Nothing Is Easy Anymore [26/31].

Tonight was the marriage celebration of our friends, Seth & McKenzie. Their actual wedding was in a private ceremony back in April, so the guests just got skip to the good part—the cake (or apple pie, in this case)! Not that we wouldn't have enjoyed witnessing their vows, but you get it.

We thought we'd try to be super on top of things with two kids in tow and ended up overestimating how long it would take to get to the reception. So we got to sit around like dorks for a little bit while the last minute preparations were being made.

Let's not even talk about how hard it was getting out of the house in the first place with both little ones crying simultaneously. The truth behind the smiles...and do you like our "family photo" (see above)? We asked two different guests to snap one for us and they turned out blurry or cutting someone out of the pic. Yeah.

This was before Ruby choked on her chip and I had to stick my finger down her throat to dislodge it. 

Taco truck at the reception. Thankfully, someone else was able to retrieve my food while I stayed inside to calm/ nurse Sterling. He was not having a good time for awhile. A friend's mom noticed me struggling and offered to take our son long enough for this Mama to eat her food. Wayde was busy feeding Ruby.   

I think we'd all like to forget this part of the evening...when Sterling had a huge blowout. The reception was held at an old post office, so not surprisingly, there weren't any diaper changing stations. Wayde & I tag-teamed it in a side storage room amongst boxes and party supplies.

Ruby girl had a blast dancing along to this bluegrass trio, all hopped up on homemade root beer & pie. I chased her around making sure she didn't mess with the buttons on the P.A. system or pull any speakers over on her. In heels, I might add, which I am now paying for.

When Ruby gets all hyper & diva-esque in situations like this, I can't help but wonder who is this little girl?! And then I feel like a fun-hater for having to be all stern with her. Just part of being a parent, I guess.

Us with the happy couple. Also, Ruby's face. 

Despite how stressful it was to be at this reception with our little family, I think we're only going to look back on it and remember how beautiful it was and how delicious those tacos were. Plus, if we hadn't taken the kids, I would've wished we had. I love it when we are all together. Even though nothing is easy when it involves the four of us, I know it won't be this way forever. Which makes it easier to embrace the crazy.

This reception was curated by our lovely friends at The Wedding Format! Check out their full range of services here. We could not recommend them more highly:)

I’m linking up with The Nester every day in October for #31Days. You can find a list of all 31 posts as they are published by clicking here.

Jason & Sara's Wedding Weekend

This past weekend kicked off the first of a handful of weddings we'll be attending this year, half of which Wayde will be attending as a groomsman. Yep, my husband is a pretty likeable guy.

Jason has been a friend of Wayde's since high school and Sara we've got to know & love through Jason and church. The festivities took place around Burlington, IA.

The wedding day got off to a rocky start (for me, at least). I discovered after putting on the dress I had bought weeks before the wedding that there were some unslightly black streaks all over it. My only assumption is that is must have got shut in the car door on our way out. Thankfully, I had a backup ensemble, even though it was a little more casual than I would have preferred for a wedding.

That incident was followed up by Ruby taking a tumble on the sidewalk outside of our hotel room. There was blood. There were tears. There was a monster fat lip. I remembered that lavender oil was good for such abrasions, so I applied it to the site of Ruby's crash. I would say that within an hour, the swelling went down so significantly that the only visible indicator of what side it occured on were the little scrapes from the actual fall. My first real essential oils testimonial?

Jason & Sara couldn't have hoped for a more beautiful day. It was sunny—not too warm or windy. The weather was PERFECT.

“We are all a little weird and life is a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” - Dr. Seuss (a quote read during the ceremony)

Sara has such ecclectic & quirky taste (which I love), so I was really looking forward to how she would put special touches on their big day.

The tables were numbered with the covers of vintage Harlequin romance novels and name cards were old library withdrawal slips.

The cake looked like it was straight out of the pages of a 1960's Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. Selections included chocolate, lemon raspberry, and Nutella. It was DIVINE, as you could imagine.

Our sweet Ruby stealing the show:) She did such a wonderful job of sitting still through the ceremony & making friends with guests at the reception. To know her is to love her, truly.

Thanks, Jason & Sara, for letting us be a part of your special day! xx

Andy & Summer's Wedding Weekend Pt. 2

Presenting Part 2 of Andy & Summer's EPIC wedding weekend! Would you believe each bridesmaid was in charge of finding her own dress (in any color I might add) and this is what we all came up with?! Honestly, I don't think we could have planned it any better.

So many details fell in place like this over the weekend and I was so happy for the couple that everything went off without a hitch. The theme of the wedding was inspired by Boardwalk Empire, which I knew would be interesting, but it turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined...

 The wedding was held at the Riedel Mansion in north Minneapolis. They couldn't have picked a more lovely or suitable place for their 1920's soiree.

The getaway car! My brother and I couldn't resist posing for a few pics in front of it...

Best wishes to the new couple and welcome to the family, Summer!! We love you two so much & were so honored to be a part of your memorable day...xx

Andy & Summer's Wedding Weekend Pt. 1

We celebrated the marriage of Wayde's brother Andy to his longtime girlfriend Summer this past weekend! And with most family weddings, we were booked with a weekend full of nuptial festivities. So much so that I am breaking this into TWO posts:)

After an extra long car ride from Des Moines to Minneapolis (1 hr + lost to road construction...grrrr, but that's a summer road trip for you), we joined the bride & groom-to-be for their respective bachelor & bachelorette parties.

The boys met up at a shooting range while the girls partied at Prohibition. The bar is located on the 27th floor of the Foshay Building in downtown Minneapolis. If you're into incredible views & overpriced drinks, this place is for you. We celebrated my other sister-in-law Nicole's bachelorette party there a couple years ago and both time were equally enjoyable.

The rehearsal dinner which was held Saturday at The Black Forest Inn, which is Summer's place of employment. The restaurant is known for their authentic German cuisine and an infamous Richard Avedon photograph that a patron once shot bullets into. 

Also, this mural in the back parking lot kind of reminds me of Narnia.

Ruby with her Great Grandma Leanna. This gal has more spunk than most people a quarter of her age. Earlier this year, we lost Great Grandpa Wayde (her husband of 50+ years) to cancer. They traveled the world together and in his memory, Leanna has booked a trip to ANTARCTICA in December to spread some of Grandpa's ashes. That way they will have visited all seven continents "together". Seriously, such an inspiration!!

I can't wait to share Part 2 of Andy & Summer's wedding weekend! The ceremony was inspired by Boardwalk Empire and was one of the most beautiful I've attended...Stay tuned!! xx