Cohen Came to Play

While Karen & Riley were on their honeymoon, Cohen came for 2 days to play while grandma went to work.  It was nice to spend time with him.  The kids were so excited to have a playmate to change their routine.  He was so good, and I think he enjoyed the Pearson circus.

We bought Vince a new bed frame and no longer need the box spring.  Here, these boys are using their muscles to help me put the box springs away.

Karen & Riley Got Married!

All of the excitement of the summer paled in comparison to Karen & Riley's wedding weekend.  We talked about and planned for the wedding all year.  I was so excited for 2 big reasons.  It was my last sibling getting married, and I couldn't wait for my kids to get dressed up and experience the fun of the day!  It took quite a bit of logistic organizing and a lot of packing, but the weekend was perfect.  So, so fun!

We headed for Tiffin on Friday around noon so we had plenty of time to check in to the hotel and swim at the hotel pool before rehearsal.  The drive there was long, mostly because Vince whined and cried for 1.5 of the 2 hours on the road.  He was tired and just couldn't get comfortable.  Vera and Annie fared well.  The kids were so excited to see Karen, Grandma and Grandpa at the hotel.  Soon after, the Homans arrived and the noise level on the 3rd floor increased significantly.  Shortly after we checked in, we learned that the pool was closed due to filter issues and would not be opening anytime soon.  The kids and adults were slightly bummed, but we found other ways to keep busy and pass the afternoon hours.

Hanging out and having snacks in Grandma and Papaw's room.

There was a large grassy area with two small ponds and pretty landscaping behind the hotel.  We let the kids run and play out there for an hour or so.  Soon after, my aunts, Lindsey, Scarlett and Linda joined us.  It was fun to see everyone arriving at the hotel.  In this picture, Vera and Blake are pondering the meaning of life...or something like that.

We left Vince, Annie and Adam behind at the hotel for naps while Vera and I attended rehearsal at the church with the rest of the wedding party.  The Catholic church in Findlay is very new and so beautiful.  

Vera was so nervous and excited for her role in the wedding.  She kept asking me question after question about how the day would go, what she would do, where we would go.  What a fun experience it was for her!  I hope she remembers this when she is older.

The rehearsal dinner was back at the hotel.  We had a delicious German style meal.

Mary, Riley's mom, was kind enough to have simple activities to keep the kids entertained.  They had a great time in their little corner with their coloring books, dry erase boards, & balloons.  I have to document that while all was quiet for the mealtime prayer, Vince loudly announced "to his table mates" that his marker board was erased all clean.  I had trouble focusing on the prayer because I was worried about what he would announce next.  Thankfully, it was all rated G.

I think the caterers and Fike family were entertained by the craziness of the kids.  When the balloons were passed out, the running and silliness ensued.  Typical.

Baby Aubrey is just so cute!  Oh, and Vera is sporting her new Vera Bradley purse from Aunt Karen for being in the wedding party.  She was so excited and very proud of the purse!

Crazy faces by Vera, Nora, Aubrey and Adam.

Getting everyone settled that evening and ensuring that everything was organized for the morning was a bit of a circus.  Vince screamed and cried about going to bed that evening, and as a result, Adam slept with him that night.  I didn't sleep well.  My mind kept reeling about all of the details and things that had to happen the next day.  Vera told me in the morning that she had a hard time falling asleep.  "I was just so excited, mom.  Every time I closed my eyes, they would just open right back up."

After deleting and deactivating my old iPhone, I gave it to Vera to take pictures for the day.  She was so excited to have her very own phone, and didn't waste any time getting the picture-taking started.  Aunt Karen was super nervous at breakfast time already.  Vera captured that moment.

Vera & I were dressed and downstairs eating breakfast that morning around 7:15.  Soon after, Karen, Grandma, Grandpa, Lindsey and Mandy joined us.  By 8am, we were off to the hair salon.

