As we all contemplated how Keith was able to keep the party a surprise, their caterer served delicious appetizers and we mingled with family and friends. Unfortunately, none of the other friends in the group from law school were in attendance, but we had fun getting to meet new people and trying to socialize Darwin. I should emphasize the word "trying" because Darwin literally laid down behind Colin's legs for a majority of the day. We did make some progress when he finally opened up to Keith's mom when she fed him his food from her hand.
The women of the hour appeared shortly after we arrived and their arrival brought with it a heightened sense of excitement to an already boisterous crowd. Elicia and Keith were both beaming with pride, and Mackenzie looked absolutely precious in her little dress.
Mackenzie looking like a doll
It was wonderful to celebrate such joy with Keith, Elicia and their friends and family. The weather could have cooperated a little better so that we could have enjoyed the beautiful and spacious yard and gazebo, but you can never control Mother Nature when she wants the rain to fall.
The adorable family
As the party came to an end, we said our goodbyes, knowing that the next time we would see them, Mackenzie would look very different. In a bit of a rush to catch the ferry (goodbyes always take longer than you expect), we made it to the farthest point in northeastern Long Island, Orient Point, with just moments before the ferry departed. With a sigh of relief, we (minus Darwin) enjoyed the 1.5 hour ferry across Long Island Sound to New London, CT before driving another 45 minutes to my parent's house in RI.
I do believe we have to experience bad weather so that we can appreciate the good weather, and Mother Nature decided we needed 3 days of rain. Our time in RI wasn't plagued with as much rain as we received in Long Island, but it definitely put a damper on the two days we were there. We managed to take Darwin on a wonderful 5 mile walk along the bike path near my parent's house during a break in the rain and spent most of the trip indoors hosting lots of family members. Colin's sister Karen, sister-in-law Carla, and our niece and nephew visited with us on Monday and Colin's parents visited on Tuesday. It certainly made spending quality time with family easier to have everyone come to us.
Sisters-in-law and cousins (Darwin counts as our child)!
The Clemente's enjoyed having a house full of guests!
Darwin got to meet both sets of grandparents
And Brian, at almost 7 years, is such a fan of his Uncle Colin. They have the greatest time hanging out together!
There was lots to catch up on over the course of two days since we had gone all summer without seeing almost everyone. And in my mom's kitchen, there is usually lots of food to be eaten! My mom always has a stocked fridge and makes the most delicious meals!! On Monday we had a salmon dinner with seafood rice and a salad, and Tuesday we had an assortment of entrees. For many of our visits, my mom makes traditional Portuguese dishes, but my parents love to grill during the summer (even if it's raining).
Overall, we had a great few days catching up with friends and family. I would have loved to take the whole week off and meet up with my friends and see the all the little girls I haven't met in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Delaware and celebrate weddings and engagements, but we had to get back for work. The problem with having friends in all parts of the country is that it is difficult to see them for all the exciting life-changing events. We made it to most of the weddings, but it has been extremely difficult to meet the babies.
How do you make the best of a rainy day when traveling?
