December Blur

December has flown by in a bit of a blur. I have really just been hanging on for the ride - hoping I am not thrown off. I spent the first half of the month being completely stressed out about our preschool Christmas program. I had spent weeks trying to teach the kids all the music and when it finally came time to perform I was feeling the pressure. In the end it turned out fine, and the kids did look cute. The only picture I got was not very good, but I was too busy 'directing' to get anything else. Liam is in the front holding his star and yawning. He is standing next to his cousin Gemma.

 Last Friday I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling I had made it to my finish line (the last day of work and preschool for me and Liam). My plan had been to spend all last weekend and the beginning of this week being super productive and getting all my "stuff" together before the holidays.

And then the shooting in Connecticut happened. I am not an overly emotive person, but I will say that whole thing threw me. When I heard about it last Friday I couldn't wait to get to Noah's school and put him in my car and get him home safely. And then, instead of going for a run like I planned, I spent the afternoon playing video games with Noah. Just because he asked. And because, somewhere, there was a mother who couldn't do that with her 6 year old anymore. That thought stopped me cold. Suddenly having a 6 year old boy, a sweet first grader like those in Newtown, made the whole thing too intense. We did not watch any TV coverage of it all. I didnt really want to hear more. I knew all I needed to know. It was an unspeakable tragedy, teachers really and truly are heroes everyday, and this world is a messy place desperately in need of redemption. I also know this...

If nothing else, something like these school shootings, can remind you to be really present in your moments. I did not get half of the things done this past week that I wanted to get done. I am choosing to be OK with that. I enjoyed moments with my family and with my friends and those are more important than clean floors, wrapped presents, and miles run.

So, what moments have we been enjoying this holiday season? Well, I will be happy to fill you in!

We kicked things off a couple weeks ago by celebrating Hanukkah with our friends the Davis Family. Lisa had games for the kids, wonderful food (and drink of course!), and we did a gift exchange. And there were donuts - that is what won Liam over for sure!

Noah liked the donuts too, but he was way more interested in playing Dreidel. He somehow knew what all the symbols on the Dreidel were called and what they meant. He was also super excited to have the biggest pile of gelt at the end of the game!

It was a very fun  night and we were happy to spend time with friends.

Oh. And I learned I should never take another picture with my hair pulled straight back off my face. Yikes.

Noah started basketball last this past Saturday. How cute is he?

This is his first season playing and I was worried he would be nervous, but he marched right into practice and jumped in with both feet. He asked questions and really listened to all his coach's instructions and afterwards couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had.

Liam and I spent this week just hanging out and taking it easy. (Noah was still in school all week.) We had a few play dates and ran some errands. Oh, and we had one memorable morning at the mall with Lisa and Connor.

And yes, while this picture is ADORABLE, that is not why it was memorable. No, it was memorable because of the bag of drugs that Lisa and I spotted under a bench outside the cookie store! Seriously. Small plastic baggie full of suspicious white powder, tied off at the top. I mean, I am not an expert, but I believe it to have been cocaine or heroine. In our mall!!! That place gets classier and classier every day.

So, that brings us to today. Noah is finally done with school. I think the temperature is going to possibly dip below 70 degrees. Our decorations are all lit up. Most of the presents are purchased, and the plans are made. We are ready to enjoy the holidays. With the people we love. We will make the most of every one of our moments together!

Life

Well hello there!

You know how, when you haven't talked to someone in a long time and you really want to call them up and reconnect, but you know that there will be so much to catch up on that it exhausts you just thinking about it? So, you don't call, you just curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and watch bad TV instead? Yep, that's me and this blog.

Life sure has moved fast between my last post in September and today. I know I made a promise that I would keep this blog updated with family stuff, but I didn't do it. Heck, I haven't blogged period in forever! This family is busy - in a good way - but definitely in a way that hasn't allowed for much free time to recap what we have been up to.

So I will try to recap the past 3 months now. (How do you even do that?!?) Okay, the short version, here goes....

Work, school, soccer, work, school, homework. Sleep, work, occasionally clean the house, try to workout and fail miserably, more work, more school. Holidays, work on stressful Christmas program with preschoolers, have play dates with friends to maintain sanity, school, homework.... Well, you get the picture. And that really is the short story folks! I won't get into the nitty gritty details of the long story but, suffice it to say, we are ready for a much needed break for Christmas.

And because my brain is fried and I am struggling with my words, here are some pictures from the last 3 months.

