Dad's Wedding: Part Third (Photo Overload)

 For our final stop in Galena we drove about twenty minutes further into nowhere and ended up at one of the most beautiful bed and breakfasts I have ever seen - with one of the most delicious dinners I have ever eaten.   

Our home for the evening

We started off by taking a really odd photo

Then my little brother Johnny decided to be coy

My twin brother, Dan, braved the river first

I decided to go second.  Shocking everyone with my jump from standing position

There may or may not have been an incident at some point on the hike

Rob and I in front of our cottage

Our bedroom

The largest (and most awkwardly placed) chairs I've ever seen

See what I mean? Talk about an intimate conversation

Monster Sized Tub

Inside Dan and Marissa's Cottage

More relaxing in the cottages

My dad and his new bride 

My husband and his old bride

Derek and Sarah excited for dinner

Sitting down for a seven course family dinner

The third course: Maple Glazed Salmon on French toast with Pineapple.  It was to DIE for!  

Dan tickled the ivories for some post-dinner entertainment 

Then we all bonded in the parlor 

It was one of those weekends that I'll remember for a long, long time.  Family, food and fun.  Thanks, Dad, for letting us be a part of such a wonderful weekend.

Wedding: Part Deux

As I mentioned before, the weekend was host to some sort of Boy-Scout-Jamboree (is that the correct word?  I'm not up to date on my scout lingo).  So early Saturday morning scouts from all over just started coming out of the woodwork.  The city was CRAWLING with tan shirts and backwards ascots with gold ties (again...at a loss for the correct term) until about 1pm, when they put on a parade.  Five thousand scouts walked main street, then vanished.

Saturday night my Dad and Bonnie were married in the historic hotel we were staying at.  They did a lovely job with decorations and details.

Bonnie walking down the aisle

My dad and his best man, Rick

My dad's solo.  Okay, I have no idea what he's doing.  But he wasn't singing.....yet.

Happy Bonnie

 After the wedding, we had a ridiculous amount of delicious food.  Then in (insert maiden name here) family tradition, we hit the dance floor and bedazzled all the guests with our awesome moves.  We are like the dancing equivalent of the Von Trapp family singers.  World renowned, I tell you.

We boogied

We polkaed (it was almost scary how quickly my dad and his brother jumped into this - I mean, who led?)

Then I pretended to Polka (it's a family thing)

It appears as though we may have even raised the roof a little.  

A couple of fun mid-reception surprises were 1.  When the band stopped rocking, and played "Take me out to the ball game" as Portillo's hot dogs were rolled in.  (Portillo's is the restaurant of choice amongst our family - so this was a real home-town treat)

2.  When my dad went up to the stage, plugged in his guitar, and sang "Beginnings" by Chicago while rocking with the band.  So impressive, Dad!

My dad, the rock star

It was a great wedding.  We were so glad to be a part of it.  But it didn't end there - tune in tomorrow for Wedding: Part Third.  Hmm.  When I typed that, it was an accident - but I think we'll leave it like that.  Wedding: Part Third, it is.

Dad's Wedding - Part 1

(I started this post about three weeks ago - but never finished it. I knew it was going to be a couple of long posts, so I kept putting it off. Now I can use my post-a-day to finish writing about my Dad's wedding.  No, that's not cheating.  I don't care what you say...this is my blog - I make the rules!)

Last month Rob and I ran off for a weekend in Galena, IL for my dad's wedding.  It was a quick trip to a tiny little town in the middle of the 1800s  nowhere.  It ended up being a historic little town in western IL filled with old buildings, famous landmarks, shopping, and on this particular weekend - five thousand boy scouts (I kid you not).

It is the kind of town where people dressed like this, walking the streets, is totally normal:

Some more of the old buildings:

Galena's Oldest Building

Fire House and Rob who didn't think he was in the shot.  Surprise!   (The staircase in the background actually is the Stairway to Heaven. It just keeps going, and going.  Imagine our surprise after climbing three billion plus stairs only to be sent back to earth.)

