An invasion and a wedding

Invasion first.

We had all the girls from Griffin visit, Emily, Sarah Susie Hannah, two husbands, Jonathon and Jon, and two babies Samuel (4 months) and Caroline (1 year), followed by Hannah's 2 boys Jack and Oscar for the afternoon and finally Nathan Laura Emma and Ben for good measure. Our house was fit to bursing point and it was marvellous if knackering fun!

After lunch we decided it would be a good idea to go to the park, which is opposite Nathan and Laura's house - and it's the only time I managed to take photos!

Laura and Ben

Sarah and Sam

Oscar

Emily and Caroline

Susie

Hannah with Jack and Oscar

The kids ran around, Emma got stuck in the mud following Jack around, and we all enjoyed a breath of fresh air. All of us that is except Al and John who made the most of the peace and quiet with Nathan to watch sport on telly! Han took Jack and Ozzie back to their grandparents in Wolverhampton and we hung out throughout the house. We had a mattress party in the upstairs room because there was absolutely no floorspace left, it was just mattresses - but add a glass of red wine or two and it becomess a party, right? Then people started bathing their babies and bedtime rituals, Nathan and Laura took the kids home and at last we all sat down, looked around, and: no kids! The curry was on its way, the telly was on and we all just chilled out in front of the box talking nonsence. After the curry people started nodding off and at midnight: bedtime!

After a semi-disturbed night's sleep (but no worse than our gettogethers usually are just this time interrupted by children rather than drunk adults) we awoke at 7.30. It was a very slow start for everyone. Babies were fed, Emily went back to bed, breakfast was made and we all just enjoyed each other's company some more. Then finally people started heading off to pack up their cars, Al had already gone off for his sunday match, and it was just me and the cat. 2 hours of very determined cleaning later I was done in, with almost no energy for anything and a very lazy afternoon slipped into an early night...

One week later it was Pete and Vicky's wedding! It was held at Holy Trinity RC church in Sutton Coldfield. Vicky wore a be-u-ti-ful dress and looked even skinnier than ever. Pete looked like the cat who'd got the cream. Failed to get any good photos of the two of them together - except the dancing ones on video. The priest was Vietnamese and hilarious - a real crowd pleaser wherever the solemnity of the service allowed. He was obviously very fond of them both and of the whole Gilhooly clan. When we got to Aston Villa they ran mini stadium tours before the meal, which was very unnusual for a wedding day and really great. It meant no one got bored waiting for the stragglers to arrive because we were mooching around the dressing rooms and the tunnel pretending to be (very bad) footballers!
Pete's family is part Irish, so after the speeches before the meal Pete's dad led us all in saying Grace and included a Gaelic blessing or grace in there too. After the meal, which was delicious, there was a folk band and lods of Irish dancing before the pop started. I had a go at the Irish dancing and I have just one word to describe it - knackering! I barely lifted by legs but all that jumping around nearly killed me!
The whole day was fab! We drove home at midnight after saying our goodbyes and left the party in full swing - they were going to be carrying on until 3am! But Al had football and I was driving so it was definitely bedtime - not that Pete was entirely happy with our excuses!

Michelle, Teresa me and Kate

Posing in the dressing rooms

Ash 'interviewing' Nick

Pitchside with Chelle and Nick

Leon and Teresa blowing bubbles

Pete with Leon

Laura with Emma and Ben

Nathan and Emma

First dance

First dance