Evan and Emily: Flower Girl and Ring Bearer of the Year

As previously mentioned, Jane and Luke were asked last year to be the flower girl and ring bearer in our friend's wedding in June. Joe and Kristen frequently babysit for us, and Evan has known Kristen all his life as she is the little sister of a friend of his. Our kids love when they babysit and we couldn't wait to share in this special day with them!

We weren't exactly sure how things would go, or even if they would understand what was going on, but yet again our kids prove us wrong! Once we began talking to Jane (a few months ahead of the big day) about wearing a pretty dress and dropping flower petals, it was all over from there. From thence forward, she was all about all things wedding! She loved trying on her pretty dress and getting new fancy shoes to go with it (which she wears constantly around the house), but her brother still wasn't sure what to make of everything. Getting fitted for his suit was a bit more anti-climatic for him.

We had a great time at the rehearsal dinner and suprisingly the kids were both well behaved. The next morning was a real treat for Jane as she was invited to join all the other bridesmaids to get her hair done at the salon. This was a HUGE deal for Jane and she loved all the attention. She even sat perfectly still the entire time the crew (at one point there were 4 ladies working on her hair....how is that even possible?!) sprayed, combed, braided, tweaked and styled her 'do. She loved it and I also enjoyed seeing her so happy!

We then left to head to the wedding location (ceremony and reception in one place) for pictures, and the real fun began. We quickly arrived, dressed both kiddos and waited patiently for their turn for pictures. But, of course, nothing is that simple. What do you get when you add 1 mischievous little boy + wide open spaces + lots of attention from people?! An over-excited and curious Luke, who wondered what would happen if he pulled a red gadget from the wall! Yep, right before his turn for pictures, Luke pulled the fire alarm and set off the loudest noise ever, that scared the dickens out of him and sent him crying for the next 10 minutes...right before getting his picture taken. Lovely!

With the fire alarm crisis behind us, they both cooperated fabulously for the outdoor pictures (it was a hot muggy day - just ask this 6-month pregnant lady!), and we scurried off to "borrow" the bride's room for an hour or so to decompress before the wedding actually started. All was well, until Luke had to go to the bathroom (not potty)....and then go again...then go again. Not our finest parenting moment realizing we gave him applesauce for lunch, then apples for a snack, then apple juice while waiting. We narrowly avoided ruining his entire suit before showtime. With stress at an all-time high, we made our way back to the wedding location and tried to entertain a 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old who hadn't napped and very excited to go bolting down the aisle. I had to find my seat at the front so Evan stayed back with them. Right before it was their turn, Luke turned to Evan and stated he needed to go to the bathroom again. Evan, in sheer brilliance, rushed both kiddos off to the bathroom, and quickly "took care of things" in just enough time to send them down the aisle.

And the result? They were perfect! Luke carried his pillow like he owned the place and Jane diligently dropped rose petals (with lots of finesse) along the aisle. They even sat still during the ceremony (thanks to the help of snacks) and didn't cause a ruckus, something that was petrifying to me!

The ceremony concluded and we were off to enjoy the reception...and enjoy we did! We ate, drank, danced, took silly pictures in the photo booth, danced some more, stayed up waaay too late, and pretty much had an amazing time!! Great memories for us and the kids!

A dapper young man.

Getting ready to head out for pictures

I love this picture. They actually both did really well for the pictures.

The smirk on Luke's face here is priceless!

If we look tired, we were. Especially the one on the left!

Luke turned around to pick up the 1st rose petal that Jane dropped. Evan had to tell him to keep going although he was very confused why Jane was dropping things.