Nathan and I took our little lady on her very first plane ride a couple of weeks ago to experience a very special event, our very dear friends Emily and Chris getting married! We have been looking forward to this trip for a very long time and it just so happens that Annabelle was able to come along and meet so many very special people in our lives!
The first question most people have asked about our trip is how the plane ride was. Me being the obsessive compulsive and list lover person that I am started prepping for the big day a few weeks in advance. I made lots of mental notes as to what little Annabelle uses on a daily basis so that I could figure out what we needed to pack. We also were aware of the fact that for half of the trip we would be crashing in hotel rooms sans washer/dryer/dishwasher so we had to pack more baby gear than we anticipated. The result was a checked suitcase full of baby "stuff" (it has been quite some time since I have checked any luggage at the airport - we are notorious for packing light) plus this:
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| Daddy + Baby + All of Baby's Stuff |
Let's just say it was great having another body to help carry/handle all of this gear! We were glad to have a direct flight to Minnesota so that we only had to lug this stuff on and off the plane once. After heading to the check-in desk and proclaiming that this is the first time we've flown with our baby and that "I have no idea what I'm doing" the nice attendant moved the other person out of our row and explained how we check the stroller at the gate and other details of flying with an infant. I have to say that the most difficult part of flying with Annabelle was all of the stuff we had to bring with, she was an absolute angel to travel with. I followed the advice given on several websites and fed the baby going up in the plane and coming down and she just happened to pass out for the couple of hours in between. Nathan and I were ecstatic to hear other passengers exclaim as we landed that "you two had a baby with you this entire time?" First plane ride = success!
After a nice dinner out with Grandpa McEwen and a night spent on the farm it was time to head to the cities for the festivities to begin and for Annabelle to meet all of the amazing people in her life! We met with Kelly first who was gracious enough to fly all the way from Japan in order to attend this wedding! We had lunch with her and caught up on life and everything going on for the wedding weekend (Kelly and I were both Maid's of Honor in this wedding). We picked up some last minute bachelorette party necessities (read: inappropriate necklaces, presents, and party favors) and headed to downtown Minneapolis to meet up with the Bride and the rest of the crew! Nathan met up with Grandma Johnson and they spent the evening hanging out with Baby Annabelle while mom got her first night out on the town with friends!
The bachelorette party was a total success and was so much fun. It was probably an experience that no one will ever forget because it was so ridiculous, I mean seriously this is what we did for most of the night:
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| Kelly, the other MOH, with her "horns" |
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| The beautiful bride! |
It's called the PedalPub. Google it, trust me you will be jealous of the experience we had! A few stops at some of the locals bars along the way and you get pictures like these:
Such a fun time with lots of fun ladies and I'm pretty sure Emily enjoyed it which was the whole point of the evening!
Friday was spent with some of my favorite ladies from college, Angie and Anabel. Yes, that's right Anabel finally met Annabelle - I'm pretty sure two worlds collided! During this visit Nathan also figured out that he needs an accordion thanks to his jam session with Anabel (not the baby, the best friend). A whirlwind day ended at the rehearsal dinner for Emily and Chris where we ate at Nye's, a delicious Polish restaurant in Minneapolis. Annabelle got to experience her first "formal" dinner. Even with her dress on backwards (thanks to daddy, lol!) we had a pretty cry-free evening! We managed to get a family photo in before the sleepy meltdown started!
Well, the baby is telling me it is time to get her prepped for bedtime. My goal today was to finish at least one blog post since it has been so long!! So, I am going to leave it at that, plus a few adorable pictures of Annabelle from the weekend! I miss all of our friends and family already!
Saturday brought beautiful weather full of sunshine for Emily and Chris' wedding day! Everything went perfectly and they made such a stunning couple! I was so glad and honored to be part of this beautiful ceremony!
Friday was spent with some of my favorite ladies from college, Angie and Anabel. Yes, that's right Anabel finally met Annabelle - I'm pretty sure two worlds collided! During this visit Nathan also figured out that he needs an accordion thanks to his jam session with Anabel (not the baby, the best friend). A whirlwind day ended at the rehearsal dinner for Emily and Chris where we ate at Nye's, a delicious Polish restaurant in Minneapolis. Annabelle got to experience her first "formal" dinner. Even with her dress on backwards (thanks to daddy, lol!) we had a pretty cry-free evening! We managed to get a family photo in before the sleepy meltdown started!
Saturday brought beautiful weather full of sunshine for Emily and Chris' wedding day! Everything went perfectly and they made such a stunning couple! I was so glad and honored to be part of this beautiful ceremony!
Well, the baby is telling me it is time to get her prepped for bedtime. My goal today was to finish at least one blog post since it has been so long!! So, I am going to leave it at that, plus a few adorable pictures of Annabelle from the weekend! I miss all of our friends and family already!