The High School

We spent the first two nights in a historic hotel where all the rooms are named after someone famous who stayed in that room.  Our room was the Susan B. Anthony room.  I wish I had snapped some pics of the inside of our first hotel - but, alas, I forgot.  I'll continue tomorrow with more of the wedding weekend.  

Summer Breeze

We finally hit the upper 70's today.  I can't believe it has taken me until June to be able to say that.  Perhaps it's my Midwest upbringing, but I'm a firm believer that May should be warm, June, July and August hot, and then there should be an immediate cool down come October 1st. (September is just a wash, I suppose!)

Here's how we celebrated the warm weather:

Grilled chicken, salad, corn on the cob and mashed potatoes

All in the comfort of our patio furniture (yes, we're a group of messy eaters)

Then we hammock-ed a bit (brushing hair was optional)

 Even though it's one of the first warm days we've had, somehow Madelyn already has a glorious tan.  What's that about? I won't even come close to this tan until it's time for the pants to be broken out again.  And in this scenario we are keeping tan and sunburned on the same level. 

Happy summer, friends! 

A few weeks ago my life began.  It was a moment that I had been dreaming of for years and years.  My kids had their first T-ball game.  I know all of you parents out there dream of what your kids will be when they grow up, etc. Not me.  My kids have pretty much accomplished all I've ever hoped they would.  Well done Maddie and Jude - thank you for setting such a great example for your younger siblings.

T-ball (well, baseball in general) is quite possibly the reason I even wanted to have kids to begin with.  Falling head over heels in love with them was totally an added bonus, but seriously....T-ball.  My heart raced as I got to watch ten kids run after one ball.  I squealed with delight after every unaimed overthrow.  How many times can one kid swing without ever making contact with the ball?  Not nearly enough.

This is heaven people.  To top it all off, my husband is the coach of the Hotdogs.

Join me as I reminisce about last week's game:

Jude swings the bat - totally backwards

Maddie runs the bases so quickly that her hat falls off

Jude takes a moment to clean out his nose

Eight kids chase hopelessly after the ball.  (The girl with her legs out wins)

Saturday mornings have never been so glorious!

Great-full

It's 4:00pm on Friday afternoon.  I've got a great babysitter coming over to my house so my husband and I can go on a date.  I'm thinking maybe we'll hit a couple buckets of balls, maybe we'll go bowling, maybe eat some dinner, maybe a bit of hand holding....you know, the things that I get excited for. It's still up in the air, but I'm sure it's going to be a great night.  I love knowing that our sitter, Maddie "Brownie" as the kids call her is someone that the kids look forward to seeing.  They often ask me to go on dates just so she can come over.

I've got great sisters.  Seeing as how I have only one blood sister, I'm including sisters-in-law in that statement.  They offer me advice, give me their hand-me-downs, make me laugh, send me AWESOME homemade presents (Happy Birthday, Marissa) and help me with my kids.  Rob's sister, Callie, made me these great earrings that I'm going to wear on tonight's date.

Aren't they awesome?  She's so talented!  

I sometimes get bugged that my house is a bit snug for the six of us (don't get me wrong - I know I'm lucky to even have a house, job, etc in this economy) but then I have great moments, like today, when I never want to move.  Today was Madelyn's last day of kindergarten.  Over the past few days I've been able to go to her school several times for end of the year festivities - and man, oh man, I LOVE that school.  Maddie was given an award at the end of the year awards assembly, and I couldn't be more proud of her.  I know she's a really great kid - but I also know I owe a lot of her growth and development to this great lady:

Her marvelous (my inner-writer can't handle any more "greats" in this post) Kindergarten teacher.  She adores her.  I adore her.  She is simply a wonderful, wonderful woman.  We've already had the "I don't ever want to leave Kindergarten - why can't Mrs. S come live with us - it's never going to be the same again" end of year cry.  Madelyn tends to be a bit sentimental.  I have no idea where she gets it.  I won't mention that I cried reading the little note her teacher sent home, or that I also cried during the slide show of Kindergarten activities Maddie brought home.  

