A wedding in paradise, mushy mango whoa and other adventures on the friendly island, part 1

Are you ready for this? I know you've been waiting for it but I'm not sure you're ready. You better grab a drink and maybe a snack before you start reading.

I'll get the whining and complaining out of the way first. I know there are other moms out there who will identify with this. Taking a vacation with a 15 month old is not a vacation. At least not a relaxing one. Brennan did not sleep well the entire time we were there. Naps were hit or miss or taken laying in my arms on the bed or lounge chair at the beach (but somehow I was never able to sleep much while he was). And getting him to bed was pretty much a nightmare. Although Matt, and then Pop, seemed to have better luck than me. I was hopeful that after a few days he would acclimate and settle into a routine while we were there, but I guess I was overly optimistic. I mean we are talking about Brennan here. The child who, even before we left for St. Martin, was not consistently sleeping through the night. So, since he wasn't sleeping he pretty much wanted to be held most of the time. By me. And no one else. Except when Matt was there. But, we were in paradise and from my point of view everything else about the trip was practically perfect (except that Matt couldn't stay the whole time) so I really don't have much room to complain.

Besides, this is where we stayed.

 
Villa Ambiance.  Aaahhhhhh.... Doesn't get much better.

After a very early flight Monday morning, we arrived in St. Martin in the afternoon. Luckily, both kids napped on the second flight. The first couple days we hung around the villa.

The kids played in the furniture. Literally. We walked around the grounds. I took lots of pictures. The kids colored. Brennan mostly on himself. We helped with wedding preparations. And we swam in the pool.

On Wednesday, we met Matt at the airport.

 Kaelyn was a little nervous going in the pool at first and freaked out when we would try to let go of her. But she eventually realized she wasn't going to sink with her floaties on and was swimming around on her own.

Even though it was harder for her to move she liked being in her arm floaties and the dino floatie. We named her Deena.

Kaelyn informed us this was not an alligator but a crocodile because it had a straight nose and lived in saltwater.

On Thursday we finally took the kids to the beach. We went to Karakter (aka "The Bus" because the bar is actually an old bus refitted to be a beach bar), which is conveniently close to the airport since we had to pick Buppa up that afternoon. And they have delicious food. But then again, everything tastes better in St. Martin. Oh, and watch out for the Amstel Brights while you're there. You may need to take a taxi home.

Bren got to put his feet in the ocean for the first time. However, he was not a big fan of the waves. He did try several times but after being pummeled by a huge wave just wanted to be held while he watched. Kaelyn on the other hand got very brave and even went in with Matt and Pop.  She did have to wipe her face off whenever she got splashed but there were very few tears. Compare this to last time we were at this beach (November 2010) when she wouldn't go two feet from the lounge chair and we had to shield her from the wind with Matt's shirt.

Of course Friday was busy with getting ready for the wedding and the rehearsal in the evening.  The kids did great at rehearsal. Bren even made it half way down the aisle one time. Kaelyn was super excited about the gifts she got at the dinner. And I was very thankful to have so many adults willing to help keep an eye on the kids and wrangle them (the whole trip actually).  And thankful for an outdoor showing of Toy Story right next to the rehearsal dinner tent. The highlight was when Auntie LaLa made a little boy cry after he pushed Bren out of his seat watching the movie. Ha!

Don't they look like angels reading their hymnal?

Checking out some of the goodies they got from Auntie Care Care and Jay.

 The big day! Saturday. The wedding! Woot!

First up for the day was the civil ceremony on the beach. It was gorgeous. Of course.

A sweet moment between Matt and Kaelyn while we waited in the shade for the ceremony to start. I wonder what they were talking about...

Just before he fell asleep. Yep, he slept through the ceremony. Probably for the best.

Uncle Jay looked a little hot waiting for his bride. Or maybe it was just the nerves making him sweat. ;)

The beautiful bride walking down the "aisle."

They ceremony was short and sweet and they sure did look happy.

And then it was a frenzy of activity getting ready for the real deal. When we got back to the villa the caterer was busy setting up, hair and make up people arrived and then the flowers started rolling in. Thankfully both of the kids napped during most of the chaos. I'll admit I was more than a little worried they wouldn't and would be a nightmare at the church. The kids woke up just in time to put their wedding clothes on - they sure looked adorable - and then we all piled on the bus and were off to the church.

To be continued...