Jesse & Anna's Wedding

Jesse and Anna had the perfect day for their wedding yesterday.  The sun was shining, no humidity, and at times, it was almost a little chilly, but I'd take that over sweltering heat any day!  Especially with two boys that were honored to be the ring bearers in their very special day.

Here are some of the pictures from yesterday...

Didn't think Uncle Jesse could be any cooler in Owen's eyes, but then he broke out the sword

That sword is heavy and it made me a little nervous when Owen and Adam held it

I love this picture of Anna and her mom

The photographer was on the ladder and I was on the balcony above taking pictures from that angle. 

Getting ready for "First Look"

 So glad Nana Way could go along to help with the boys.  They did a great job and were so cooperative, but it was a long day and by the time we finally got to the reception they were hungry, tired, and getting cranky.  They didn't last long at the reception and I was so thankful she was there to take them back to the hotel so I could enjoy the wedding.

Trying to give the "serious face" look

The flower girl, Gracey

We had pictures taken at Anna's grandparents house and the property was incredible.  All my boys wanted to do was explore, run, and wrestle.  There was a pond, creek, and a HUGE hill perfect for climbing and rolling down.  I felt like a shepherd trying to heard my goats sheep all day long :)  I was trying to avoid too many grass stains since we had pictures taken before the wedding ceremony.

Another one of my favorite pictures of Bea and her daddy

Anna and her niece, Beatrice

What a great day and we're so happy for Jesse and Anna!! I'm sure I'll have more to post of the ceremony and reception, which by the way had one of the best bands I've ever heard.  I also had one of the best wedding meals ever!!

My sister just sent this picture to me that she took as the kids were walking down the aisle.  It's not the best quality, but I love Adam's sweet smile.  Mike said he smiled like that to everyone as he walked down.  Owen did a good job too, but I think Adam enjoyed being the center of attention much more than he did.

The Rehearsal

This weekend is filled with wedding activities.... bridal shower, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and today- the wedding!

Here are a few pictures from our rehearsal in the church last night.  Jesse & Anna are getting married in Pottsville.

The ring bearers and the flower girl

Uncle James built this for Bea to ride down the aisle in... a replica of Jesse's plane

There are going to be REAL swords in the ceremony.  My boys were in heaven!

Many, many more to come!

My Brudder

Owen left Thursday afternoon for a trip to the lake with Papa and Finney.  He has been counting down the days for months!  He was so excited!!  We were going to go up Saturday morning, but decided we'd wait and go once the lake was warm enough to swim and play.  I think Owen was secretly happy that we weren't coming up so he could have Papa, Finney, and his Legos all to himself.

The minute we left Owen and headed home, Adam looked at Owen's empty car seat and said, "I miss my brudder."  I knew it was going to be a long couple days for him without his buddy.  That night when we got home, Adam set Owen a spot at the dinner table with a swirly straw and his favorite applesauce.  We had to break it to him that Owen wasn't going to be home until Sunday.  He kept saying, "I miss my brudder."  It feels so strange without Owen here at home, but knowing Adam is missing him so much makes it worse.

We've tried to do a lot of fun things with Adam while Owen's away.  Thursday night we took him to the playground and then we had icecream at Yo Fresh for the first time.  Yum!

Yesterday I took Adam to the playground again and we stayed for almost an hour.  He met some new friends and had a good time.  Then we came home and practiced writing his "A".  He's getting pretty good!  Adam has been asking to sleep in our bed and we told him he could last night.  The three of us snuggled, read books, and were all excited for our family sleepover, but the minute I turned out the light Adam wanted his own bed.

This morning Mike and Adam went to the golf course for breakfast.  This has become something special the two of them do every now and then.  And then, Adam spent some time getting spoiled by my mom.  She took him for "lunch" at Dairy Queen and then to Wal-Mart to pick out a toy since he filled his marble jar and to another playground.

Tonight we went out to dinner and Adam insisted on bringing his baby.  After dinner he asked me to put her in his shirt so he could wear her.  He's going to be a great baby-wearing dad when he grows up. 

Not sure why the picture is squished

It's been fun spending one-on-one time with Adam, but we sure do miss his brudder.

Weekend Full of Memories

This weekend was full of wonderful memories, but I took very few pictures.  I either forgot my camera or didn't want to bring it along since it was raining.

