wedding weekend in Geyserville

Weddings have become quite a production these days. My own took months of planning, my sister spent a year planning hers, entire television shows have been devoted to the extravagance that a wedding can become. But they are also so special, especially when they involve getting large families together in a single space, and especially when the bride and groom are so clearly meant for each other. This is how my cousin's wedding was last weekend. A beautiful, relaxed celebration of two people. It felt like a celebration of a marriage, not just a wedding. And if anything didn't go as planned last Saturday, you would never know it by looking at the bride. She was peaceful, composed, and joyful the entire time. Oh, and of course, beautiful, because if anything is beautiful, it is a bride glowing with the obvious love and joy she feels for her groom.

~ the bride & groom ~

Since I spoke my own vows to Ryan a little more than three years ago, I can no longer watch a vow ceremony without a little lump in my throat and maybe a few misty tears. Watching the bride walk down the aisle, never fails to stir up those emotions I felt as I walked to meet my own groom. I never felt that way before I was married myself. I suppose, like most things in life, you don't truly "get it" until you've been there yourself.

My only disappointment of the weekend was that I didn't take any pictures. The location was just gorgeous and had me wishing for a camera, but Ryan and I were plenty busy keeping our sweet girlies under control. Mia decided the most appropriate time for an outburst was during the moment of silence for those who weren't able to attend, but what can you do? I grabbed a pacifier as quickly as I could and "plugged" her up.

~ i love this picture of my grandma & Mia ~

My mom took plenty of pictures, though, which I've stolen and now posted. Although, giving her proper credit negates the "stealing," I think. She took plenty of pictures of my girls and the man and me, which makes me sort of happy, considering we were all dressed with our hair combed and whatnot, and also because it helps prove that I was actually there.

The best part of family weddings, in my opinion? Sunday morning brunch. It's become a little tradition in our family. My mom had a big brunch the morning after my wedding, and also after Kristina's wedding this past May, so my cousin's family took the cue and also hosted brunch. And while we may not all be looking (or feeling) our best after a late night out, it feels like the best opportunity for visiting with family and getting just a little more time together before we must disperse again. And speaking of Kristina's wedding, I never got around to posting about it, but I will, I promise, because it was gorgeous and perfect and needs to be documented. Maybe by your six month anniversary, Kristina?

{friday phone dump} road trip edition

Our first road trip with two babies.  We all survived, and with minimal crying.  It helped that I sat in the back seat most of the time, squished between two car seats, armed with toys, bottles, and snacks.

Laci is a veteran traveler at this point, she did really well.

Mia has much to learn, but she did well, too.

 

Our chauffeur. 

Bert & Ernie along for the ride.

It was an exhausting short weekend, but fun,

and totally worth the three hours in the car each direction.

********

Bonus phone pics...because after all, this is a phone dump.

Mia's hand, mommy's thumb.

Random snuggles with my girls.

Waiting for the doctor...time for checkups.

After convincing Laci that the scale would not actually hurt,

we found that she weighs 24 lbs and is 33 inches tall.

Laci's & Mama's feet.

Mall mirrors are ah-mazing!

 My little toot.

The End.

where I am right now

Tonight, I am back at home - my real home - the one in the trailer inside a shop.  After almost a month in the hospital, and another two months at my parents' house, my family is finally under a single roof together.  Coming back from a wonderful weekend, it feels like reality has hit me in the face.  To say the transition back to trailer life has been rough so far is a huge understatement, but I won't go into that tonight.  It is far too late and I'm hoping I'll feel better about everything after I've had some sleep.

On the other hand, this past weekend was wonderful.  We visited the beautiful Napa Valley - my entire family, immediate and extended - to witness my cousin marrying his sweet bride.  The weekend was enjoyable for so many reasons...getting out of town and away from some of the stress, having Ryan and the girls with me, seeing so much of my extended family, and sharing in the joy of one of the best weddings I've ever attended.

Ihave so much more to share about the wedding and about trailer life, but for now, I just have some pictures of my sweet girls.  And if you look closely, you'll see me, too.  A hand here, a foot there - you won't see my pearly whites, but there is proof that I was there too.

sisters. fall. life.