I am promise that I will be back here more. Even if my Mom is the only one reading this anymore (hey Mom!) I don't care. This is my place to store memories. My frantic life has not allowed me much physical or mental exercise lately and I am changing that now. I will be running. I will be writing. I will be finding a way to get back to the things that keep me sane!

Soccer Has Begun....

....And we got soaked!!!

The weather here has been insane and the rain has been intense. So, on the morning of Noah's first soccer game of the season we got soaked. Not just rained on - we are talking torrential downpour, clothes clinging to your body, hair plastered on your face SOAKED. I spent the whole game alternating between freaking out that my phone was getting ruined in my purse and freaking out that the other team was scoring more goals. However, Noah had a blast playing in the rain. And in case you're wondering what I would look like as a drowned rat? Well, here you go....

First Day of 1st Grade

They're back! Early mornings, backpacks, lunch boxes, car line, homework... School has started.

Noah did very well this morning. He was up and dressed and ready to go on time. We even had a few extra minutes to pose for some pictures.

Love him! Can't wait to pick him up later and hear all about it!

***PS - I am changing some things up around here. I have started a new blog. Come visit, it's called With Humor and Grace.  I will still be posting some on this blog - mostly pictures of the boys. If that's why you come here, feel free to stay and I will continue to update you with cute photos of all their exploits. But, if you care to read my ramblings on topics ranging from parenting to fashion and anything in between, come visit me at my new site. And leave a comment to let me know you stopped by!

Wrapping Up Summer

I have not blogged lately because I have been soaking up this last little bit of summer. And also because I am a little bit lazy.

Noah starts school next week :(

I know it's time for him to go back. His need for structure, and my dwindling reserves of patience, are testaments to that fact, it's just that I'm not ready for it. I am not ready for early, rushed mornings. I am not ready for homework and early bedtimes. The other thing is that this fall is marking the beginning of some major changes for our family. Wes is in the process of opening his own optometry practice - which let me tell you, is no joke. It is a TON of work. So, he is doing all that he needs to do for that while working at his current job full time. We are excited about the opportunity for him to have his own business, but I am very aware that we are entering a period of time where he will be stretched really thin for free time. The other thing that is new is that I am going to be working part time. In an effort to bring in a little (and I do mean a tiny) bit of extra cash each month I am going to be teaching a creative movement class at Liam's preschool 3 days a week. The other 2 days I am making myself available to substitute, so there is the potential for me to be working 5 days a week. I am not complaining because it is one of the few things I can do that still allows me to be a full time stay at home mom. (Liam will go to preschool 5 days a week with me while I work, and I will be done in time to run a few errands before I go collect Noah from school.) I am excited to be doing it - and teaching little kids all about movement and exercise is right up my alley - but it will mean I have to be way better at managing my time. Throw in soccer practice/games, Wes' usual Air Force Reserve commitment and we may be one busy family.

So this last week has been all about blowing off anything that isn't fun and summer related. (You know, like, cleaning my house, cooking a meal, folding laundry, etc.) We have enjoyed going to our friends' houses for all day play dates, gone to the pool and the water park. And yesterday we ventured out to the beach with some friends. We got to run, swim, and even watch a turtle release. It was a very fun day!

Here are the boys with their buds Jack and Joey. The boys waited a very long time for the turtles to be released. There was a huge crowd of people and Liam did not care for it. Eventually, I had to leave and go back to our towels while my friend Jessica stayed with the older boys. I was a little hacked off that I was going to miss seeing the turtles swim into the ocean, but once we were settled away from the crowd Liam turned to me and said, "I sorry Mama. I no like that much people." How can you stay mad at that?! So, we had a snack on our blanket while we waited for everybody.

Oh, and in case you are wondering. Liam is really good at smearing Oreo all over his face. He can even make an Oreo goatee. While Noah was snapping pictures with my phone he got a good shot of it.

At my request he also tried to take a picture of me and Jess. However, his photographer skills need to be honed. Every single try was completely off center.

As you can tell from that last picture, the clouds started rolling in shortly after the turtles were released so we packed up and called it a day. (And PS...I got my workout in by carrying a screaming, sandy Liam in one arm and pulling our giant beach cart behind me with the other one. )

I am off to start the weekend. Our last official summer weekend. I am so thankful for the fun summer I have gotten to have. No matter what I may say, or how much I complain on a bad day, I am very grateful that I get to be home with my boys. They are growing up so fast and I am cherishing the memories we get to make together.

