Wedding Fun and How a Baby Changes Weddings

This weekend my cousin got married to the love of his life.  I'm not usually cheesy like that, but seriously, these two just love each other so much.  They had me a blubbering mess during their speeches.  They are such a great couple and make each other so happy.  I'm so glad that Leigh is now a member of the Scott clan and officially a "cool cousin!"

Ryan was in the wedding party, which meant that we didn't just have a wedding night of fun, we had a wedding weekend of fun!  They got married about an hour from home, so we went down on Saturday and spent the weekend with the people that we love the most.  We had an amazing suite and although we were sharing it with 4 other people, plus all of the people my sister invited to the room, having more than 30 square feet of hotel room is always pretty cool.

The bride was absolutely breathtaking.  The venue was great, the food was delicious and we had some good laughs.  And it was all over before we knew it, with no more Scott weddings in the near future, which made it even sadder.

I've been to two weddings since I had Parker.  And let me tell you, it's a different experience now, which I wasn't expecting.  Once you become a parent, you see things through the eyes of a parent.  When the ceremony is happening, and when the father gives away his daughter and the parents of the bride and especially the groom give their speeches, I think about my baby boy.  I think about how quickly the time will go and how some day that will be me.  And then I cry.  It's ridiculous.  But their words just hit you differently.  You realize that they are you, 30 years from now, but it probably hasn't really felt like 30 years since their child was a baby, it probably seems like yesterday.

Thanks for getting married guys, it is always a great excuse for a great party.

4 Years

4 years ago today I married this guy.  Since then we've bought and renovated a house, gone to Jamaica, New York, Chicago, the Dominican Republic and the Finger Lakes of New York.  We've bought 2 trailers (and sold one of course!) We got a rambunctious kitten who has grown into a rambunctious cat.  We've celebrated 4 Christmases and 3 super bowls.  And best of all we've created a teeny tiny baby who is the centre of our entire world.

He's my best friend and my partner.  He's a better cook than I am but I'm making up for it now in cleaning dirty diapers.  He's an amazing dad and I love watching the way that he loves Parker.  

So here's to many more years and many more babies together.  (I have to keep throwing that out there until he finally agrees to it...)

Love you fella.

A Weekend of Firsts

This weekend we had quite a few firsts.  It was Parker's first wedding, my first night away from Parker and Ryan's first Father's Day.  Let's start at the very beginning...

Saturday my cousin got hitched.  There is nothing my family loves more than a good wedding, and this one did not disappoint!  We brought Parker to the ceremony because I didn't want to push it with how long I could be away from him.  And I found him a cute outfit...

He did great during the ceremony although I did shove a bottle in his mouth at the end of it because he was starting to fuss...

After the ceremony my in laws came to pick him up.  He's a super good baby, but I was kind of nervous that he would be out of sorts once he was in a different place.  Well I was wrong.  He behaved perfectly for them an I'm not really sure he missed me at all.

I was also afraid that I wouldn't be able to let loose and would worry about him all night.  I was wrong about that too.  A few glasses of wine later, I was having a great time!  I only had to put that great time on hold to pump twice. (And dump, don't you worry...) #momproblems

I only had a minor break down when we got home and Parker wasn't there.  It may have been partially alcohol induced.  But overall it was nice to have a baby free night.  I haven't been away from Parker for more than about 3 hours since I had Parker so after 5 months I think that time away was definitely good for me.  

Anyways, the next day was Father's Day!  We went out to Ryan's parents pretty early to see his dad and pick up Parker.  

Parker made Ryan a Father's Day Card all by himself and did that awesome wrap job! (A huggies wipe box with a blanket over it, we're pretty fancy like that.)

It has been amazing to me to see the father that Ryan has become.  From the second Parker was born, Ryan was in love with him.  He was so supportive of both of us with everything we had to go through in the days after his birth.  Parker sure loves his daddy and I can't wait to watch them play together in the years to come.

A 3 Day Vacation

Have you ever been to a destination wedding close to where you live?  I would highly recommend that you push anyone you know who is getting married to do this!

This past weekend, my friend Jacqui got hitched in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Niagara is about 2 hours from where we live.  Since Ryan and I didn't get a vacation this year, we decided to take Friday off and make a weekend of it. 

Friday morning was nice and relaxing.  I think I slept until 7:30.  Whoa, I know!  We relaxed, had some coffee and headed down to my old University stomping grounds.  I love going to the St. Catharines/Niagara area because it still feels like home to me.  There is this amazing provincial park down there with a whole bunch of trails, so we went on a big hike.

This waterfalls was part of the hike.  Unfortunately, the water flow was pretty low so it wasn't one of the best that we have seen.

The hotel that we were staying in has a beautiful spa.  We spent all morning there on Saturday in their outdoor hot springs, getting a couples massage and we even ate our lunch down there.  It was very relaxing.

Then it was wedding time!  The wedding was really beautiful and the hotel did a great job.  And Jacqui looked amazing too!  It's so much fun to get everybody together to celebrate a marriage and I think that we all had a fantastic time.

 The one thing I sometimes miss at weddings?  Getting out on the dance floor to catch the bouquet.  I know, I know, what a weird thing to complain about.  So I stood on the sidelines and watched these girls fight for it.

 No wedding is complete without a picture of all of the girls.  It was such a fun weekend and I'm so happy that Jacqui chose this location and included us in the festivities. Congratulations Jacqui!

