Our good friend Sarah Cooper invited us to her wedding in Des Moines and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit old friends and watch Sarah and Eric tie the knot.
I flew with Willem and Ellie on Southwest but Jason couldn't get off work as early, so he and Audrey flew out later in the day and joined us. Whoa is it easier flying without a baby. The kids and I even connected in Las Vegas (which is kind of cruel as the kids aren't allowed to touch any of the shiny gaming machines that they inundate the waiting areas with). But overall, the flights went well and we arrived in Iowa with time to play at a park while we waited for Jason and Audrey to arrive. From the get go the trip was exactly what we wanted for the kids. At the local park I took them to in Des Moines, Willem made fast friends with a group of kids who taught him new playground games. Then I coerced the kids to roll down a huge grassy hill, which was a blast. The weather was gorgeous and everything was bright green. A true Midwest Summer.
Jason and Audrey had a great travel day as well. They connected through Denver and Audrey loved playing on the moving sidewalks. Jason said she was a great traveler and though the airports were big playgrounds for her.
Once united we took the kids to dinner at Jordan Creek and luck would have it, the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile was in the parking lot. Of course our kids did not grow up with those commercials nor do they eat hot dogs, so it did not bear the same nostalgia for them as it did for Jason and I. Still, pretty cool.
Our kids love staying in hotels as we almost never do it, so it's a very exciting thing for them. We had a suite with a pull out bed the kids slept on and once we opened the door to the room, the kids ran in and started making their bed. They thought they were camping and could not wait to get their cozy bed made.
Willem likes to be settled at hotels, so like Jason and I he usually unpacks his bag and puts his clothing in the drawers. Sometimes he even hangs things in the closet. He would like to live in a hotel one day. The Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom sealed the deal for the kids.
The wedding was held at a local park and they couldn't have asked for better wedding. Sarah's father in law officiated, along with her brother, and it was very moving. Holding the ceremony at a park was great for us as the kids literally ran around the grassy area with the other kids in attendance while Jason and I were able to listen to the ceremony. The whole weekend was very low key and just what Sarah and Eric wanted.
The reception was at the Science Center (what a cool idea!). We checked out all the exhibits and Willem enjoyed the planetarium (which was too dark for others). I have never seen such an easy wedding for families to participate in and we were grateful to be included.
On Sunday we headed onward to North Liberty to visit our friends the Renks and Rowlands. Jennifer and Jason graciously offered to host us at their house which made the whole week even more fun as the kids could play with their friends from morning til bedtime.
The Renks and Rowlands each have three kids and just about the same ages as ours, so each day when we had dinner together, the 9 kids would sit at the table together and have the funniest conversations. All week they acted like a pack coming up with silly games, selling lemonade, going to the park, etc. Since returning home our kids talk a lot about going back to see their friends again.
We checked out downtown Iowa City and toured the Natural History Museum. The Iowa City playground was a hit.
