Hot Fun in the Summertime

Summer 2013 continued to be a blast, as Baby Harvey 2.0 grew bigger and bigger but we kept right on going.  June was filled with family time and home improvements.  In July, we had a Mack family visitor, Eric, who was in California for work for a few weeks.  We were happy to have him at our traditional Alameda July 4th parade and block party.  Here are a few highlights of our summer.

Celebrating Peter's birthday.

Matching dad/daughter hammers.

Showing off her Black & Decker tools to make Uncle Dave proud.

Eric and Virginia wish you Happy 4th!

Fearless four year old on the diving board at the July 4th block party.

Crashing after the 4th ended.

A Whirlwind Weekend in the Big Apple

With a new baby on the way, Thomas and I decided we only had so many months left to travel.  So, when an invitation from a dear college friend came for his wedding on Long Island, we decided it was a perfect excuse for a New York trip.  Virginia stayed behind for a fun-filled long weekend in California while Thomas and I headed east.

The first stop was New York City, where Marriott hotel points scored us a nice room in the Renaissance Hotel right in the heart of Times Square.  Since it had been years since we'd been to NYC, we decided we had earned as much.  It turned out to be a good thing that we saved on the room because theater tickets were sky-high!  It didn't help that I wanted to see one of the hottest shows in town -- Matilda -- which had recently opened on Broadway.  Matilda was based on my absolute favorite childhood novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, so it was a can't miss for me.  It was truly a magical theater experience and an amazing show (made all the better by second row seats).  We even had a chance to meet up with a college friend, Justin Zaremby, before the show for drinks.  And after the show, we had a chance to see another Yalie, Rachel Pasternak, who happened to have Matilda tickets the same night!  Talk about lots of reunions.

Very happy Roald Dahl fan!

Speaking of reunions, as luck would have it, my Aunt Lynn happened to be in New York the same evening too.  She was taking a girls trip to shop and see shows, so we met up with her crew at Sardi's.  What fun!

Sardi's with the girls!

Thomas, Auntie Lynn, and me at Sardi's.

The next morning, we had the opportunity to see even more Yale friends, as we met up with Marc Suskin and his family for brunch.  Marc and Thomas were Spizzwinks and Whiffenpoofs together, and their oldest daughter is right at Virginia's age.  We were sad that Virginia couldn't be there for the reunion too, but I know we will have a chance to see them again soon.

With Marc & Alexa and their girls.

Then it was off to Connecticut for the rest of the day.  We crashed for one night with Uncle John and Aunt Joyce at 1918 and had a nice time visiting with most of the CT Mack family as always.

Finally, the big event -- Roric Tobin's wedding on Long Island.  We drove Sunday morning from Connecticut down to Long Island, where we reunited with even more Yalies for the shindig.  We also had the chance to see our UVa law friend, Brett, who also happens to be Roric's brother (small world!).  We had recently seen Brett and his family in Hawaii in March, so it was nice to catch up with him and his daughters again.  The wedding was a blast and I danced my pregnant belly off.  Best wishes to the happy couple!

Leslie & her favorite boys -- Brian & Peter

The boys doing Blue Steel.  Very little has changed in the 12 years since we graduated at Yale.

With the illustrious Mr. Eric Paul Harding.

Thomas & Brett

More Yale pals.

Thomas and the blushing groom.

Daddy-daughter dancing.  Cuteness.

Virginia, The Flower Girl

Thomas's cousin, Shannon Mack, got married this fall and Virginia was honored to be asked to serve as flower girl in the wedding.  Shannon married a lovely Southern gentleman, Brett Casey, who just happens to be from Charlotte, North Carolina.  Shannon will be moving there after her honeymoon, so she has gotten to be friends with my sister who also lives in Charlotte (along with Thomas's other cousin, Beau, who already has befriended my sister).  Needless to say, it is starting to get hard to unravel these Neeland/Mack friendships and connections!  I was just thrilled that Liz could make the trip to Connecticut too so we got a chance to visit with her and her husband, Dave.

