Ring Bearer Video

Here's a short video of William's first performance as ring bearer.
We don't have video of him jumping over the wedding dress or picking up the flower girl's flowers. That will just live on in our memories. Something we'll of course share at his own wedding.

Mount Vernon

A couple weeks ago we went to Brad's nephew's wedding in Mt Vernon, IL. William was the ring bearer.
It's the first time either of the kids have been up there & it was a totally new experience. First of all, traveling by plane with 2 kids was . . . OK. Not horrible. Not easy. But then again, airports post 9.11 aren't easy - even without kids.

We went for a week so we got to spend a lot of time with Brad's brother and family.

One day we went on the boat. As you can see, William got to help uncle Steve drive.




Another day we drove 30 minutes south to visit the town where my dad grew up. We hit the places that I remember most.

The house my grandparents owned when my sister & I were kids. We'd spend a couple weeks each summer there playing with our cousins. Good memories.

The church my grandparents attended and my grandfather helped build.

And then . . . the donut shop.

We of course, had to partake in the "cream horn".
I remember my grandparents having these sugary treats around the house during the summer. Last year my dad had a craving for "cream horns" and had a couple dozen shipped to him in Florida. I remember loving them as a child. And now, my children got to try them and they are also big fans of the "cream horn". Evidence follows . . .

"Yea, that WAS mine. You can have it now."

"Mom, give me more!"

"Not enough. More"

William's sugar crash from this little stop was HORRIBLE.

Remember, I said this trip was a totally new experience. Besides the lake & boat trip - another new experience was the farm across the street from my brother-in-law's house. He took Brad & William over to feed the cows.

I wasn't there - so I don't know what was going on during this picture. But it looks like William might be trying to grab hold of the cow's tongue and Brad is trying to pull his hand away.

Anyone remember fireflies? Or lightning bugs? I remember catching them and pulling there little "light butts" off. Quite cruel now that I think about it. Well, Brad and William spent several nights hunting the lightning bugs. William finally got one in his insect container. He was so excited. He did NOT pull the insect apart.


Saturday finally arrived. This was William's first time in a tux. How handsome he looked.

"This ring bearer stuff is tough"

The wedding was smack dab in the middle of nap time. Can I hear a, "Ohhhhh noooo" from any other preschooler parents? I was very concerned it was going to be a disaster and that he would totally ruin the wedding.
He did not.

Especially if you exclude the part when he left his spot at the front of the church and walked in front of the pastor who was mid-speech and then jumped over the bride's train. Yes, he jumped over her train. Uh huh. Yep. BUT - he didn't stomp on it.

Then there was the part when he proceeded back up the aisle he had just walked down picking up the flowers the flower girl had dropped.

I know my son. He is a handful with a nap. Given the time of the ceremony + no nap . . . it could have been worse.

Ring bearer and his family.
Maddie slept through the ceremony.

At the family luncheon on Sunday.
Brad's family (the newlyweds - Zane & Matt, us, Steve & Debbie, and Brittney).

Project Completed

My mother's mother was a great seamstress.
My mother was a great seamstress. (I say "was" because she hasn't glanced in the direction of a sewing machine in 10 years ;)
One might think I could sew. Or at least possess the talent to sew.

Sooo . . . a sweet friend of mine who is very artistic and talented has agreed to teach me to sew. We've been at it since the beginning of May, and I finally completed my first project.

I'm not a good completer. I start many a-things. I finish very few.
*My honeymoon scrapbook - not completed.
*Our scrapbook of fabulous vacations before children - not completed.
*My son's first year baby book - not completed.
*Home projects - started, not finished.
*Every women's bible study (except Daniel) - started with great enthusiasm, not completed.

So now I can add an accomplishment in the "Completed" column. John Grisham novels, Daniel Bible study, college, and now . . . a hand-embroidered slip dress for my daughter.

I'm attaching pictures. I completed the dress on Thursday night and she wore the dress to celebrate her 9 month birthday on Friday. Wow, Maddie is 9 months already! Crazy.




Now since I come from 2+ generations of pianists and musicians on both sides of my family, I should be able to play the piano also. Something to tackle later in life.

Happy Father's Day

We had a nice Father's Day together. It was as laid back as we could do given 2 kids and our normal Sunday morning schedule.

My husband is a great spouse. And he is a great dad. You can tell his children love him!

6 years and counting

We just celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. We took a long weekend and enjoyed being alone.

We rode all the rides we want to ride when we go to Disney but can't because we've got kids. That was a blast.

On our way to dinner & fireworks at EPCOT.

We relaxed at the spa for several days. Fabulous.

