Kyle and Emily's Wedding, or Forshadowing Livi Style

Kyle (Eric's youngest brother) and Emily got married on Saturday June 18th in the Oquirrh Hills Temple in Utah. This was the first step in our cross country extravaganza.
Livi had an unhealthy fascination with the fountain at the temple and I just knew she was going to fall in at any moment and ruin all the pictures. (foreshadowing..but not for this post)

Livi also LOVED the "big cups" and insisted on drinking out of them. We tried to stop her, but the cup ended up dying a horrible death (getting broken when Livi and Eric fought for control). (Not a picture of the cup, but kind of telling of our little family)

Kyle and Emily went to Mexico on their honeymoon, and we decorated their car appropriately, including wonderful moustaches to see them off in (Because, yes, we are that cool).

Going (and staying) Crazy on the 405, or Julia and McKay Get Married

It feels a little overwhelming to be back from California with so many fun stories and hundreds of photos. We've had 2 birthdays, a trip to Disneyland, a trip to the beach, time with Grandmas, and of course, a wedding. I guess all I can do is bite the bullet and give my own scewed take on our vacations.
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start: Wedding!!!! We were able to leave on Friday, since Nebraska employees get Arbor Day off. We noticed more policemen out on the roads on the way to Denver and were confused until we realized that it was Arbor Day, and as everyone knows, Arbor Day is a big party/fireworks/drunk driving day.
I realized in Cheyenne I had left my recommend at home, and then had a panic attack when we couldn't find Livi's blankie (it was behind her car seat where she had chucked it in a fit). We made it to California after a very bumpy plane ride, with a very unhappy, uncomfortable baby (remember the rash/illness). It took forever to get our rental car, we jumped on the 405 and proceeded to take 5 hours to get home. The trip normally takes about an hour and a half. Needless to say (but I will anyways) the kids were practically hysterical by the time we got to the Stott's house. Livi was literally rocking and wail-moaning in her car seat.
Julia and McKay got married the day after we got there. We left Livi with the Stotts (we didn't think she could take the car trip so soon after the traumatic trip the day before. (As it was she cried everytime we put her in a car seat for the rest of the trip). We headed down to the temple, trying to get there early so I could get in to see my baby sister get married. I hurried out of the car and rushed to the temple entrance only to see my entire family on the lawn talking on cell phones. Seems Julia got a little lost on her way to get married.
Eventually they were married in a beautiful, short and sweet ceremony and we were able to celebrate the rest of the day. There were only a few other mishaps, but all in all it was a great day and I am so glad I got to be there. Aunt Diane took the wedding photos (which I am totally jealous about) so hopefully there will be a photo of me in my "wonderful" 1980's prom/bridesmaid dress. My photos aren't the best, but they do give you an idea of our day.
The kids favorite part was playing with Ebby while they waited outside the temple. Okay, Ella's favorite part was having Aunt Diane take hundreds of photos of her posing in various places on the grounds, but playing with Ebby was a close second. Livi eventually made it to the reception, but only stayed long enough to dump food on my dress. Luckily inbetween throwing food on my hand-made masterpiece we were able to get a few pictures of her.
My brothers and their wives waiting for the restaurant to find our reservation. Speaking of the restaurant, Ethan and Ella thought feeding Ebby was the best entertainment they had ever seen. Seriously. They fed and fed and fed that poor little guy. He probably thought they were trying to torture him, except he kept opening his mouth, so I think they are in the clear with Aunt Joy.I have to post this just because it is SOOOO James. (That's my dad, and James' wife Jes in the picture too)

Here Come the Princess Girls

They came in the mail. Ella was so excited! Livi caught the feeling, the fever if you will. They both danced around on their toes as I opened the box, and as I pulled out the silky pink material they both squealed. Then I handed the dress to Ella and Livi collapsed on the floor in a puddle of screams. Luckily there was another, smaller dress in the box. After convincing Livi that the dress would be best put on with help (instead of her preferred method of shoving arm holes over her head) we had two ecstatic (that's a fancy word for happy) little princesses running around the house. It was not fun when I finally made them take off the dresses, and they have asked several times (well Ella asked, Livi points at it and then screams at me) if they can wear them again. I am trying to wait for Julia's wedding so the dresses still look nice, but we will see if my will or my eardrums win out.Here is what the dresses look like with my bridesmaid dress fabric.

Here Comes The Bride

What a fast, fun, amazing weekend. After Julia announced she was engaged on Sunday, decided to go wedding dress shopping on that Saturday, so on Wednesday I decided I wanted to be there. I only have one little sister, and she would only pick out a wedding dress once, so I wanted to be there. My wonderful friend Melissa watched the girls Friday afternoon so I could leave a little earlier, so I got to Provo Friday evening, spent all day Saturday going from dress shop to dress shop, and had a wonderful time. We found the most amazing dress ever for her that made me cry seeing her in it. It is soooo Grace Kelly and she is the perfect everything for the dress. I am not posting the picture, (who knows, her fiance, McKay, may be as addicted to my blog as my Mom and Joan are) but I am putting some of the wonderful, but not perfect dresses she considered. The trip was too short, but I did get to listen to some great books in the car, and it's amazing how the trip took 2 hours less when I didn't have little kids (or a husband :) ) in the car with me!

For Time and All Eternity

Well, we survived. We drove all day Friday, spent all day Saturday with wedding things, and then came home on Sunday. It was one of the busiest, craziest, but best weekends ever. I am so happy I could be there when my little brother married his sweetheart. Jes is truly awesome and I am grateful she is my sister-in-law! Here are some highlights from the wedding:
I love being with my family, but this picture really hits home the Sesame Street song "one of these things is not like the other." (the giant is me, the other two are my cute mom and tiny sister) Livi loved the temple, more specifically she loved sitting on it. The reception was at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, which is always beautifully decorated for Christmas. Ella loved posing in front of the tree, Ethan not so much. Livi is always a surprise to me. She is just as much a pretty princess as Ella. The girls loved their dresses, and gold shoes, and pranced around all night. Ethan didn't prance so much as goof around. We had the best seat in the house at our table. Temple Square is so pretty at night during Christmas and we got to enjoy it, all while being warm, comfortable, and eating a yummy meal. By the end we were all tuckered out, I think Livi's look is basically about how we all felt. It was a truly wonderful day, and I only wish I had more pictures of Jes and James (I only have the low light, grainy one at the beginning) so if anyone reading this has one please email some to me.