The wedding weekend was a huge success.  Virginia attended the bridesmaids' luncheon, where Shannon gave her a lovely engraved jewelry box filled with all sorts of fun kid jewelry.  We were then off to get manicures and pedicures with the bridesmaids - Virginia's first visit to the nail salon!  She totally ate it up.

Posing with the bride and her bridal party:

Someone was in manicure heaven!:

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner in downtown Stamford.  Virginia desperately wanted to make a toast, but then froze under pressure and exhaustion when she got the microphone.  I'll spare readers the details, but the toast did not end well!  But we certainly entertained everyone, I suppose.

With the bride at the rehearsal dinner (pre-toast meltdown):

Saturday was filled with getting dolled up for the big afternoon wedding.  But we made sure to spend a little time with family and also set off on search of some good Connecticut pizza!

With Dave, Liz, Beau, and Jessica at a hole in the wall pizza joint - the best kind:

And then it was off to the wedding!  Virginia loved her beautiful dress and tolerated the crown of flowers on her head.  We were afraid she wouldn't wear it, but she completely rose to the occasion.  She got to ride in the limo with the wedding party to the church, and she was mesmerized by the lights inside.  She called the limo her "spaceship" and announced we were "ready for blastoff" when the limo started moving.

Strike a pose:

She was so proud to be dolled up like the big girls:

Spaceship limo ready for blastoff:

The wedding ceremony was truly beautiful, and Virginia fulfilled her flower girl duties with grace and charm.  Virginia was accompanied down the aisle by Brett's nephew, Colin, as the ring bearer.  Colin was a little younger than Virginia, and there was some question whether he would make it down the very long aisle in the Gothic cathedral.  In the end, he and Virginia grabbed hands and powered down it like pros.  We breathed a sigh of relief!

It was a "three lollipop wedding!"  All the sugar limits went out the door as we tried to keep Virginia quiet through the ceremony - Catholic services are a little longer than we Methodists are used to!

With Mom outside the gorgeous church:

The kids after the service - Virginia's "twin" cousin Jones and the ring bearer Colin:

After the church service, we went to a reception like no other!  It was held at the Westchester Country Club, which was beyond impressive.  There was a candy station and photo booth, among other surprises.  The kids joined us for the cocktail hour, and we then got some much-needed adult time when the kids went upstairs with a babysitter during the dinner and dancing.  Thanks, Aunt Ellen, for hiring that sitter!  Virginia, Colin, and Jones apparently had a blast, while we danced the night away with a very fun band.

The Charlotte contingent, Dave, Liz, Jessica & Beau:

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters:

These boys might have gotten into some trouble over the weekend.  No comment:

Doug and Thomas, with a happy and relieved father-of-the-bride, David Mack:

Virginia and Colin conked out with the babysitter before the night was over:

We finished the wedding weekend with a Sunday brunch at the hotel with family and friends.  Then it was back to California!

Virginia adored cousin Beau.  She spent most of the brunch negotiating with Beau and his wife Jessica about how she was going to take a plane flight by herself to Charlotte to visit them!

I got my one photo with the bride and groom.  Don't they look happy to be married?!:

Virginia with Aunt Meg:

June Adventures

June in the Harvey family was filled with lots of hometown adventures around the Bay Area.  To celebrate his 65th birthday, Peter and a few of his buddies threw an amazing dance party with a live band at the Claremont Country Club.  Thomas and I danced 'til we dropped and the babysitter had a late night!  Uncle David and Aunt Ellen came to town for the celebration and we all had a blast.

Then it was off to an A's game with Little V... she was quite the fan and a lot of the more rowdy patrons in seats around us loved her to death.  They said she was the good luck charm that made the A's win.  Let's Go Oakland!

And, it wouldn't be summer without another visit to Gilroy Gardens.  Virginia loves that place.  We chilled out with the garlic mascot, rode the carousel and the "Artichoke Dip" ride, tried on wacky hats, and ate ice cream and pizza galore.

And, of course, we have had lots of fun summer visits with family and friends.  Uncle Biggie is always a Virginia fan favorite!