Up on Cripple Creek

Although "Up on Cripple Creek" by The Band was our theme song as we road tripped to Cripple Creek, Colorado for Sam's cousin's wedding, this post should probably be titled "We Survived Our First 1,500+ Mile Road Trip With a Two Month Old."  Seriously, here is a picture of our odometer upon returning home from our four day road trip.

Our lovely road trip consisted of lots of this:

And a little of this:

With some smiles and coos thrown in along the way.

The drive out wasn't too bad.  We left Thursday morning and drove to Canyon, Texas just south of Amarillo where we visited one of Sam's high school friends and his wife (the kind, kind people that made Aubrey's memory chest in the months leading up to their wedding!).  We woke up refreshed Friday morning and finished our journey to Cripple Creek.  I wish I would have had the camera handy as we drove through Colorado Springs as it was very touching to see huge homemade signs thanking firefighters (I planned on taking pictures on our way home, but we drove a different route).

Cripple Creek is a funny little town with donkeys roaming the streets and casinos everywhere you look.  Of course I missed my one chance to take a picture of the donkeys, but they did have "donkeys at large" signs on all sides of town.  

We stayed at a cabin outside of town with one of Sam's cousins and his wife.  Wasn't our back porch view awesome?!

I'm not going to post any pictures of the bride as I don't feel it's my place to do that, but I do have other pictures from the wedding and reception to share.  The intimate outdoor wedding was held in a pasture outside of town creating a beautiful mountain background.  I was concerned about Joseph's behavior during the ceremony, so I sat on the next to last row on the outer edge with a bottle right next to me.  Apparently his behavior isn't what I should have been concerned about... during the opening prayer (read the quietest time during the entire ceremony), Joseph pooped his pants with more intensity than I've ever heard before.  I mean EVERYONE on our side of the aisle including the groom and groomsman heard it!  All I could hear around me were people trying not to laugh!  I was so embarrassed that I wanted to climb under the bench I was sitting on!  Way to make your presence known, little man. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it from my embarrassed point of view), Joseph and I had to retreat to the car mid-ceremony as it started raining and hailing and I knew that would make him cry.  The storm actually created a beautiful background and left before the reception started so they could take pictures.

Sam's Grandpa Parks got to meet Joseph for the first time before the wedding.

Aunt Kim and Joseph pre-wedding (notice the looming storm cloud).

We couldn't resist a few pictures with a gorgeous mountain backdrop.

I think I've mentioned it before, but Sam, his younger brother, and two of their cousins all went to OSU at the same time (and frequently hung out together), thus they are collectively referred to as "the Parks' boys."  We HAD to take an updated picture since we had the opportunity to include their grandpa.  I just wish Sam's dad had been able to attend the wedding so he would be included in the picture. 

Our good friend Aaron (who we consider a Parks' boy) moved to California in January.  Upon hearing about Joseph's arrival, he texted me to tell us congrats.  He also jokingly said he would be eagerly waiting for his "World's #1 Uncle" shirt.  Well, that's the wrong thing to say to someone as addicted to freezer paper stencils as I am.  When I gave him his shirt at the reception, he promptly put it on so he could take a picture with Joseph. 

Our branch of the Parks' crew.

Aunt Emily took a picture with Joseph too (doesn't he look cool in Uncle Ty's shades).

And, just because I can never put too many adorable Joseph pictures in a post, here are a few more:

I think he looks like a little old man in this picture.

His face cracks me up in this one.

Yup, he has feet too.