Someone has decided she does not like having her picture taken. Disappointing to me in some ways, but I'm sure she'll get over it. Or I'll end up with a stockpile of pictures of her crying. Or pictures of her feet. Feet don't cry.

She wanted to push Mia off the straw, hence, no sister picture. This has been a challenging week of sibling adjustment. Laci has started climbing on me whenever she hears baby sister cry. But they have sweet moments, too.

Laci is good at giving kisses, even without being asked once in a while. She always makes sure Mia has a blanket, or several.  She helps take diapers to the trash and says, "Hi, Mia" in the sweetest voice.  And tonight in the tub, she "helped" wash Mia's hands. She is a good big sister in training.

These girls keep me busy.

Even as busy as life feels, not much has been happening in our little world aside from the day to day routine. I have a lot on my mind, but I'm not sure how to go about sharing it here, or if I even want to share at all. This whole week, whenever I sat down to write, the words didn't flow...which is incredibly rare if you know how much I can talk. Even now, I question if I will end up clicking publish or clicking delete.

I am glad Fall is here and the temperatures are getting more comfortable. Fall happens late here in Northern California, so I am ready. Ready for change. Ready for visual evidence that time is, in fact, moving forward, though it sometimes feels like it's standing still. Of course, I have two tiny people, who grow and learn so much each day, to remind me that time is passing, and quickly, but it doesn't hurt to watch the leaves and fields change colors as well.

Sisters. Fall. Life.
That is all for now.

Well, except for these. I'm still trying to capture us together, because even if my mind is elsewhere, my body and heart are here with them, everyday.

i heart faces {tickled pink}

To most, this will be just another snapshot of a smiling baby.

It has very little to do with breast cancer awareness, but it is pink,

and it has everything to do with fighting for your life.

If you know how close the world came to missing this smile completely,

you'd understand why seeing it leaves me feeling tickled pink.

For more "tickled pink" inspired photos, visit i heart faces.

 

laci & maverick

We are headed outside this morning. I'm not sure what the day holds for us, but with weather this beautiful, it is a crime to stay indoors.

Maverick will be joining us. These two are like siblings...wrestling, teasing, fighting, playing. Maverick is the brother Laci doesn't have and he is so devoted to her, just following her around everywhere she goes. And the trouble these two get into, geesh! They need leashes - BOTH of them.

Hope your Sunday is as beautiful as ours.

a week of me

A whole week of "me." Wow, that sounds incredibly self-centered and maybe a little narcissistic. Although, I suppose self-centered is the definition of a self-portrait project and there is no way around it.  Then again, the focus of this project isn't so much myself, as it is just capturing myself FOR my daughters. And surely I'm over analyzing this whole subject, so...moving on!

When I take pictures of my girls, or anyone really, I try to just capture them doing what they do. Sure, I'll ask Laci to smile at me once in a while, and there are the obligatory holiday pictures where I try (usually unsuccessfully) to get her to pose for me, but I really enjoy just capturing her candidly. A voluntary smile now and then is just an added bonus. I wish there was an easy way to capture the same type of pictures with me in them, but aside from hiring someone to follow us around with a camera all day, I guess I'm out of luck.

In the past week, I have experimented with using a tripod, the shutter timer, and handing the camera off to the hubby. I have yet to get an amazing picture of my girls and me, but I suppose that is beside the point. The point is to just get in the picture at all, and so far, I'm getting it done, and stretching my imagination in the process. You can only take so many of the hold-the-camera-at-arm's-length-and-smile kind of shots before it gets really boring.

My favorite (and the easiest) method at this point: the good old camera phone. It's always with me, I can hold it at whatever weird angle I need to, and the camera app lets me tweak colors and add borders. For future reference, I do recommend cleaning the mirror prior to any bathroom shot. Tell me, how do I splash all the way up to the top of the mirror? Too vigorous face washing?

Anyhow...wait, is that a word? Anyhow, I'm getting there with this whole self-portrait thing. I'm optimistic that by the end of the month, one way or another, I'll get a keeper. And if not, at least my girls will know that during the month of October 2011, we were together a lot.