Note:  I just tried to edit out some of my exclamation marks.  I get pretty excited sometimes.

A Dress That May or May Not Fit

So I tried to start a tradition last year that I would try my wedding dress on every year on our anniversary.  So I obviously couldn't give up on it already by our second anniversary.  My mother in law had her dress on at their 25th anniversary party, so that's my goal!  I didn't actually make Ryan do it up this year, so it probably could have fit better than it did.  But I also didn't really want to find out if we couldn't get it done up.  It was just better for everyone this way.  It did fit over my hips, so that's something, right?

Pipsi liked the dress even more this year than she did last year because of the tie up string.  She thought that was tons of fun!

Looking at last year's post, I had mentioned that I should maybe get it cleaned.  Can you still get a wedding dress cleaned after 2 years?  It's not that bad, just the bottom is a bit dirty from dragging around on the ground all day.  I didn't do it right away because I had wanted to do a trash the dress photoshoot, but that didn't happen. 

It looks like I photoshopped her in to make her look like a giant, but she's actually right in front of me

2 Years

2 years ago today was one of the best days of my life.  I know that in the grand scheme of things, 2 years is nothing, but it kind of feels like we have been doing this forever and yet part of me feels like it was just yesterday.

It still amazes me how little we fight.  It's pretty much smooth sailing (as long as you don't steal food off my plate).

As much as our marriage is just about the two of us, it's about our families too.  They make us who we are.  I'm lucky that Ryan gets along so well with my family.  I'm lucky that Ryan's family has always been so welcoming to me.  We're both lucky that our parents have given us fantastic examples of marriage. 

But mostly I'm lucky that Ryan chose me.  I'm lucky that he takes care of me, and does blue jobs and does the gardening because I hate it.  I'm lucky that he's so handy and can do pretty much any household task that I can think up.  I'm lucky that he doesn't take away my TV because I know that the Real Housewives drive him crazy.  I'm lucky that he knows how to cook.  I'm lucky that he likes to travel with me and that we always have a good time together and never get sick of each other.  I'm lucky that he was raised to be respectful and that he treats me well.  I'm just lucky.

Happy 2nd Anniversary Fella.

Our Wedding: Party Time!

I just wanted to share some party pictures, because everyone looks like they are having such a great time!  I promise I'm almost done with the wedding posts.

These two danced all night!

Ryan aka Swan and Michaela always have a good time together

Push it real good!

 

Everyday I'm shuffling

I love these pictures of the bouquet toss.  I tossed the tossing bouquet and then gave my real bouquet to my cousin.  I think she was pretty excited.  

If only we could have a party like this every year!  But I don't think it's in the budget...

If the Dress Fits

I heard of some women who tried to try their wedding dress on every year on their anniversary.  Whether it fit or not, they would take a picture.  I thought it was a pretty good idea.

So on our anniversary, after a bit of struggle (with the lace up back, not the size), I did get the dress on.  Ryan tightened it just enough in the back that it didn't look terrible.  We definitely weren't taking the time to lace that whole thing up properly!

I'm not sure that it will be going on every year though.  I forgot how tight it is.  Hips tend to get bigger right?

Pipsi really liked how it rustled.  It seemed like a pretty fun toy!

I never did clean the dress.  It's just hanging in my closet.  Should I do that?

Our Wedding: The Reception Details

I loved our reception.  Not only was it a good time, but the room looked amazing (in my unbiased opinion).  We held the reception at a local hall that was basically brand new, I think we were about the 6th wedding to be held there.

We did get a decorator, because none of the linens came with the hall.  She did a fantastic job and made our lives much less stressful. 

The table numbers were an issue and a half.  We had so much trouble making them work!  But in the end, they turned out great.  Each table number had a picture of myself and Ryan at that age.

The head table had Ryan and myself at the end, and the bridesmaids down one side and groomsmen down the other.  I saw this at another wedding and loved the idea.  It allowed everyone to talk to each other instead of only being able to talk to the person next to you.  I found it much more enjoyable.

We collected pictures of all of our grandparents and parents on their wedding day and set them on the guest book table.  There was also a picture of us and the frame said All Because Two People Fell In Love. 

I thought our seating plan turned out great as well!  My mom was the crafty one with most of this stuff.

The centrepieces were some orchids in a tall vase.  Simple but classy.  I wanted the feel of the hall to be elegant and not overwhelming.

The favours were the best part!  We made chocolate turtles (with the help of an old friend).  Turtle shaped chocolates with caramel and pecans in the middle.  So delicious and made with love!

So those are a few details from our special day.  It's the little things that count right?  I don't have pictures of the actual food at the reception, but it was made by a Mennonite lady and was phenomenal!  I always say as long as the food and booze is plentiful, nobody remembers anything else! 

Our Wedding: The Boys

The morning of our wedding, Ryan did what any groom would do, he took a load of garbage to the dump.  Oh, that's not normal?  Well that's normal for us!

Then he headed to his best man's house (which was about a block away) to prepare for the day ahead.  They got ready there because Ryan's house at the time was 800 square feet, so a bigger house just made more sense.  And my very talented brother in law agreed to take pictures of the guys getting ready so that the photographer could focus his attention on us girls!

"Ryan make sure you wear black socks" Kaileigh said before the wedding.  He did end up changing into black socks. 

 I loved the groomsmen's ties.  I want to buy one for Ryan.

 But Ryan didn't even get to wear one of those ties.  I wanted him to be different and to match me.

 What a handsome bunch, eh!