  Saturday morning I got to meet and hold my cousin's newborn baby, Blake.  I love any chance I get to snuggle a newborn.  Blake is super cute!  I really wish I had taken some pictures.  Next time.

After that I headed over to Maddie's bridal shower.  Even though it was raining outside it was still such a pretty shower and by the end, the sun had come out.  I loved that she did a wine tasting in stead of opening gifts.  We all got together for dinner after the shower and Adam got to help Maddie open her gifts then.

Mike's good friend, Todd, and his family were visiting from upstate NY for Maddie's shower.  They have three adorable kids.  Emma (9), Josie (6), and Brody (1).  The boys had the best time playing with them while we were at the shower. 

Mike did something pretty amazing for the kids.  Friday night he told Owen a story about how his Paw-Paw was a Cornwall miner and how he had found gold and burried it by the open pit.  People have been searching for this treasure for over 100 years and Mike's mom just happened to come across the treasure map leading to the gold!!!  She dropped it off and Mike and Owen checked it out.  Owen was hooked! 


The next day, while we were at the shower, Mike and Todd loaded all 5 kids in our mini van and drove to the location where the gold was hidden.  They would have walked, but it was raining.  Mike said it was the most magical thing.  The kids had to follow the treasure map and once they found the spot, they had to dig with shovels about 1.5 feet down.  And there it was... a box full of gold nuggets (rocks that Mike spray painted gold) and some gems and magic wands.  The kids were beyond excited.  They told every single person about it that night.  I really wish we had pictures of the entire thing, but instead we just have the special memory.

I did bring my camera out for a few pictures of the kids playing in the rain.

So much fun, even in the rain!

Mother's Day Tea

This morning was the Mother's Day Tea at Owen's school.  It was the sweetest thing and completely made my mother's day. 

Owen handed me a flower made out of tissues as soon as I walked in the door.  Then he took me over for some refreshments.  The sweetest part was that he held my hand almost the entire time and sat on my lap and snuggled.  There wasn't enough room for the kids to have a chair so most sat on their mommy's laps :)

After that the kiddos sang a bunch of cute songs. The last song was "Let Them Be Little".  So sweet.

 

Owen didn't look like he was really enjoying himself singing in front of everyone.  He said he was embarrassed. 

I was still so proud of him.  What a difference a year makes!  He would have NEVER gotten up in front of a crowd like that a year ago.  Thanks to his wonderful teachers and him maturing a little bit, he's definitely starting to come out of his shell. 
 
After that I was given a book made by Owen and a flower.  Here are some of my favorite pages from his book about me...
 

This one is the best... I can probably count on one hand the number of naps I take in a year!

Love this picture of Owen and I swinging together at the playground.

And lastly we played a little game.  The kids each drew a picture of their mom and we had to guess which one was us.  It only took me about 30 seconds to figure it out.  Can you guess which one I am??

 

Yep!  I'm #5.  Looks like I've been spending a little too much time in sun :)  I got to pick a prize for guessing correctly.
 
Kindergarten is, in my opinion, the most important year of school.  Not because of the learning that takes place, although that's pretty incredible too, but because it can make or break a child's attitude about school in general.  Thankfully, Mrs. Allwein and Mrs. Rich have made it such a positive experience for Owen.

Party, Party, Party

That pretty much sums up our weekend!  Saturday evening we had our little annual Cinco de Mayo celebration.  Also known as the "Water party" if you ask Owen or Tyler since the party always involves splashing water in some way.  We also celebrated Jenny's birthday.  Owen says she makes the BEST desserts in the entire world.  I think it's funny because he rarely eats dessert and if he does he never finishes it.  Jenny makes desserts without eggs, nuts, and dairy and I think I stopped him when he asked for 4ths.  Crazy boy!

Today I took Owen to a birthday party at Bounce U for his good friend Leah.  She invited the entire class so I finally got a chance to meet some of the kids that Owen talks about.  He had a great time and even though he's been to Bounce U twice in the past month for a birthday party, I think he'd go every weekend if he could.

Then tonight we met friends at the Hershey Bears game.  It was a playoff game and our friends have box seats which makes it really nice.  The boys can walk around, play with toys, and eat yummy food.  Unfortunately the Bears lost, but it was a fun night anyway!

 

Oh, and this morning the boys made the tallest Magna-Tile tower they've ever made!  Pretty incredible.

This weekend went entirely too fast!