Vera and I each took a piece of fruit in our purse from the breakfast.  Within 5 minutes of being at the hair salon, Vera started eating her apple.  After one bite, she came up to me and said, "Mom, I just lost my tooth!"  I couldn't believe it.  We giggled and snapped this picture.  I love her face in the picture.  She couldn't stop laughing about it.  The tooth had been wiggly for days before the wedding.  We'll always remember when Vera lost her first tooth!!

Vera was awfully silly at the hair salon.  She was just so excited about everything that was happening.  She was thrilled to have a tiara in her hair, and asked numerous times if she could have her make-up done.  She giggled and made silly comments; she just couldn't help it.  At one point she announced, "Today I am the queen."  We all laughed and later commented there were 2 queens that day: Karen and her goddaughter.  

It was a fun morning having everyone together.  We relaxed, told stories, shared many laughs, passed some mimosas and just enjoyed the moment.  Soon enough we were off to the church.

I just love bouquets.  They're always so pretty!

Laughing and passing the time.  Here, Vera is loving another moment with the girls.

Karen's dress was stunning.  She looked beautiful.

Soon after, the rest of my family started to arrive.  Annie went to the salon with Nora and Scarlett to get her hair done.  She looked adorable, and told me her hair was "pwitty" several times.  

Sweet sisters.

Handsome dad.  Photo courtesy of Vera.

Vince was in his uncooperative mood before the ceremony.  He refused to wear his boutonniere or take any reasonable pictures.

I'm so glad I thought to take these 2 pictures.  Love them and the people in them!

This was a high-emotion moment.  It was go-time and Karen was very emotional.  We quickly had to put her back together, get ourselves together and get down the aisle.  I will admit that I was a bit worried about Karen as she made it down the aisle.  But once she and Riley walked forward together toward Father Scott, he had the perfect words to calm them and help them be in the moment.  He had the words that were failing me moments earlier.

The ceremony was lovely.  Everyone did a great job.  Once it was over, we were able to snap some pictures and get the celebration started.

Vince's monster-teeth smile cracks me up every time I look at this picture.

Thanks, mom & dad, for everything you did to make this day happen!

This picture was so impromptu, but it turned out awesome!

So good!

Blake was quite handsome.

These two got to ride the bus with the wedding party.  Vera was thrilled about this part of the day as well.  It was a pretty awesome coach, and a pretty cool experience for a 6 year old.  Blake & Vera were so well-behaved and patient with the whole experience.  Blake immediately commented that there were no seat belts.  :)  They were pretty oblivious to the rest of the people on the bus and kept busy taking pictures and doing what 5 & 6 year-olds do.

Here's the apple that helped Vera lose the tooth.  Funny story: the apple survived the entire wedding weekend and I found it buried in a bag when I unpacked at home.

We stopped at a park to take some pictures.  It was a lot of walking; Vera was a trooper.  I love this picture.  The two queens of the day.

Vera took this picture.  Her bouquet went through the wringer that day.  She was so upset about this lily falling out.  I put it back in 2 or 3 times, but I have no idea what ever happened to it.  It didn't make it home.

Thanks to Grammie and Papa for making the trip and helping with the kids.

Plotting their next shenanigan.

Vince kept busy on the playground near the hall.  Papa and Paula each took him outside to play.  I heard he was nonstop.

Whitney caught the bouquet and then gave it to Vera.  Another thing to make Vera's day even more great.

It was such a great day!  I loved having our family all together, dressed up for such a special occasion.  I was so proud of Karen & Riley for putting together a beautiful wedding and terrific party.  The weather was perfect, the hall and church were gorgeous, and everyone had safe travels.  Perhaps one of the many great parts of the day was watching Vera's excitement.  Karen couldn't have given her a more special opportunity than this, and I honestly think it was the best day of her life.

Everyone was exhausted the next day.  We had a slow start, and it took a while to get everything located, organized and loaded in the vehicle.  I was so sad for the weekend to be coming to an end.

I think the Pearsons and the Homans were the last of the wedding guests to leave the hotel.  We decided to release the balloons from rehearsal before we left, mostly because we had no room for them in the vehicle.  It was a cute, memorable way to end our weekend.

Congratulations, Karen & Riley!  We love you!