The rest of the weekend

Zachary's baptism weekend was so wonderful! We owe much of its success to our wonderful families, who stayed, in part, until Tuesday. These photos don't showcase all that went on, but they fill in a few blanks.

We had a few meals when we were all together. Adding six adults to the household (only three stayed with us) required extra seating. Granny and Gramps took turns eating in "the annex." Here is Granny anticipating dinner with Tyler.


On Saturday after the baptism, we ate a scrumptious dinner at TGIFriday's. Among other things, we celebrated Zach's and Eric's birthdays. Here is Eric standing on a chair so that all of the restaurant patrons could see him as we sang. What fun!


Here is Gavin snoozing in Lexi's crib after church on Sunday. The silly boy wouldn't nap before, was a crazy man during, and zonked immediately following our meetings.


Just as we finished dinner, there was a knock at the door. I answered and found a friend on the porch with a birthday cake for Zachary. What a fun surprise! It was delicious.


For the visiting adults, the weekend included lots of cuddling with Lexi and lots of cuddling under blankets. Lexi is adorable; can you blame anyone for wanting to hold her? And unfortunately our house was a little chilly for our poor guests, who wore jackets and sat in front of the fire to stay warm!


Grandpa Bartle worked on a model car with Zachary on Sunday night. They painted it and everything. It was good practice for the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby in the Spring!


On Monday morning, Zach cuddled in bed with me. In my fuzzy state I didn't realize something was wrong until it was too late -- Zach threw up on me, the bed, and the floor. Yuck! He spent the morning lying on my bathroom floor. (Can you see him in there?) Zach has a very sensitive tummy, and all of the weekend partying did him in. Although he missed school, he was back to normal by 10:00 a.m.


Monday brought snow and a two-hour delay for the kids at school. Zach was home anyway, so I excused Tyler from half-day (or one-hour, that day) kindergarten so he could play with the relatives. Eric was the first to leave. We laughed as he slid around in flip-flops on the ice as he loaded his vehicle that morning. He was anxious to return to the Arizona sunshine! I was mighty sad not to go with him!


The grandparents got some last-minute cuddles in with the kids. Tyler amazed Gramps with his reading skills. Garry's parents left around noon.


Those who remained worked on projects. My mom sent me on a solo shopping trip to collect supplies for some sewing efforts: a baby quilt and burp cloths. Then she cut out all the quilt pieces for me! By now the burp cloths are done and the quilt is shaping up nicely, due in large part to her help that day. How cool is that?


Aunt Heidi baked and decorated sugar cookies with the big boys while the babies napped. They turned out so well, and the boys had a terrific time. (In the background you can see how the mantle arrangement finally worked out. I love it!)


My parents left late Monday afternoon, and Heidi left the following morning. Quite suddenly the house was empty and quiet! In the silence I could appreciate all of the wonderful things that happened over the weekend: happy family associations, a beautiful and sacred baptismal ordinance, and lots of fun and joyful memories. Thanks to all who came and contributed. We love you all!