The day after the wedding I had planned to have a surprise graduation party for Avynlea with my family. With the wedding being so close to her graduation and with most of my family not being able to come back Avy felt like her graduation was being overshadowed by the wedding. I understood how she felt so I told mt family we were going to surprise her with a little party on Saturday night after the wedding stuff was all done. Before all that though Kenedy and Tyler came over after the sealing and we got to watch them open their wedding gifts. I started making a quilt for them the week that Tyler came to visit back in July because I could tell that this was where we were going to end up. I made them a huge quilt that had hearts in all different shades of pink. It's a more intricate quilt and took a lot of work and I was pretty happy to be done with it in the end.
Tyler's Mom sent a gag gift for them to our house and it was a pair of potatoes with their faces on them I thought it was weird but it was a gag gift so they were also funny.
Kenedy, Tyler, Avynlea, Rylee, Alec and Isabelle went swimming over at the Caroaca's, we planned it so we could get Avynlea out of the house to have time to set up for her surprise party.
We had leftover tacos from the wedding and I put sprinkles on one of the leftover cakes to make it seem like it was to leftover from the wedding, I also had ice cream with Oreo, Heath and Butterfinger toppings. I put baby pictures out of her, we put up a picture garland and I also had a balloon arch that Anthony and Erin helped put together.
When the kids got back from swimming Avynlea was very surprised and I think a little overwhelmed by the unexpected attention. I had her put on her cap and gown and then we played a game. It was the same game we did at Kenedy's bachelorette party but we made it Avynlea themed. So everyone wrote a question that pertained to Avynlea and then I collected all of the questions. Once I had all of them I passed them out so everyone got a different question, they had to look at it answer the question in their head and then I had everyone pass the paper once to their left and then without looking at the new question they had to write the answer they had in their head on the back of this one. Once that was done I collected them all and gave them to Avynlea to read aloud. It was a pretty fun game and we had some pretty funny questions and answers, we played it through twice and then we hung out, ate treats, took pictures and visited with each other.
Ashleigh had some candy lei's that she made for Avynlea and she put those on her, once she was all decked out we took pictures with the Graduate in the backyard. I mostly focused on those who were not going to be at her graduation and made sure to get pictures of Avynlea with them.
Atticus, Andrew Brown, Avynlea Ashleigh and Abigail. Erin and Avynlea
Avynlea and Atticus
Fredrick and Avynlea
Avynlea and Heather Avynlea and Jeremy
Avynlea and Amos
Alec, Avynlea and Jeremy
Joshua, Fred, Avynlea, Amos, Mallory and Leona Alyssa, Avynlea, Stephanie and Anthony
Isabelle, Avynlea and Matt
Avynlea and Andrew
I got a text and a picture sent to me at about 6:00 that night from Arin Lamb it was a picture of her and her boys in their car looking sad and the text said she got the date wrong and they were at our reception venue and nobody was there. They were really bummed about it but I told her to bring her and her boys over to our house because the newlyweds were there and we were having a party celebrating Avynlea. She did and her boys had fun playing with Atticus, Amos and Fred while we visited with Arin.
Avynlea and Bo
The next morning, Sunday, Kefford and I drove my family to the airport for their flight home. I have loved having my family here, every one of my siblings was able to be here and it meant so much to me, I love when we can all be together and it was a really fun week.
Ashleigh and her family came at the beginning of the week and I was able to spend a lot of time with her and her kids. When the rest of the family came it was too much for Abigail and she became overwhelmed and attached to her Mom and Dad. While at the airport as everyone was unloading their stuff I pulled Abigail out of her seat and for the first time since everyone came she let me hold her and clung to me. Having Abigail let me hold her again and watching my family get all of their stuff out of the cars to leave became too much for me and I started crying. I did not want anyone to leave and I have loved having my family with me this week and having them go was too much. Everyone was giving me hugs and I could not stop crying and it was becoming a little hysterical. I was crying and making everyone else cry and it was all too much and I finally had to just get in my car and leave. I cried a lot of the way home and when I got there I was happy to see Emily and her family still there. They were going to church with us and I am glad that she was able to stay and do that.