One down, 3 to go

 This weekend we packed up the kiddos, some fancy schmancy clothes and hit the road.  On Friday afternoon we drove straight up to Oakland. Luckily we only had to make two stops. One for much needed leg stretching and the other a quick bite to eat.  In the beginning the kids did great, towards the end and sporatically throughout they had their moments.  Ellie kept saying, "Out, out, out" or "walk, walk, walk."

We stopped at a little place called Andersen's, known for their split pea soup. Brian remembered going there as a kid and even has a picture of him and his brother with their heads through a wooden sign.  So for nostalgia sake, and our rumbling tummies, we stopped.  I must say, not good. Surprizingly the reviews on Urban spoon were raving with a 92% positive rating... So we were pretty surprized how boring and tasteless it was.  We got the kids picture in the sign and headed on our way. We left at 11:30AM and arrived at our destination around 8:20 PM.

The next morning we met up with my family and attended the sealing of my brother Cameron to his bride, Ciera.  It was a beautiful and intimate wedding. The grounds at the Oakland temple are gorgeous!  I think we saw at least 3-4 Quinceañera's and 3-4 wedding parties from other faiths taking pictures on the grounds.  That is not even including the amount of bridal parties there getting married in the temple.

Afterwards we headed to Benicia for a luncheon hosted by Ciera's dad. We had some very good Mexican food and got to know some family and friends.

Next we were onto the reception hosted by Ciera's mom and stepdad at their home.  They had a beautiful backyard all set up for the occasion. We met more friends and family and had a great time. Unfortunately the kids were dead tired and had a one track mind trying to jump in the ungated pool.  We played keep babies out all night long.  They had a ring ceremony as well as some heart felt words by the bride and groom for each other. It was very sweet to hear what they had prepared for one another.  Skylar gave a toast that was very clever, witty and charming. Her sister Amanda also said a few sweet words and the night ended with sparklers and a send off.  We were so happy to be there to celebrate them and their new marriage and can't wait to continue the celebration this weekend with an open house for our close friends and family.