Wedding bells: Part One

Over the weekend, Lane and I loaded up my mom's car and headed to North Carolina to attend my cousin Ricky's wedding to his long-time girlfriend Kirsten. Mom drove. Lane and I were backseat drivers. (Good thing too. But, don't worry Mom mom, we won't tell any one our secret!) Lane was awesome in the car. I had prepped myself for the worse - packing a bag full of toys and the pump in case we had an emergency that only milk could fix it.

But, we made it the entire five-hour-plus ride without any problems. Lane played with his toys and took little cat naps. We had a blast singing songs and making faces at one another.

We arrived at the hotel just in time for mom to get dressed and get to the church for the ceremony. Lane and I stayed behind to relax and get ready for a night full of partying. Lane loved the hotel - where the bed is big and fluffy and his mama turned on cartoons for him to watch. (He just likes the lights, right Sarah?)

Lane thought he was King for the Day when I propped him up on the pillows and we had an impromptu photo shoot.






After a good nap, we were ready to party all night long at the reception, which was held at the hotel.

The party was SOOO much fun. Lane got to meet some of his great aunts and uncles, and great, great aunts and uncles and even his third cousin Seamus. We saw family we had not seen in years. The bride and groom looked beautiful - and had a blast. They are now on their way to the Dominican Republic for a warm and sunny honeymoon.

Lane was a party animal - and looked stunning in his stripes.

Tune in to tomorrow for scenes from the wedding and our account of the funniest moments of the night.

Greener

Green has not always been my best color. But, I admit that at times in my life I wore it often. It is true - I often wished I had what others did. I wanted to be on the other side of the fence.

I have talked to other women who were in my shoes. They too often wore green. One friend told me if she saw one more pink or blue balloon - well, she was going to turn green.

I was at the hospital the morning my friend Sarah's daughter was born. I watched this little baby through the nursery window and fell in love with her. A little more than a year later, Sarah, her daughter and I waited for our friend Stephanie to welcome her son into the world. Just moments after his birth, I was by their side. That little blond baby boy stole my heart instantly.

Over the last four and a half years I have watched these children grow and change. More importantly, I watched my friends change. They were still the same girls I met at 18 years old but they were just a little different - they were mamas. That is what I wanted.

A few days ago, I was emailing with a long-distance friend. We were trying to catch up through short emails. With Lane sleeping, I sent her a message: "Call me when you get home from work. The babe is asleep. I will be folding laundry."

She replied, "Your a mama."

I am. And, it feels good.

In this instance, the grass is greener on this side.

(The backyard's new green grass courtesy of Papa.)

Dinner Party

Tonight, my party of three enjoyed balsamic pork with roasted potatoes and carrots for dinner. Guess who showed up to the table in his birthday suit.

Day Dreaming

Today's warm weather brought my favorite skirt out from the closet.
To celebrate, Lane and I loaded up the stroller and hit the neighborhood for a walk.

Upon our arrival home, we were greeted by papa and bbq sandwiches made from last night's leftover porkchops -delish. (Pictures were not made because sandwiches were consumed instantly.)

The sun continued to shine, so we headed out to the back deck to play.
This is what we had dreamed of. Last summer, knowing our boy was on his way, James and I spent many hours on our new back deck talking about our future: what life would be like with a son, how we would spend days playing on our deck and evenings eating dinner as a family there.

Today, we played. Eventually, the boy got hungry, and we headed in to nurse. Upstairs, in our room, we closed the blinds and laid down. We both fell asleep - and I dreamed. When I woke up, Lane was next to me sleeping peacefully with a sliver of sun across his face. I took a few minutes to watch him.

With Lane, my day dreams are just so beautiful.

A good morning

My loves look out the window watching a squirrel and some birds enjoy a full feeder - and anxiously await the arrival of spring.

Then, they get back into bed to soak up some sun and play just a little more.

All mornings should be this good. Don't you think?

Adventures of a short tail

Most mornings, this is where you will find Elly Mae, the short hair of the house.
TUCKED TIGHTLY UNDER THE QUILT FOR OUR BED.

THIS MORNING, this is where I found Elly Mae.
With her head stuck in the hole she chewed in the quilt for our bed.

Two little monkeys