The highlight was dinner at Emeril's at the chef's table. The table was located in the kitchen where we got to watch all the action. The chef cooked a special 6+ course meal designed just for us. It was so incredible. I ate so much that I hurt in the middle of the night.

Brad & me with the chefs.

Milestones

Our little girl is moving along so good, now 7 months old.

We just discovered her third tooth. Now 2 on the bottom, one on top. She's getting ready for steaks in June with Uncle Steve & clan! She's heard her daddy talk about the 'Grill Master' in Illinois and wanted to make sure she got in on the goodies.

She's trying so hard to crawl too (pics below). She can get her knees up under her body and push. But big girl can't hold up her torso at the same time. I find it amazing how she is growing so quickly.

I don't know if I'm the only mom that does this, but I find myself not wanting her to grow so quickly. I remember with William being so anxious for him to go to the next step. He started to drool and I kept checking for teeth. Then he got one, and I kept looking for the second one. Then the third one, etc. Once he started to crawl, I couldn't wait for him to walk. Then I couldn't wait until he was tall enough to ride the kiddie rides at Busch Gardens. Then I couldn't wait until he could talk in full sentences. Then it was carry on a little conversation. I didn't stop to enjoy the stage he was in, I was always looking for the next one.

With Madelyn, I'm totally different. I am slightly disappointed as she moves to the next stage of development, looking back often. I don't know why. It's so odd to me.

Either way, anxious for the next stage or slightly saddened by the new stage, it doesn't seem to stop or hurry along development. My little people are developing at the rate God himself intended.

Here are some pics of Maddie trying her hardest to crawl.

Ahhhh, Home Sweet Home

Have you been away from your bed for a couple nights and when you get back home and sink into your comfy cozy bed, you realize how good home is and how great your bed is? If you pay attention, you might even catch your body saying, "Ahhh. This is good."
Last night was that way for all 4 of us. We were in Miami for 3 nights and Orlando for 2 nights. So by night 6 - we were all so happy to be back in our own beds. So happy that we slept an hour later than usual.
We beached it for 3 days in Miami. Fabulous. It was so nice to be with Brad. We had dinner each night by the pool that overlooked the ocean. Then we packed our bags and headed to Orlando for some Disney park fun. The Flower & Garden show is going on at EPCOT now so we wanted to do that. And William is tall enough to ride Test Track and Thunder Mountain Railroad, so we had a lot to do in 2 days. It was great.

I didn't pack enough clothes to get us through the weekend, but I decided we could find coin laundry. Surely there is coin laundry near the hotel or the parks, I thought! That's a joke! If anyone is interested in a business in Orlando - that's it. Coin laundry close to the theme parks. There's not one within, oh probably, 13 miles of Disney.

Fun times. Though so nice to be home. So nice that I don't think we're leaving the house today. I know your question . . . not even to party for Cinco de Mayo, you ask? No, not even.

EPCOT "FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW" PICTURES:

Brad and William taking time to smell the flowers.

Me and Maddie in front of the giant butterfly made out of flowers. This was at the entrance to the 'Butterfly Garden'.

One of the hundreds of butterflies inside the "Butterfly Garden".

William had said several times, "I'm hungry". So in the middle of the Nemo ride/exhibit he plopped down, popped open his Pringles and ate.

MAGIC KINGDOM PHOTOS:

In front of Cinderella's Castle
(Click on the picture to zoom in)

Family photo shot at the wishing well.

William's FIRST COCA-COLA!!!

This is Brad asking, "Where is my Coke!!!???"

For those of you who have spent time with William know that he and sugar don't mix.
Putting it nicely, he turns psycho. The general rule is . . . If YOU give him sugar, he's yours until after he's crashed. For that reason, he rarely has sugar. Brad let William have a little of his Coke. And the little psycho was quite fond of it.

This is William's answer to Brad, "Right here in my belly."

William's first time on Thunder Mountain Railroad . . .

On the way up the ramp to Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Almost to the train.

Not so excited now that he's on the ride. But we did it anyway.

Miami Pics

Pics from our recent 'spur of the moment' trip. Not so 'spur' for Brad. But 'spur' for the rest of us. The late afternoons/evenings ended up being vacation-esque.

Brad and his babies.

On the South Beach boardwalk. This is not a new hair style for me . . . the wind was blowing pretty hard.

The view in the morning from our room.

William kept entertained in the pool. Whether it was making friends with German girls or playing with buckets - he thoroughly enjoyed the water.

While big brother played, Maddie discovered bubbles.

Ready. Set.

Jump!

The evening air was too cool for me and Maddie so we sat on the deck and watched the boys play in the pool.