Constant Beginnings

1 My Mom has so many talents--singer, pianist, artist, crafty, gardener, quilter. Thankfully, she is extremely generous. She makes a special quilt for each grandchild. Olivia, Luke, Ava and Claire have all received theirs. Mya's was given to her in Montana. When I was pregnant with Mya, I had found pictures of several quilts that I liked. I emailed them to my Mom. Little did I know that my Mom tracked down the pattern to my favorite, ordered it and began sewing. It was adorable. The quilt has cute, little birds done in older replica fabrics with a soft minky fabric backing. Each bird is quilted, so their outlines show through the back. It is absolutely perfect. She is such an incredible sewer, making sure each point lines up with the next and each stitch is just right.  What a treasured gift! Our kiddos are so lucky to have such a skilled and generous Grammy. Hopefully one day they will take the time to learn from her so they too, can share these treasures with their childr...

Jessica and Nate were married on Saturday. My girls got an incredible uncle that day and of course, Jessica got a wonderful husband. We had such a good time. Claire and Ava went to the salon to get her 'princess on.' She looked perfect in her little crown, beautiful dress and cute little smile. The wedding was lovely, our toast was awesome (if I do say so myself) and the dance was fun. The toast was a group effort...my vision, Chris' idea and my sisters and Phil's imagination. Awesome. We rewrote the verses to Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe." Jessica and Nate refer to each other as babe at nauseaum. It was perfect and very funny; however, I may be a bit biased. Our gift to them, which is from my sisters and I, was a personalized picture. They loved it. All in all, it was a perfect day. Let's hope the perfection continues for the rest of their lives.

Lisa and I hosted a couples shower for Jessica and Nate on Thursday night at their home. The food was pretty impressive. I will try and get some pics from my Mom to share. We had a little bit of everything, but kept it on the elegant side. It was a nice opportunity for my family to get to know Nate's family and Jessica and Nate's friends. Friday was the rehearsal and dinner. Practice was quick and easy. Claire had a bit of a meltdown on her first run down the aisle, so we threw a few m&m's in her basket. A little bribery seemed to do the trick. She walked down like a pro on the subsequent runs. Dinner was tasty and socializing with our aunts/uncles and cousins was very nice.

Our next few days in Montana were filled with walks to the playground, a trip to the zoo, wedding preparation, and enjoying Jessica and Nate's beautiful new house. It was such a nice, relaxing time. Definitely necessary for the stressful, crazy busy days ahead.