The Night Before The Day

This was the night before the BIG day!! We were all jittery, excited, got all dressed up, and headed to the rehearsal and dinner that followed.

Look how gorgeous these two crazy kids look!

Eggplant was the theme of the evening, as it was the color of the wedding as well!


Our family outside of the church, all excited!

These are the parents of the groom, and the wonderful hosts of the rehearsal dinner. It was at a beautiful venue, which was actually where my bridal shower was held. It was gorgeous, we had the whole upstairs, and the food and ambiance was just perfect.

The linens were eggplant. And they doubled as bibs.

Reilly ate cheese, and said "Cheese!" at the same time! She had a grand time, saying "Hieee!" to anyone and everyone who came in her vicinity. Or if they were across the room, she would just yell until they saw her.

The host of the evening (FIL) gave a beautiful speech, which made everyone laugh and cry as every perfect speech does.

Here is sissy at the crying part. And of course, Reilly had to put her two cents in. It went something like this:

[this is at the most emotional point of his speech]
FIL: I have a quote to share from Homer...not Homer Simpson..
(everyone laughs)
FIL: "He said, Marriage is like a golden band...."
Reilly: HAHHAHAHAHAHA

It really did happen just like that. The room of 50 people was completely silent, except for Reilly fake-laughing hysterically, because she apparently thought that's what you did when someone paused during a story. I'm obsessed with her.

Then the groom and bridey said a few words..

And groom got a little chokey, which made us all get a little chokey.

Can you feel the emotion surrounding this weekend?? It was palpable everywhere we went!

Then Sissy said a few sweet words, and gave out amazing gifts for the bridal party!

And after being up hours (HOURS) passed her bedtime, Reilly never stopped smiling once. Or giggling. Or laughing. Or eating. Or making everyone else laugh.

She partied like it was 1999. Little did she know, she had such a big day ahead of being a beautiful flower girl!
Then she snuggled with Daddy (in her flashed Eggplant PGs), and said "night-night" (aye-aye).

I whispered in Reilly's ear when we got home, that she was such a good girl the whole day and night. But I did tell her, as good a she was, that she couldn't steal the show the next day, that it was Auntie Mimi's turn to be the princess. She agreed, that she would be teeny princess for the day, and let Mimi and Uncle E be the stars.

And we all crashed, and tried to get any sleep we could muster, in preparation for what was to come the next day!

Preparing for The Big Day

Here are a few glimpses of what our preparations were like for the big day! It was day after day of fun and excitement.

On Wednesday, myself, the groom's sister Alissa, and the Bridey all had dress fittings. Alissa and I were pretty much picking ours up, and Bridey had her very last fitting. I was so excited, because I hadn't seen it on her since the day we picked it out.

Mama of the Bride and my little flower girl came along too. It went great, and we all went home with dresses in tow. No one besides us had ever seen her in the dress, or knew what it looked like. I thought that was such an amazing surprise for everyone, especially because she looked so breathtaking in it!

On the way home from the dress shop, babygirl fell asleep in the car. Needing her to sleep as much as possible in the busy days leading up to the wedding day, we opened up the doors to the car, and had some wine on the front lawn while she napped.

SIL, Bride, MIL (these are terms my sister uses, they crack me up)
Just the girls and our wine!

Bridey relaxing, while the boys get their tuxes and pick up dinner.

OH! Flower girl is awake!
MOH, FG, MOB
Then her adorable students came by and gave her a bride and groom Build-A-Bear! How cute are they!! They were 2 of about 20 students who came to the church.

They next day was mani-pedi day! We brought pink champagne of course!

The beautiful bride, cool as a cucumber!

Until, that is, we decided to have an epic waxing incident. Let me just say this. There was screaming. There was yelling. We were all in the room.

There may have been some vomiting.

And there was definitely champagne.

Here is the bride afterward, recounting the details of her triumph.

The bridey made up a detailed itinerary of what needed to get done and when - which actually was very beneficial, no matter how many jokes she may have endured. Every morning we would wake up and say, "I have to run to CVS. Do I have to be anywhere this morning? Okay, I don't have anything till 12, I have time then. Who wants Dunkin?"

We had days full of fun, a little relaxation, lots of celebrating, lots of joy, and lots of emotion. More on the rehearsal to come!

Love & Celebrations,
Dirt Road Mama

Love is in the Air!

I am going to be a mess at my sister's wedding. I know this. It will be the happiest day, and I am beyond excited. But I have a strong fear, that I will be mess. If you asked me a few weeks ago if I would be emotional at her wedding, I would say "Nah, we're going to be so excited, it's going to be the best time!"

But then, we all went to my cousin Amanda's wedding. Sister and I were bridesmaids, as she and her sister are bridesmaids in my sister's wedding. Did that make any sense? They got engaged 1 day apart, and married just a few weeks apart. They planned pretty much side-by-side, trading notes and consulting each other. It has been such a fun time.

And then came her beautiful wedding day. And as soon as I saw her, and my aunt and uncle, I was overcome with emotion. In their house, right next to where we were standing, were baby pictures of all of us. Not to mention, the babies in those pictures all seemed to be my little Reilly looking back at me. I saw my beautiful cousin, who I have grown up next to, preparing to get married. And then I looked at my aunt and uncle and thought, "She's their Reilly." She's their first babygirl. The one that made them parents. The whole day was a beautiful combination of these thoughts, and the immense happiness that I felt for my cousin and her new hubby.

