Going to a wedding...

This weekend we are going to a wedding for some relatives of my husband's. About a month ago, we got an invitation in the mail. I was a bit surprised at what came to us requesting our presence at their day of celebration. I know I should have blogged about it then, but I am now. It was the most creative mail I have ever received, and I really don't think I will ever get anything like it in the mail again. The mailman brought my mail to the door, rang the doorbell and said,
"I don't believe I have ever seen a shoe mailed to someone before." At first I thought he was joking, and I really didn't comprehend what he was saying. I thought maybe he had something wrong, or picked up this flip-flop near our mailbox on the ground.
I saw it was addressed to us, and with flipping it over, I saw the invitation. How creative is that?? The invitation talked about wearing casual clothes, wearing flip flops, and their wedding would be a "flop" without us. Terry asked me if we would get the missing shoe if we came to the wedding. HA! I thought that would be funny if the other shoe was our wedding favor. Ha. Ha. Anyway, I just had to share this because I thought it was so fun and creative! I hope the weather is a bit warmer, though...

My brother's wedding...

My brother got married on June 13, 2009. It was a beautiful wedding, and the weather was PERFECT for a wedding. I loved being there to support my brother and partake in the celebration of their vows to each other. Caleb was asked to be the ring bearer. He was so excited to be in their wedding and to bear the rings. He was extra excited to go down the aisle with his cousins (Atira and Emma) who were the flower girls. Here is a picture of their rehearsal.
The chaplain was the lady in the black pants and black/white top standing in front. I have never been to a wedding where the one officiating was a female. She did an excellent job with the marriage, and she had such great things to share with Russ and Melissa. She was a mentor of Melissa's from way back, and she is also a great friend of their family's. Melissa (my new sis-in-law) has been "in the picture" for a long time before my brother caught her. Melissa was a friend of my sister's back when my sister was in High School....so like, over 10 years ago. So, I have known Melissa a long time. It was fun to welcome her into our family permanently.
Here is a few more pictures that I snapped at the rehearsal dinner. They had the dinner at Russell's house. I personally think it was too much on his plate to host the dinner at his house when he was getting married the next day. I could tell he was stressed, and I felt bad for him.
Anyway, here is Caleb and Madelyn with some of their cousins.
Here are "the boys" grilling the meat. Terry (far left), and two of my brothers in the middle and far right.
Here is a picture of the Moms! My mom is on the right side.
Here is a picture of the Dad's. My Dad is on the left side.
Here is Emma and Atira (my nieces) throwing the petals for the Bride. Caleb wasn't able to join them due to his fears. He was a bit nervous to be showcased.
"Here comes the Bride!" She was radiant ~ even when she was crying. Poor Melissa had such an emotional day. She made it, though. :)
My brother has such a great look on his face as he looks at her. He looked great up there, and it seemed as though he was just so giddy! I loved watching him.
Saying their vows.
At least the pictures for the wedding memory book have Caleb in them. Even though he didn't get to walk down the aisle, he still got some great photos of himself in a tux! What a handsome guy!
Here is Miss Madelyn. She loved her pretty pink dress that she wore. While the photos were going on, I did our nails (toe and fingers). She thought that was so fun, and loved to show people her nails.

By the way, I am sad that I didn't get a family photo at all during the day.
My parents look great! I love that they had such a fun day! They are currently in their 51st year of marriage! What an inspiration!
Here is Caleb showing us his muscles. This is his big thing right now. He likes you to comment about how strong he is, and how he is growing.

Here is a picture of 4 of my beautiful nieces. The two in lavender are my brother's daughters (the one that got married). It was fun to see them supporting their Dad and standing up for him and their new mom-in-law.
Here is Nathaniel and my other niece, Adrianna. They had such a blast hanging out together. They are only a year apart in age.

Madelyn loved the frosting on the cake. She was loving the taste. My cousin was cheering her on and getting some good laughs.

It was a great day! The wedding ceremony was beautiful. It started off with a slide show of Russ and Melissa as children, teens, dating each other, and now onto marriage. There were pictures of Russell's daughters in there. I was crying even before the wedding.

My mom's quartet sang for the ceremony, as well as my brother sang. They all did a wonderful job! My mom's quartet also sang for the reception. It is always fun to hear those gals sing! The reception was at a ski and tube place about 20 minutes from the church. The catered meal was delicious, and it was a fun reception....until Caleb got sick and our evening was cut short. Caleb must have had too much sweets and too much running around. He was very tired, too, because he slept the whole way home. He didn't have a "bug" though, because he was fine the next day.

I am so happy for my brother and new sister. It was such a fun day! God bless their marriage!

Tux fitting for a handsome ring bearer to be!