Crazy Days

One time my sister happened to be hanging out at our house during the boys' bedtime routine. After some particularly crazy behavior from them, and watching Wes and I bang our heads against the door frame in frustration, she turned to me and said, "Has anyone ever asked you guys to be in an abstinence commercial?"

For the most part my children are very well  behaved and only minimally crazy, but there are those random times when I agree with my sis. Watching me deal with them would be enough to send any horny teenager running in the opposite direction from anything having to do with baby making. Yesterday was one of those days.

It was raining - it feels like it has been doing that forever - and so our plans for the water park were not going to work out. So, my friends and I decided to try the local indoor jump castle play place, Monkey Joe's. Well, apparently ever other mother in the Charleston area had the same idea and Monkey Joe's was extremely crowded. So crowded I started feeling like I needed to go curl up in the corner in the fetal position and starting rocking back and forth. Needless to say after an hour we were DONE and we gathered up the kiddos and decided to go grab a bite to eat. We headed over to McCallisters, happy to beat the lunch rush, and walked in the door. 3 adults, 3 six year olds, 1 three year old, 1 two year old, and a one year old. We made a bit of a ruckus on our way up to the counter.

And that's when things started to fall apart. Let's just say that ordering with that many kids (all trying to tickle/wrestle each other), combined with the world's slowest cashier was a little stressful. Liam was screaming for water, 1 year old Connor was screaming for food of any kind, and all 3 adults were thinking of screaming at the cashier for being slower than molasses!

We finally got everybody seated (after chasing off two men who were trying to have a quiet bite to eat) and our food arrived. At this point I just starting chuckling to myself and thinking how we should have our own camera crew following us around. We would make a very entertaining reality show. It was right after this thought ran through my head that I watched Liam climb down from his chair, crawl under the table, grab one of his crackers off the floor and triumphantly put it in his mouth. I glanced at my friend Lisa, who had witnessed him do it too, and she said, "Hey. I didn't see anything." And so I pretended like my kid had not just eaten food off the floor in public.

On the way out poor Connor tripped and fell right into one of the rod iron chairs. When he stood up you could see an actual indentation on his forehead in the shape of the chair leg. Needless to say, poor guy was wailing as we walked out the door. Brandy, Lisa and I were all feeling a little frazzled at this point, and you could tell we were all anxious to just get in our cars and drive home for nap time. By the way, I was so anxious that I apparently forgot about the whole buckling in your kid thing. As we were sitting at the light to turn onto the main road Noah yelled, "Liam! You can't sit there!" I turned around to see an empty car seat and Liam sitting in the middle seat like a grinning geek. Holy S#&t!

Things can get like that sometimes with kids. An outing can suddenly turn into a comedy of errors and you can find yourself thinking, How the heck do I handle this? The truth is, sometimes you don't handle it. Not well anyway. I was so frazzled by 12:30 yesterday that I forgot to strap my two year old into his car seat! So what is a mom supposed to do? Well, I'll tell you what I do. I rely on the support of my friends. It is refreshing to see other Mom's going through the same things you are - to see them getting stressed out in the same way that you do. And when your kid is eating food off the floor, instead of judging you for it, they laugh it off and remind you to pick your battles - He's just building up his immune system. 

I am thankful for the women in my life who help me get through crazy days. And I am thankful for being able to get together at the end of it all and laugh about it. Oh, and for enjoying a drink together. After yesterday, this may be our new motto:

Stuff Liam Says

Can we please just start with the following picture?

We called him down for dinner one night and this is how Liam came down the stairs. Cowboy hat, two different weapons, and rain boots (on the wrong feet no less). Like some sort of random, lesser known superhero. (Hello, his shirt even says "Keeping the Street Safe"!) He wore that get up all night. The hatchet and sword even sat next to him at dinner. Oh, and make no mistake - the next morning the hat and boots were worn to Publix. Love him!

Liam is 2 going on 16. Really, sometimes I forget that he is as young as he is. And so does he. He wants to do anything and everything that Noah does. He is attempting to ride a two wheeler (with training wheels) that is really too big for him. He loves all the Mario video games just as much as Noah. At the pool he puts on his Puddle Jumper and takes off to swim with Noah, leaving me in the dust. He just loves floating around the pool with his big brother and the "big kids". And the things that he says! I end up laughing when I know I should be disciplining, but he is just so darn cute. (And he totally plays us because of it.) In all seriousness, we DO discipline him, but honestly he is a pretty easy kid. When he does do something wrong he sits nicely in time out and then apologizes and gives kisses. And his temper tantrums are short lived. Nine times out of ten you can pull him aside, explain a situation calmly to him and he will snap out of it. Noah was never quite that easy - he still isn't.