It's true that when you become a parent, you become a giant mess of sentimental emotion. That should be a catchphrase that parents-to-be hear as a warning. Kind of like "Oh, get ready to never sleep again." It should be, "Oh, get ready to be a complete blubbering mess at even mildly sentimental situations." But I guess that comes with the territory.

How gorgeous is this couple? I love you guys so much. Thank you for making me cry so much. :)

The whole bridal party! I can't wait to wear that dress again!

Sister and I with our Uncle. My mama's brother - can't you tell?

Their whole beautiful family. Zan, you are personally responsible for helping me hold it together when it's my sissy's turn!

And here...is my hubby. Doing his patented dance which is hilarious and usually gets stares, especially when his brother-in-laws join in. That's my brother in the purple - we get really excited when he breaks this move out. It's kind of legendary.

The whole night, emotional beginning to beautiful end, was just perfect. The best kinds of weddings, I think, are the perfect combination of tears and laughter. Of dancing and conversation. But mostly, so centered around the love of God, that you can't help but feel it around you the whole day. See it in the bride and groom's faces, hear it in their vows, and be reminded of your own wedding day.

This was the best kind of wedding.

Love & Marriage,

Dirt Road Mama

Lover of Strawberries

A few months back, I posted about my little stinker, and how she got into the strawberries in the fridge.

It included this epic picture, with which Hubby and I are obsessed.

I can't really believe how much she has changed since this picture, and it was only April! A short three month ago, and she got so much bigger, and dare I say, older looking. But thankfully, she still has those chubba chunka cheeks, so all is still right with the world. :)

Anyway, I came home from the store, and was unpacking groceries. Reilly loves helping me with this job. She takes things out of the bags and puts them on the floor, occasionally holding them up to me to show me what she found, and occasionally saying "MMmmm!" when she recognizes a favorite food.

Then suddenly, I see her trying to open the container of strawberries. She is fiddling with the thick plastic cover, trying to get to the berry goodness. I grabbed my camera, attempting to catch her fiddling with the package, because I thought it was hilarious that she was being so persistent. She had no idea that I was watching her.

By the time I got my camera, she had not only gotten the package open, but had a berry in each hand with a bite out of both of them. Only about 20 seconds had passed. This is the face she made when she knew I had caught her.

Regardless of the fact that she had berries in hand, she just kept grabbing for more. I think the glory of having so many at her disposal was overwhelming.

And I am happy to report, she still shoves/eats strawberries in the same adorable fashion.

Hi pretty! I love seeing you so happy and proud of yourself!

As you can see by her outfit, it was the fourth of July. My baby found independence on Independence Day!

Reilly, I am in love with you. I will never stop telling you that.

p.s. You are hilarious.

Love & Independence,
DR Mama

Mama Grows Basil

Mama and Daddy are growin' basil and tomatoes! 'Cept the tomatoes aren't red yet, they are little tiny green ones still. I can't wait till they are red, Mama says they are her favorite!

Anyway, our basil crop...wait..Dada...stand over here, that's my good side...

That's better. Anyway, we are growin' large leaf basil. This was our first leaf - it's almost as big as my head!

We love basil, and pesto, and anything involving basil and pesto.

Dada...this is not time for peek-a-boo. You are so silly.

Know what it is time for? Eating basil!

Mmmmmm!

Pesto tip from my Mama: Instead of using pine nuts in your pesto, try using almonds! They are a lot cheaper, and a lot better for you. And it tastes delicious, too!

Love & Gardening,

Rei Rei

Baby You're a Firework

If you told me ten years ago, that I was going to be dating the boy working on the ski dock at our favorite vacation spot, I would have jumped for joy. (I had a crush on the cute tanned staff member.)

If you had told me then, that we would go to college together, I would have said, "Really? How fun! Am I going to be like Felicity?"


If you had told me 10 years ago, that I would be engaged to be married to him at 19, I would have been gitty with shock and excitement. 19? That's in like, 5 years. Where will we live? That's not too far away!


And if you had told me, that in 10 short years, we would be married with a gorgeous little toddler, I wouldn't have believed you. But what I really wouldn't believe is how fast those 10 years would go. How I would look at my handsome man, and still see the boy that I fell in love with. The 16 year old that I met by the lake. The one who has made all my dreams come true.


I hope the next 10 years go slower, because I have more fun every day with you. I have a feeling these next 10 years will be the best ones yet.
Happy Birthday, handsome. I love you millions.

Love,

Me

When Dada Gives You Lemons

Last week, on our vacation, we went out to lunch at this delicious seafood restaurant, where you can eat outside on beautiful decks overlooking the ocean. I love going out to eat with people who live nearby - the locals always know all the best places to go!

At this restaurant, Reilly had her first lemon.

She had the most hilarious reaction, which was to squeeze her whole face, shimmy her whole body, and then say "please" and ask for more.

You can see in Daddy's hysterical laughter how funny she was.


Reilly loves lemons! Cross another strange food that Reilly eats off our list. Along with kale and basil leaves.

Speaking of which, our first basil crop and Reilly thoughts on it - coming soon.

Love & Lemonade,

DR Mama