Happy Holidays!

Here's hoping the New Year brings more time and energy for this space.  In the mean time, we're wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year:)

More from Kurt and Tia's Wedding

 We stopped at a close by mall and hijacked their carousel for a few minutes.  The girls LOVED this part:)

It was actually close to 40 degrees out while we were taking these pics so we had a person close by taking the coats from everyone at the last moment and Tia has mentioned the possibility of being frozen to the bench by the time this last one was shot:)

And then they were off!  The newlyweds were thrown for a loop when Tia received an email enroute to the ceremony that said their flights to Australia and Fiji were cancelled due to labor strikes.  Not being able to deal with it till Sunday put them behind everyone else who had rebooked flights and although the labor strike lasted less than 48 hours, the airline was unable to get them to Sydney within a reasonable amount of time and could not get them to Fiji at all!   I was so sad for them.  But they had trip insurance and were able to spend a few days in New Orleans and then a week on a cruise to Cozumel.  January will be finding them in Australia and hopefully the 1 yr. anniversary will find them in Fiji.  They return tomorrow, back to the real world, hopefully rested and ready to tackle the Holiday Season as the new Mr& Mrs. Spindler.  Or Mr. & Mrs. Spindler-Schmidt.  Or Mr.& Mrs. Schmidt-Spindler.  Or they could create a whole new last name with the letters of their respective last names; DeMinssprichdt, or Shindlermiscpdt, or....

Oh My, Where to Start??

 Rest assured life has been happening at an alarming rate around here.  Though not so much blog action, to be sure.  I think we will have to work backwards from last night.  Yesterday, I got to remove the 'Almost' from my Almost-Sister-In-Law's title.  Finally, finally my brother, Kurt, and his dearest Christina, got married.


We were lucky enough to be part of the festivities.  All of us.  1 Groomsman, 1 Bridesmaid, and 3 adorable little flower girls.  Since we were part of the wedding party I do not have pics of everything but when I do, I will be sure to post.

It's funny how a wedding day is planned to be 'perfect' and yet the imperfections are the things that make it so memorable.   For example...Turns out that getting an entire family with 3 small kids wedding ceremony ready requires more than 3 hours to not feel crazy.  Note to self for next time:)  And that 2 stylists at a salon is not enough to get a Bridal Party ready even if you plan 3 hours for them.  So when the salon is an hour behind, that means the limo is also late getting the guys and they will have to, at the last minute, drive themselves from point A to point B, arriving at the church when the wedding is supposed to be starting.  Which means the bulletins will be handed out by some of the bridesmaids instead of the ushers.  And that an hour before the ceremony, Christina found out that the airline that was to take them on their honeymoon the following day to Australia and Fiji, has cancelled ALL flights due to labor strikes.  And during the ceremony, the 2 yr. old flower girl takes a facial on the stairs(while wandering about the front of the church), not too bad though and she managed to hold back the tears which was most impressive.


Now to the things that did go perfect.  The ceremony was lovely.  Two 'I Do's were said at the correct moment.  Petals were thrown by flower girls with gusto.  A cool sand ceremony with my brother and his kids,Tia, my Mom and Tia's Mom all alternately pouring sand into a glass jar went smoothly.  Pictures were taken with everyone smiling.   Bubbles were blown.  A bridal party ride on the Mall Carousel happened without incident and with 3 VERY happy flower girls.  Outdoor pics were taken while hudled around the outdoor heater and throwing coats and shawls to a 'coat holder' at the last minute.  Golf carts were driven without accident.

Kid-favors placed at tables led to many happy, silly moments.(seriously, they really went out of their way to make sure everyone, the big and the small, had a great time).

Dinner was absolutely delicious(I mean so far above standard wedding fare I can't even begin).  A power nap was taken at dinner by a certain 2yr old.

 The most fantastic 1st dance was followed by the best family dance with the Bride and Groom and the 4 kids to a collage of very cool songs that I'm hoping to post via youtube once I can find someone who was smart enough to video it.

Cake was cut and not smooshed.  Cupcakes and chocolates were a plenty.

 And there was dancing, dancing and more dancing!

 Including Adalyn's own unique moves.

 Adalyn was too busy dancing to pose for a family shot.