Anyway, here a few cute examples of the stuff that comes out of Liam's mouth.

~ He is loving the Olympics, in particular the swimming events. That combined with his love for our pool prompted me to ask him, "Liam are you going to be a swimmer when you grow up?" He looked right at me and said, "No." I then asked him what he was going to be. He said, "Um... (cocked his head back while he thought)... Mario! Mario with star power!"


~ When we drive in the car he always looks out the window and updates me on the weather. If there are clouds blocking the sun he will say, "Uh oh! The sun is all burnt out!" The other day he told me this, but then we made a turn in the opposite direction, where there were no clouds, and he saw the sun. Then he said, "I turned it back on Mama!"


~ The other day Noah walked by and smacked him on the chest on his way to the living room. Liam whipped around, ran after him pointing with his finger, and yelled, "Woah! Woah, you stop that, you understand?!"


~ Yesterday he was playing upstairs when he came to the top of the stairway and screamed, "Hey Mommy, I need more goldfish. Catch it!" This was followed by banging as his bowl was hurled all the way down the stairs. I wanted to be mad but I was also laughing.

~ And then there are the things he says that break your heart. At the water park with friends the other day, as we were walking to a slide, he turned to me and said, "I wish Daddy could be at water park!"

He is my little cuddle bug and class clown and Noah's best bud. We love him so much!

Here Goes....

Yikes. Addressing divisive topics on my blog seems like a scary thing. Maybe I shouldn't even do it. But holy crap. I can't really seem to get away from this Chick-Fil-A debate. It's on my radio and on my husband's twitter feed (which he reads to me out loud) and don't even get me started on my Facebook feed. Ugh, and now it's here on my blog. I guess because as much as I am tired of all the fighting I also have something to say. So here goes.

A friend and I were talking about this CFA drama the other day (and we are on opposite ends of the spectrum in our opinions on the matter) but we both agreed we were not as informed about it as we could be. Wes on the other hand - he is eating it up. He has read a billion articles and discussed the finer political and constitutional points for 3 days straight. Not so much because of any issue regarding gay rights, but mostly because of his belief in an individual's first amendment right to express a personal belief. And hey, I am right there with him. I do find it slightly ironic that many of those who would espouse the idea that a person has a right to believe anything they want to are the same ones screaming about the owner of Chick-Fil-A expressing his beliefs. It seems more and more that a Christian has to be extremely careful before discussing what they believe, as it is not really politically correct to even adhere to traditional Christ values anymore. And let's face it, I am a Christian. An evangelical Christian even. If we're being honest, a lot of my personal beliefs about marriage, family, etc. may fall in line with the beliefs of Mr. Cathy.

And yet... I did not got to Chick-Fil-A for appreciation day today. (Wes did and I am fine with that.) I just couldn't bring myself to step into the middle of such a provocative debate and "take a side". Oh, I will be back to eat more chicken, don't worry. I am by no means boycotting. I just don't know if the right response is to enhance the battle lines by saying, I am on this side and you are not. I think it bothers me because I don't feel like I am on a side.

Guess what? I have gay friends. Not just "I know this person who is gay", but people who I consider friends. Whose company I enjoy. Who are fun and funny and great to my kids. People I spend more than a little bit of time with. And so, to me, this is more than an impersonal political debate. I am constantly putting myself in their shoes and thinking, "How does this all seem to them? What would my drawing a line in the sand on this topic look like to them? How do I best represent the Christ I know and believe in?"

And this is what I have decided. I think Jesus would be eating some fried chicken and waffle fries at Chick-Fil-A. And sitting in his vinyl booth with him would NOT be a group of his most righteous followers. No sir. I believe he would be there with his gay best friend. And his Muslim neighbor from down the street. And possibly his co-worker with a slutty reputation. Oh, and the professing Christian who has a problem with spreading gossip. It would be a motley crew of messed up people, and you know what? He would show every single one of them the love of a merciful God.

In the Bible (Matthew, Chapter 22, verse 36) a follower of Jesus asks him ( and I am paraphrasing here) "Hey Jesus. What is the most important law to follow?" And Jesus answers him with this (which I will quote directly): "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." 


