The Wedding!

We've all been SO excited for Will and Jamie's Big Day, but maybe no one more than Brooke. Since they asked her, Brooke's talked about being a flower girl at least once a week, including several practice sessions.

Which is what made it even more upsetting when she started to get chills and a runny nose the day before the wedding. I tried to be compassionate while simultaneously drugging her up and explaining to her what the word "rally" meant. Despite our best efforts, she was not herself when Matt dropped her off at his parents' on Saturday morning.  

She perked up a bit when she put her dress on and got to talk to Aunt Jamie.

Look at those sick eyes. Poor thing!

She was due for another dose of medicine shortly before the trolley was to come and take us to the church. So I got out the (pink) Mucinex (that made her gag when she took it that morning) and like an idiot, forced her to drink it (in her white dress). She abruptly let it dribble out of her mouth and then proceeded to turn that gagging into a legitimate vomit. She luckily got the vomit in the sink, and we were able to salvage the dress with club soda and ice, but it was touch and go for a few minutes there.

My mom had driven up alone to stay with Paige, as well as to cart Brooke and Miles back and forth all wedding day. (Thank you so much again for that, Mom!) She dropped Miles off shortly before the Medicine Incident and he was feeling fine, but shy.

Brooke seemed better after the Medicine Incident and both kids were pretty stoked to be riding a trolley through Wheaton.

Trolley Tom was a blast and let the kids each ring the bell.

We spent another forty-five minutes or so waiting for the service to start. It was during this time that Miles started running in his new Converse sneakers and ripped open a scab on his knee. It was also during this time that I started asking if anyone had brought any pre-wedding booze. Or Xanax. I wasn't feeling picky.

In all seriousness, the kids did a great job walking down the aisle. It was a beautiful ceremony and we were/are all thrilled beyond description to have Uncle Will officially join our family.

We got on the trolley for another short ride before pictures.

 

The guys and babies joined us this time. Seriously, Paige?!?

This one's a little better. And yes, I forgot to leave shoes for my mom to put her in. That'll teach her not to walk at 15 months.

 

Our only family picture from that day. Womp-womp.

My mom took the kids home for a couple of hours while we took more pictures and joined the cocktail hour. The kids were a little intimidated by the crowd when they got there.

Miles went Momma's Boy for a bit.

 

We got a couple of kiddie cocktails for them and they were ready to party.

 

They got to dance for a couple of songs with Jamie and Will.

 

And with Matt and me.

The DJ gave them hula hoops for successfully walking out when their names were called before dinner and Miles couldn't wait to use his.

My friend Katie (again, thank you, thank you, thank you!) picked the kids up around ten and we were finally free of responsibilities for the next couple hours. I got to dance with these pretty ladies.

Mike tore up the dance floor and Matt clapped out-of-rhythm while he did it.

It was such a great day and was over much too fast (except for the Brooke-throwing-up-on-her-dress thing)! Congratulations again to Jamie and Will! We love you guys!

Wedding Countdown

We had lots of fun things planned in the week leading up to Will and Jamie's wedding. 

 

The first was dinner at Cooper's Hawk the night the that Karen, Lauryn, Andrew and Nathan got in town. 

It was a pretty long dinner and the kids did a nice job not being too crazy.

The next day, Brooke and I went with Jamie and some of the girls for mani/pedis before the rehearsal. Brooke enjoyed the pampering (notice the vanilla bean frappuccino next to her). 

I didn't get any pictures from the rehearsal or rehearsal dinner as things got a little more hectic and Brooke was starting to get sick (more on that in the wedding post) at that point. Earlier in the week, Brian, Debbie and Jamie took the kids by the church for them to get to see the church and Miles refused to wear the sign he was supposed to wear down the aisle. We had a heart to heart when he got home and I sent Jamie this video shortly after.

 

The Aussies Are Coming!

 Thanks for the fun gifts, Mr. Andrew and Mr. Nathan!

When Jamie studied abroad in Australia several years ago, she became very close with her host family, and also their family and friends, and they've come to visit before. So when we found out that they'd be coming in again for Jamie's wedding, we were happy to have Andrew and Nathan stay with us.

This time, the stay was longer than before and the kids are obviously older, so the visit was even more special. We had a few dinners at our house that Karen and Lauryn (Jamie's Australian mum and sister) were also able to join us for.

 

Toasting Will and Jamie! (Brooke gets photo cred for this one.)

Andrew and Nathan were also with us most mornings for breakfast and because we didn't have anything going early in the mornings this week, the kids really enjoyed playing with them.

 

It was a great visit that further solidified our friendship.

Brooke actually said this morning, "I wish they could stay forever! Why do people have to leave?!"

Luckily, they've already got a visit planned back to the states in May (who knew Australians were Indy 500 fans?), so we won't have to wait too long to see them again. Thanks again for everything, guys (and girls)!

Paige is 15 Months!

Sweet little Paige turned 15 months a couple of weeks ago and I'm not sure where the time is going. You'd think I'd be used to this by now.

(Many of these photos were from at least a month ago, but they were so good and non-Stinkeye that I had to use them.)

Eating: Paige actually eats quite a bit. She LOVES her dairy. She likes cheese or yogurt every meal. She's not as big of a fan of fruits and veggies as Miles and Brooke were, but she'll eat them. Strawberries and broccoli are favorites. She also enjoys meat more than I remember Miles or Brooke enjoying it. She's a big fan of carbs, too. She drinks 2-3 sippy cups of milk as well as water every day. She'll play around with a fork and spoon, but doesn't really "use" them.

Movement: She is a big time butt-scooter. She gets everywhere by scooting on her butt and pushing with her hands. It's amusing, although the OT in me knows that it will likely make things harder for her in the long run. And she's ruined multiple outfits by doing it outside. She isn't overly interested in stairs or pulling up, but we're working on it.

She seems to know when she's doing things she isn't supposed to and will often look at me to tell her "no." (This photo is case-in-point.) She thankfully did this by the basement stairs when the door was opened the other day, as if to say, "I'm going to give you a chance to stop me here..."

Like all my kids have been at this stage, she's quite the Mama's Girl. Her resting expression is one of being not amused/interested (if you follow this blog at all, you've seen it), but she can really win you over with her smile when she gives it.

She'll keep hats and headbands on for a bit before yanking them off. She's more a fan of slides than swings at playgrounds. She LOVES emptying and filling bags and boxes.

She is a human sweatbox. She gets SO hot SO easily. I'm still getting used to making sure she's cool enough as I'm almost always cold. We'll see if that continues.

She adores her brother and sister, parents and dog. She's had one ear infection (it was a double, with a ruptured eardrum, poor thing) and as of about a week ago has seven teeth (5 came in on top at almost the same time).

She says "hi" and "Oz" and "Dada." I've heard her say "high five" and "Mama", but not with consistency. She signs "more" and "all done" and LOVES giving cheers and high fives. She is really good at point to what she wants and for better or worse, someone usually gets it for her.

Her 15 month stats: Height - 30 1/2" (42%); Weight - 18.6 lb (10%); Head - 97%

I've said it before, but she's such a special, easygoing girl and she's such a perfect addition to our family. We couldn't love you more, Paige Audrey!