 All in all, it went by wayy too fast.  Not enough pictures by half!

But so happy for my brother and his Beloved.  Wishing them a lifetime of happiness, health, and love.

1st Day of School

 Today, this one went off to her first day of 3rd grade.

And this one went off to her first day of 1st grade.

 And we all happily marched down to the bus stop with our "pack-packs" on.

 Isn't the first day of school grande?

 And then they were off in a blur.

 And one little 2yr. old realized the bus was not taking her to school.

Dearest Adalyn, you will grow up soon enough.  Stay small for me for just a little while longer.

Where Has My Time Gone?

My silence in the land of the blog can mean only 1 of 2 things.  Either volleyball has started or I'm not taking many pictures.

Both this time around.

Volleyball started last week and as always is all consuming of any extra time or brain-space.  Right before that, my computer told me it's memory was nearing a tipping point and could no longer handle any more photos.  So I've taken some, but they are stuck on my memory card without a home.  This is a newish computer so I was surprised.  But it turns out those HD videos are space hoggers.

Now add to that the re-aquiring of the found pup...yes, yes.  Our neighbors had our found little guy for a while.  Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who you are, he kept breaking out and making his way down to our yard.  At an almost embarrassing rate.  All of a sudden, he would just be in our back yard.  So the neighbors(4 houses down), who are really lovely and great and fun, asked us if we wanted him back since he seemed very clearly attached to us and we seemed equally attached to him.  After assuring us repetitively that there would be no hard feelings and no weirdness at all, we accepted the pup back.  Legend, the newest member, has been keeping us on our toes.  Has eaten, and then horked up, 4 socks(that I know of) has ripped holes in countless others, and generally been proving his puppiness.  Even as I type, I can hear strange, unsettling noises that will be sure to amount to some new mischief he can get into.  But he had already nuzzled his way into our soft hearts.  And onto the furniture.  Sigh.

Camping

The day after we were to arrive home from Key West, we planned to head out on a 3 day camping trip to Yogi Bear Campground.  Well, bad weather wreaked havoc on planes flying into Baltimore and a long story short, we got a bonus night of vacation in balmy Baltimore.  So that meant the day we flew home, we also were departing on a camping trip.  In hindsight, perhaps allowing 48 hrs. in between would have been wiser, but live and learn.  Borrowing my brother's awesome camper(w/potty and running water, and even air conditioning!) we braved the great outdoors.

Just what we all needed to re-bond together after our 5 day getaway.  The campground is great for kids.  Water park, boats, pedal carts, pool, miniature golf, all in a not-too-big but not-too-small campground.

Plus, we got to go with another awesome family.  Rylie and Adalyn just happened to be born on the same day and here they sit on the docks looking for fish.

The older 2 girls loved playing with their good friend Camryn.

And I loved playing with my very good friend, Kerrianne.

Cody(aka:  Doo-Doo  I'm not kidding, that's what Rylie started calling him one day and it stuck), now 16(!), was such a help with the little ones and such a cool guy to hang out with.  It made me want to rent my own teenager, though I have heard that if they belong to you, they are not always so helpful.

Daily we went on Heyrides(seriously loud person leading camp songs as they drive a large trailer full of overtired kids and underslept parents).

And to keep the whining to a minimum, we even rented a golf cart to ferry all our little tired legs to and from the water park back to our campsite.

It was a perfectly relaxed enjoyable weekend with some great friends.(Notice that all of the Bader's children seem to love getting close to Yogi.  Not so for the Kelly crew, who barely got within touching distance before turning tail and running.)  It was full of S'mores, and campfires, and no schedules, and easy conversation.

Sadly, a day after we returned from our camping adventure, Kerrianne's father, at age 64, had a major heart attack.  After a 4 day coma, he passed away.  I have known their family all my life and remember her Father with a big smile on his face and a booming voice.  It is so hard the way life can be so simply wonderful one minute and so devastating the next.  But I suppose without our lows, we would never be able to truly appreciate the highs.  My heart goes out to my dear friend and her family.  I feel like we are too young to lose any of our parents, but I suppose life does not hand out any guarantees.  I know they will all miss him terribly and that the days and months ahead will be so challenging.  But their family is full of strength and their attachment to each other is palpable.  I wish them peace as they go forward from here.