I know that there are people in my life - gay and straight - who will not always agree with what I believe in. My hope is that my faith in Christ will make me strong enough to love people in general the way that God loves us. Because I have been loved by God in a major way. I have been drawn to him and promised his love even when I didn't deserve it. Two thousand years ago a man who was perfect loved me so much that he died on a cross for me despite my imperfectness. So, I don't feel like I have to worry so much about hammering home my belief about a certain topic to those around me. I am content to focus on love and relationships and to let the rest of it fall away.

What I really want, is to take my friends from all walks of life - including those with different religions and sexual orientations - and go sit at Chick-Fil-A together. I want to eat some ridiculous fried food and drink a nice ice cold Diet can of chemicals Coke. And laugh together. (Oh and say a silent prayer that no children pee on the indoor playground.)

And, as Mr. Gump once told us from the big screen, "That's all I have to say about that."

** Oh. Well, I have one more thing to say. I am in no way judging any of my friends - and I have lots - who went to Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day. I mean, my own husband was there waving the first amendment banner. It's cool. These are just my own personal thoughts going through my head! Love you guys! **

A Summary Of Our Week

We started off our Monday in a pretty boring way. It was my day for running all my errands - post office, grocery store, Costco, etc. The boys were less than thrilled, but I informed them that not every day can be spent lounging by the pool doing nothing. They were disappointed but rallied hard, especially after a trip to Trader Joe's where they received tons of stickers. Somehow Noah managed to snag my phone on the ride home and snapped about 40 pictures (at least) of the two of them entertaining themselves with the stickers. These are some of the gems I found in phone's camera roll.

On Tuesday morning I spent some time yelling gently encouraging Noah as he worked on getting started on his two wheeler. After 20 minutes of pure frustration from both of us, he finally got the hang of it and we rode our bikes to the play ground in our neighborhood. That evening my Mom and her new hubs (Bebe and Marv in case you're new here) joined us at Red's at Bohicket Marina for some outdoor dining. On Tuesday they have very kid friendly activities like a DJ, jump castle, balloon animals, and face painting. Even though it was scorching hot we enjoyed the view as we ate outside and the boys had a blast while we were there. They opted for face painting. Noah picked a dolphin.

Liam picked a pink cupcake (or "cakecup" as he calls them) and held out his arm when the lady asked where he wanted it. Afterwards he was pretty cranky and kept holding out his arm with a pissy look on his face. That's when I realized that he must have been hoping for a real cupcake, and that's why he held out his hand when she asked where he wanted it. Oops! Some dancing with Bebe helped him get over it though!

Wednesday morning the boys woke up very excited to go join some friends at Whirlin' Waters park in North Charleston. We had never been to that water park before and I must say it was a huge success. We went with our buddies Hannah and Connor which always makes things fun. The big kids loved the wave pool and the slides. And the little guys are always happy tagging along and enjoying whatever their siblings love. If my phone hadn't been locked up in our secure locker I would have snapped a bunch of pictures!

That evening we joined Hannah and Connor again at their house for some impromptu Olympic fun. Lisa had come up with a "Kiddie Olympics" for the kids complete with weight lifting and everything. So cute! I wish I had documented it, but for whatever reason the only picture I got that night was after the "Olympics" and dinner when the grown-ups played a round dominos.

Dominos and vodka soda. Priorities people!

Thursday was fairly uneventful. We spent the morning at the pool. That evening I went to yoga and apparently while I was gone Liam discovered corn muffins. Or "Corn Cakecups".

On Friday we stuck close to home for a low key day. They boys thought it would be fun to dump out every toy basket in the living room while I was taking a shower.

When I saw it I almost stroked out. Now, don't think I am one of those crazy, anal retentive people who can't let her kids be kids. It's just that I try to keep the toy explosions confined to the upstairs play room so that my downstairs stays fairly clean. (I really can't function when it's messy. I start to feel all panicky and my heart starts beating too fast. Seriously.) Anyway, I decided to turn lemons into lemonade and used the opportunity to clean out and organize all the toys in those bins. After I was done  it felt so good. I actually thanked Noah for making such a mess. (I am sure my kids think I am psycho.)

Finally, last night we all sat on the couch to catch opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I have been talking with Noah about it all week and he seemed very excited to watch. Wes played sneaky paparazzi and snapped this picture.

