local Piggly Wiggly (or whatever it was called) and bought diapers. Note to self, know where you are going. I love small towns but you just never know what you are going to find.
In Carthage we went to the jail where Joseph Smith Jr. and his brother Hyrum were martyred. It was a need place and a good opportunity. I am glad we got to go and take the tour. Again, wish we had had more time to visit the church history sites. We finally made it to Navoo. I was getting pretty hungry and guess what they don't have in Navoo, fast food places. I am telling you, next time we go I am gonna be prepared. We checked into our hotel. It was darling. #1 We stayed in the Joseph and Emma suit. #2 We were able to share the suite with my whole family (parents and siblings and Polk's) #3 It was really nice. Three bedrooms, two full baths and little kitchenette and a huge balcony looking out at the back of the temple, gorgeous. I can say other than the distance the kids picked a really nice place to get married. We only had a couple hours before the church history sites closed for the night and before we had dinner with all the people who had come down for the wedding. My parent's friends the Lake's came out to support. It was really fun seeing them. They have been really good friends to my parents over the years. I know they are both really lucky to have each other. :)
In the morning we got ready for the wedding. Of course this can be dramatic trying to get that many people ready on time and out the door and leaving my children to get ready by my sisters while B and I went to the sealing was fine but of course I would have liked to be there to help. But when we all came out of the temple there everyone was ready and waiting. Andrew and Katherine looked so happy. It was so nice to be there and experience this with them. The Navoo temple is really just that wonderful inside and out. Gigi thinks this is where she will be getting married. She is so in love with the temple and getting married there to of course her boy ( a darling little boy from our ward named Matthew, who's parents and us have joked about them getting married since Gigi was born). It just melts my heart. I don't know who taught her that she could get married in the temple, I guess us talking about the temple and taking her up to the Las Vegas temple and walking around, she put it all together. She really is bright :). Any chance she got she would go out on the balcony to see the temple and tell anyone who would listen that she was going to get married there to her boy. Just lovely.
The temple has a waiting building across the street which was so nice. We changed after the wedding and pictures and headed back up to Naperville for the reception. We had already helped decorate on Thursday night so when we headed back things would be mostly ready to go. The four hour drive seemed to take so much longer. Again with the potty breaks. On the way down my Dad was very focused on getting Andrew and Katherine to the court house to get ther marriage license so we didn't stop for good, on the way back we stopped for every thing we saw. Not really, but I feel like we ate a lot. I just wish we had had one more day in Navoo, it was just lovely.
I swear she had shoes on at one point. That girl and her shoes. 
Aunt Jayni and Carter in his suit.
Big Cheese. I think this is the picture I bribed her with a lolly pop for. She doesn't mind pictures but once you take it let's move on. She is not a fan of sitting in front of the camera for hours trying to get the right shot.
Big Cheese. I think this is the picture I bribed her with a lolly pop for. She doesn't mind pictures but once you take it let's move on. She is not a fan of sitting in front of the camera for hours trying to get the right shot.
I was trying to make the same face as Carter. I think I got it. :)So here is a prime example of my lack of photography, where is my picture of the happy couple , no where to be found. Oh well, I will still some day from my mom.
At the reception Stephanie's parents came by to say hello. It was fun to see them and visit for a minute. Just made me miss my Steph. Then after the reception (well after the happy couple left) my family left. We stayed in a hotel in near the airport. Again wish we had stayed longer at the hotel. It was nice but the real reason was because when we got to the airport at 8 am we found out that our flight had been delayed until 2:30 pm. Awesome! I really thought I would cry. But I learned a valuable lesson that day. Life really is what you make it. If you have a bad attitude then life stinks, it you have a good one then you really can make the best out of a bad situation. The kids were exhausted from staying up late the night before. We got up really early to make it to the airport and then my parents flight was on time so there we were stuck. After waiting with my parents and sisters to get them on their plane we started to go for a walk. We had already checked our luggage and we thought about taking a cab to the city but what it something changed with our flight, we didn't want to be too far away. So we started to walk. It dawned on me that we needed to make the best of this situation. I turned to Bubba and said let's just pretend this is what we wanted to happen today. Let's have a good attitude about it and enjoy our day in the airport. We ended up getting to do some of the things we missed out on. We found a play area that was an extension of the Chicago's Children's Museum that we didn't get to go to but had wanted to. Gigi played there for a long time and loved it and even made some friends. I walked all around the airport terminals and did some souvenir shopping. Carter took a good nap. We ate lunch at my favorite restaurant Chili's with our meal vouchers from the airline. That's right Spirit you charge me for everything on you airline but I got lunch out of you. When we got back to the gate at about the time we would have anyway, Gigi passed out. We played on a blanket on the floor with Coco and it turned out to be a pretty nice morning. The flight home went smooth and the kids did great.
If it didn't snow if Chicago and get so cold in the winter we might think of going back. It was really nice and it seemed clean and fresh for some reason. It was lovely being with the family and sharing in this wonderful time in Andrew and Katherine's lives. We wish them the best and hope to someday live close enough to all our family to enjoy them more often. We did get of course that time with the Chamber's which as it turns out was our third visit with them just this summer. So even though we don't get to see our parents and siblings much we do get to build these great relationships with our extended family.
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