Caleb is going to be the ring bearer in my brother's wedding in a few weeks. Terry and I brought him in for his tux fitting two days after my surgery. I was kind of out of it, still, and I think I may have had a bit of OD when we went out to my parents afterward for dinner. However, the fitting went well. Caleb had just woken up from a nap, so he wasn't totally chipper. He wasn't in a bad mood, just tired and wanting his mom. Here are the pictures of the fitting. I wanted to share them, because Caleb looks so cute and handsome!
He was having fun putting on the pants. He is really getting excited to escort two of his cousins down the aisle.
Isn't he adorable?
Still a bit sleepy. I will have to make sure he gets plenty of sleep the night before the wedding. Hopefully he will cooperate OK, and that he will be excited to walk down the aisle on the wedding day.
I love his smile. He is such a great looking boy!

I am sorry, I feel so behind in my blogging of personal stories, things going on, what we have been up to....funnies, etc. I am going to post about those over the next few days. I just haven't had as much time, nor the drive (due to lack of energy) since I have become a mom of 4, and after I had the surgery for the removal of Melanoma. I am really trying to get back into the swing of things!
I can't believe that I am a week behind posting a very special day....but, since it is so late (time wise) tonight, I will post it in the morning. That will give you a bit of suspense! :)

Cole is growing!

I had Cole in for a 2 week well baby check yesterday and he is growing! He is now 9 pounds! He passed up his birth weight~ yippee! The Dr. said that he looks great, and his jaundice has cleared up. Cole's abrasions and sores on his head are really clearing up. The blood pooling is still there, but over time, it should go away. He is so cute, which helps, because he sure can be fussy. I think it is probably because he poops as much as he takes breaths of air. Seriously, it seems that way! I do have to say I am pleased with his sleeping pattern at night time. He will sleep a good 3-4 hour stretch! I love that! I hope he keeps up the good sleeping.
On Saturday, he cooed at me. He has smiled at me (almost daily) since he was in the hospital. I think that is amazing. I love his smile! I look forward to him doing that all the time.
The kids love having a baby boy in the home. Maddie and Caleb love kissing him! Nathaniel keeps commenting on how cute he is. I am still in awe over the fact that I have 4 kids! I have already received the comment, "Are all those kids yours?" I want to just say, "Nope, I am just a babysitter..."
I will try to keep you all up to date. I am sorry I haven't been in the blogging world too much. I will try to be better about updating. Here is some of the latest happenings in the Sassyfrazz home, and this will explain why I haven't been online too much.
A few weeks ago (right before Cole was born) Madelyn was diagnosed with pneumonia. It was a freaky thing, but she didn't have to be hospitalized! I am so thankful for that! Could you imagine both of us being hospitalized for two very different reasons? That would have been horrible!
Then, when Cole was just over a week old, Nathaniel came back from a visit to his Dad's sick. It turned out to be Strep throat. We dropped him off on a Friday night, and that very night, Madelyn threw up in the van. Not only did she throw up once, but several times...to the point of her car seat not being functional. We ended up stopping to buy her a cheap outfit, so she wasn't stuck in the nasty mess...and to keep her warm. Then, Terry held her all the way home. Yes, it was illegal, but what else could we have done? We also had to pick up Terry's car, which was at his work. So, I drove with Madelyn buckled in the front seat (praying she didn't have another round on the way home~ another 22 miles). That Sunday, Nathaniel was picked up~ and he was sick. He had a fever and cold all weekend. On Monday, he didn't have school, and he complained about his throat being very sore. So, Terry brought him in, and strep culture was positive. That was lovely. Madelyn's flu bug lasted a total of 5 days. She didn't have any episodes on Saturday, then had it on Sunday and Monday. Monday night was the worse of it...like 8-9 times. We were really concerned for her, especially since she is so little anyway. So, now after a week later...our family is healthier. I am so thankful~ thank you God for your healing!

My brother and his wife welcomed their second child into the world 10 days after Cole was born! I am so excited for them! They have a 3 year old girl, and now a baby boy! Cole and his boy cousin are only 10 days apart! Isn't that fun? I am so excited for them!! Her delivery went well, and baby and her are doing great! I can't wait to meet him!

One of my other brothers is getting married this summer, and he called recently to see if Caleb could be their ring bearer! How cute!! Two of my other nieces are going to be flower girls. It will be so darling to see them all together. I hope Caleb will do it alright. He isn't really big into being put on the spot, so we will see.

So, that is what is new with me and our family. We are very saddened over some recent news. Our former pastor just passed on from this life to his eternal home. It was very unexpected. He was an amazing man, and on fire for the Lord. He was an evangelist, and lived his life fully for Christ! Last Tuesday, he went in for hip replacement. He was doing well, but on Wednesday, he suffered 3 heart attacks. He went through heart surgery, and they found he had over 90% blockage in his arteries. Over the next few days, he had the oxygen on and ventilators. Saturday morning, he passed away. So, please be in prayer for his family. We will miss him, and he sure was a warrior! He was the one who baptised Terry 3 years ago. He is very special to us. The funeral is on Wednesday.