A Tennessee Wedding...

So we went to Tennessee last weekend for Diana & Aaron's wedding... Here are Dad/Diana coming down the 'aisle' (the wedding was held at a quaint B&B Inn in the Smoky Mountains...)

But before we get to the wedding, let's review what we did in the hours leading up...

It took 2 (semipainful) flights to get to Knoxville (unfortunately Anderson isn't always the most cooperative traveler. However, he lights up (and stops crying) when anybody new starts giving him attention - faker!)). We attended the casual rehearsal dinner, and then we set out for the famed Dollywood early the next morning. Though it cost us $50/adult for 2+ hours, Jason decided that it would be a big mistake to miss it while we were there... So...

We ran into Madeline...
And Peter Rabbit....
Saw one of Dolly's cousins performing...and just took in the charm :)

We rode a steam train (complete with authentic inhalable coal dust!)...


And Anderson got his first ride on a carousel...

Some of the gift shop items were of questionable taste...


And then the wedding!!


The beautiful bride and handsome groom :)



It was a sweet/simple ceremony followed by sit-down dinner. Jason was his typical self and grabbed the video camera for some informal taping of dinner and wishes for the lucky couple.

Early the next morning, we were blessed with the babysitting services of Grandma & Grandpa Burger, and went off to play....:



This weekend was a little more tame :)

We went to our first 'All Ivy' event, where Jason became an honorary alumnus of MIT. We joined 4 other MITers for a competitive bowling match against the other Ivies (Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, etc). As has apparently been our reputation, we crushed our competitors :) Yes, the Beavers actually have some 'athletic' skills....! Anderson was so mesmerized, he fell asleep in the middle of the game...

Swimming Pool!

Anderson enjoying himself at Chuck E Cheese

(Jason wrote the following:)For those not aware of Chuck E Cheese, this is a restaurant that serves pizza, sandwiches and beverages that allows parents too terrified to take their kids to a real restaurant the opportunity to get out of the house. The food is mediocre, but you get to see videos of the latest children's television hits. Most exciting for Anderson is Chuck, the restaurant's faithful mascot. It's a great experience for all.

Here's a picture which shows Anderson with cute little Chuck.

In addition to this wonderful experience, we bought Anderson a kid's pool. Jason didn't warm up the water before plopping him into the pool, but Natalie added some warm water and eventually he grew to like it. Here are some pictures ...

Anderson in his cool "Matrix" wrap-around shades.

Tastefully covered ...

First swim lesson.

In other news, we just came back from a short/sweet trip to California...with 4 flights in just over 48 hours. For the most part, Anderson did pretty well though he did have his moments... We (with friend Carol from Austin) visited Jennifer & family in Sacramento. James (Jennifer's husband) was incredibly helpful and even babysat Munch when we went to Jennifer's baby shower... As he noted, pretty soon he will be handling 2 kids...so why not get some early practice :)



Carol, Jennifer and I pre-shower. Jennifer looks amazing and is very agile/mobile for someone in her 3rd trimester in the summer...where does she get the energy...??