There are many more things I have to be "greatful" (get, it? it might be too funny for some of you) but I'll have to list those another day.  "Brownie" just rang my doorbell, and I'm off.  

I'm UBER grateful for what I'm posting about tomorrow.  Stay tuned!  

Day 2: Boogers

"I got boogers, Mom!"

  I wake up to this fairly often with Ella hanging on to the side of my bed.  I usually grunt something like, "Go wipe them and go back to bed," but a few weeks ago Ella came to me three different times in the same night crying about them.  She had been complaining about them since earlier that morning, so I decided it was probably legit, and got up to wipe them.  She complained a few more times while putting her back in bed, but eventually she fell asleep.  She was a pill the next day, so I assumed she was getting sick.  It wasn't until that night when she cried to Rob about boogers that he realized there was something hard stuck in one of her nostrils. After much pressing, dissecting, tweezing and screaming - this came out:

It was one of those twistable crayons from Crayola.  I can't even imagine something that big in my nose for a few minutes let alone the tiny nostrils of two year old for two days.  Reminds me of the chex mix story.  I'll save that one for another day.

(Anybody out there know how to read wrinkly, in-obvious-need-of-lotion, palms?)

Jessica's Fault....and Rob's

My uber creative sister in law, Jessica, has put a challenge out there to blog every single day in the month of June. The reward? Some pics snapped by her. I can't resist. The whole point is to get in at least one memory or thought every day, so today I'd like to post about something Rob did last night.

I came home from a Young Women's activity and found that Rob had changed the desktop picture on our computer. Instead of some vague black and white artsy-fartsy image, I saw this:

I knew exactly why it was up.  I have been told by several people (including strangers) that I look like I belong in the twenties.  I've never quite understood if it was a compliment, or an insult - I've just found it to be an odd thing to say to someone.  All I could ask Rob was, "Is this supposed to be me?" I knew by his laugh that it was.  

I've been told I look like a lot of people, but Clara Bow is not one of them. So is he right, or is he wrong?  Either way - the monstrous face of her on my desktop is starting to weird me out.  It's like one of those paintings in the movies where the eyes watch you as you walk by.  I'm really hoping that her head does not pop out of the screen like Viggo in Ghostbusters 2.  That might really send me over the edge.  

Maybe tomorrow (or sometime in the month of June) I'll post a picture that my friend Mary found of "me."  It seems to support the idea that I was born in the wrong decade.  

Giggly Girl

A friend once told me that my kids were easy laughers.  I really enjoyed that compliment because Rob and I spend a lot of time trying to get laughs out of our kids.

I took this video of Claire with my phone about two months ago - and have been enjoying it ever since.  My kids have all been pretty good laughers, but about half way through the video she hits a level of laugh that I didn't even know existed in a two month old!

Easter

Typical take 1

Four shots later

Cousins/Aunts/Uncles?  It all gets confusing around this age.

Maddie and Jodie, take 2 (posting take 1 may just end the great friendship Jodi and I have)

My handsome  hubby

Cousin Brad - professional wrestler

Ella's big buddy.  (We're going to miss you Brad!)

Catch Up

Here's a quick look at what April and May has held for my family (including what's to come in the next two weeks):

Four day visit from my mom and sister
Rob out of town for nine days
Planning (and then pulling off) a dinner/talents show/fund raiser for 200 people
Baptism of my niece
Six softball games
My dad's wedding (which involved a 4 day trip to IL)
Six Young Women activities
Baptism of my nephew
Easter
Mother's Day
Two t-ball games
Our eight year anniversary
Planning (and attending) Youth Conference (a two day event for 20 teenagers)
Preschool Graduation
My nephew's mission farewell
My sister-in-law's mission call opening
Four-month shots
Four Young Women Camp meetings
A grade school carnival
A friend's wedding
Five Sunday morning church meetings
An on-going battle with potty-training  (It's only in-style some days, apparently)

So there it is...documented. When all is said and done (and by that I mean...sometime in June) I will finally post some of the "festivities" that spring has had to offer. We've had a lot of fun - it's just been busy.  I'm starting to realize WHY I can't seem to keep up with dishes, cleaning, ironing, and laundry for six! I laugh because I don't even have kids in full-time school. I can't imagine what all of YOU are going through!!