Not my greatest pic ever, but I think it is cute how enthralled the kids look. The opening ceremonies were a little over their heads but they really enjoyed the montage of athletes that NBC did at the beginning. You know what I mean. Clips of athletes competing set to emotional music with dramatic voice overs. The kind of thing that always makes me tear up a little when I watch.  Noah said, "Wow. I really like this music." And then Hannah said, "Yeah. It kind of makes you feel like crying." That made me so happy - they get it! They really do get the importance and emotion behind a big event like this. So cute.

Liam on the other hand? Well, he is two years old. Not sure he gets it. He did sit with the older ones but after a while he assumed this position and I couldn't stop laughing.

He may have been a little bored. Just sayin'.

And that was it. I made it through the whole opening ceremony and then it was bedtime. We had a fun week with great activities, but it had made me tired!

My Mom Gets Married

Last Friday my Mom and her fiance got married in an intimate outdoor ceremony. It was really lovely and we are all really happy for them!

That was the short story. Keep reading if you want the long story - complete with pictures.

So let's start with the clothes. My sister and I helped my Mom pick out her dress a couple of months ago. Once I saw what she picked, and had a better idea about what I should get, I went shopping and found a dress in my favorite color. (Noah's too!) Here is a picture of it on. Please excuse the look on my face - I hope I don't look quite that snooty all the time, but I'm afraid I might.

So, I let the beautiful color distract me from the fact that the dress was 100% silk. A serious disaster for several reasons, but the main one being that when I picked it up from the alterations place the morning of the wedding it was so beyond wrinkled I knew I could not wear it. I tried not to panic - after all, it was not my special day and I could always wear something else - and we attempted to take it to the cleaners to see if they could steam it. They could not. Then my sister literally said to me over the phone, "I mean, just put it in the dryer and fluff it up a little." After I counted to 10 and explained about what 100% silk meant Wes stepped in to save the day. He came home from work that afternoon with a brand new deluxe garment steamer. Seriously. And then he did this.

I love my husband. After 10 years he is getting pretty good at reading my moods and deciphering what I need. He knew that on that particular day I needed a steamer.

Anyway, on to the actual wedding. Mom and Marv got married in the garden of a little bed and breakfast in Summerville. It was a really perfect spot for their small ceremony that included just their daughters (my sister and I, and his two girls) and their daughters' significant others/families. The guests waited with Marv and the officiant - our friend Jeff who may need to leave his lucrative position as head honcho at the railroad in order to preform wedding ceremonies full time - under the gazebo while Noah and Liam walked Bebe down the "aisle".

Isn't that the sweetest picture?! The ceremony was very short but the words Jeff had written were really perfect. My favorite was the part where he said something to the effect of "learning to see imperfection as perfection". So true, and something that anybody who is married knows is necessary! After vows and rings the happy couple kissed, we cheered, and then all headed inside for a champagne toast.

The inside of the house was beautiful and Noah quietly asked Wes, "Is this Bebe and Marv's new house?!" Wes and I chuckled and then quickly realized that this nicely decorated place was not very kid friendly. The boys alternated between running down the hall and sitting like this in chairs.

They may have been a little bored. But despite that, they were very well behaved and I was so proud of them. They did manage to join in some picture taking with the rest of us.

Posing for a picture with Bebe and Marv. Lose the paci Liam!

Aunt J and her main squeeze, Brett.

Jeff fills out all the official paperwork.

All the girls. Lindsey, Jamie, Jessie and me. Do you like how were color coordinated. That was not planned but great minds must think alike :)

Getting ready to go for the bouquet. We were hoping for a good show....

But it landed straight into Jamie's hands. Darn! No cat fights!

My sis and I even snapped a normal picture - no silly faces allowed! (Also, can you spot the other problem with silk? Let's just say you can't wear it in the Charleston heat and be "Sure" at the same time!)

 After the ceremony Jeff took the kids home for us (props to Jeff and Lisa for being our babysitters) and headed downtown for dinner at Basil. The food was delicious and we really enjoyed celebrating Mom and Marv. Although, it was pretty funny that with the loud background noise and dim lighting neither of them could hear very well, and both had to be read the menu items by the people next to them. Ha! Sorry to call you guys out like that but I couldn't resist. It's all in good fun!

This is more what our pictures usually look like!

After a yummy meal, we sent the newlyweds off on their "honeymoon" and the rest of us called it a night.

And now, as of tomorrow, my Mom and all her belongings will be official residents of Charleston. Well, Summerville actually but you get my point. She gets to live near by in Charleston with Marv - just like she has wanted to do for so long. We are very happy for her!