As a side note - it took me over two hours to finish this post due to the following distractions:  two diaper changes, one feeding, snack time, TWO "wipe my bum" calls from the bathroom, one laundry switch, one "You'd better get cleaning or I'll set the timer" squabble, getting three kids dressed (including the I don't want to wear that discussion), and three phone calls (one more that went unanswered).  Phew!  I think I'm ready for a nap.  Oh wait, it's now lunch time!  

Mother Lover

To my special lady:

In just a couple of short weeks, we will be celebrating our 8^th year of marriage.  That’s unbelievable to me!  Now, this isn’t an anniversary post, but as I got caught up in thinking about what we can do for our special day I totally overlooked one of the most important days of the year. 

It was last Tuesday when I realized that in five days the kids and I would be attempting to make you a delicious Mother’s Day breakfast while you were supposed to be sleeping in.  I say “supposed to be” because a pillow held tightly over your ears can only block out so much noise from the “playful” screams of our four little angels. 

I suppose I could blame my lack of awareness on the past few weeks that have been packed full of non-stop craziness, but like Jeff always says, you should treat every day like it’s (insert special day here…in this case it would be mother’s day).  In theory, my brother’s philosophy is a good one.  We should treat each other like every day is Valentine’s Day or your birthday or Mother’s Day.  Then again, if we did that, how could we appreciate these special days that only happen once a year?

Anyway, before I start busting out in the Carpenters singing about how the world needs more love, let me say these three simple words…I love you!  And seriously, more than words can ever say.  I could go on and on in my awkward way of expressing my undying love for you, but let me do it by sharing my top 5 favorite things about you.  There are only 5 because I got a late start on Tuesday.

1. Your smile.  There’s nothing I love more than seeing you happy because you don’t just smile with your mouth.  It’s like Willy Wonka created a new kind of candy especially for you that tastes like toblerone and haribo gummy bears but better and you just tasted it for the first time.  Your eyes brighten, your lips are the perfect shape and you just radiate happiness.

2. Your selflessness.  You always put others before yourself even when you shouldn’t have to wait.  It’s a reminder for me to be better and I know that the kids appreciate it, too…in their own way.  Let’s just say they will appreciate it when they get older and come to understand how much you’ve done for them.  

3. Your friendship.  You’re always so thoughtful and you remember all the important dates, unlike your absent-minded husband.  If I get stranded on a deserted island and can only bring one thing, I’m bringing you.

4. Your sense of humor.  From fist pumping to hip shaking to honking, your sense of humor is definitely one of my favorite things.  I love that I can throw out a terrible joke and you will laugh at it.  Or you will play along with a spontaneously ridiculous story because you can catch my slightest hint.

5. Your influence.  I really like myself more around you even when times are tough.  Actually, especially when times are tough.  What else can I say?  You...complete me.  It's not plagiarism if it really applies, right?

I look at you and at what we’ve accomplished over the past 8 plus years and get overwhelmed in thinking about what lies ahead of us.  You are everything I need and want and I love you so much!  Thanks for being a wonderful, beautiful, strong wife, mother and friend. 

Love, Rob

I got out of the shower this morning to find that Ella had found my lipstick and transformed herself into a real-life-joker.

Which originally was real-life-adorable.

Until I went to get the camera and saw that the lipstick was also all over my real-life-carpet.

Then I was real-life-mad, and she went to her real-life-room. Oh, how quickly emotions can change in real-life.