The Sisterhood Week 4

We had to skip week 3 because Camille had a conference and I had pre-wedding mayhem. This week there was no traveling van. Maren ran a 103 fever for 3 days and was just starting to act like herself yesterday. So, we had peanut butter sandwiches at my house and the kids ran through the sprinklers. Maren slept through most of the festivities. I love my sister and so staying at home and hanging out is just as good to me as going on an adventure together.

11 Months Old

I love this picture, Maren lights up when Ben gets home from work

I know I say this every month, and I'm going to say it again, Maren is growing up way too fast! She is getting pretty good at walking, she can clap, wave and give 5. I'm starting to wean her and I am thrilled that I won't have to buy formula any more. It's hard to believe that we only have one more month until she's one.

The Wedding (warning lots of pictures)

My niece Eve

George & Ben

giving the bride away

The Groomsmen

The bridesmaids

flower girls

Eve sang "Amazing Grace" She did great!

Isn't he handsome?

Laughing...she couldn't get the ring on his finger

I was glad my kids didn't see this, I didn't want to explain.

Hope, her brother Brick and George

The beautiful flower girls

dancing with Aunt Heather

The guy in the kilt

dancing with Uncle Georgie

Uncle Marvin

Della and Gill

Uncle Steve & Aunt Diane

George & Michelle (Ben's parents)

check out the jacket

We never thought we would see the day that Ben's brother George would get married. Only because George has always been a loner. As soon as he started bringing Hope to family gatherings, we knew she was special. She had a normal name. George had always brought home strange girls with strange names. Hope has been great for George. He has changed a lot in the last year. He is more relaxed, and more caring towards everyone. Hope is a very sweet, loving person who is considerate of everyone. We are all grateful that she and George have found each other and that they are happy together.
Now a little explaining. George and Hope are both, hmmm, hippies I guess is the best way to describe them. George works for Kenny G doing lights and sound. Hope owns her own business making tents and other custom sewing stuff. They live in a compound called "Tent Man." They both love nature and they have a lot of strange friends. They are great people, but very different.
The wedding took place on father's day at Rose Sachs gardens. It's a lovely outdoor garden nestled against a mountain. As the plans were made for the wedding, Ben said it would be like the bar scene on Star Wars. When we arrived at the gardens, Ben's thoughts were confirmed. There were lots of characters there. Hope's friend Ira owns the reception center and let them use it for free. Ira is the one that married them, he is an odd duck. There were many other characters, such as, the bridesmaid that has an Adam's apple, the man in the kilt, the many hippies and the alternative lifestyle couples to name a few.
As strange as some of the guests were, it turned out to be a very nice ceremony and a fun evening of eating and dancing. Addy and Sydnee were flower girls and Ben was a groomsmen. Addy and Sydnee absolutely loved being flower girls. There were some snags with the dresses and Hope ended up buying the dresses on Saturday. They are beautiful dresses, and the girls were thrilled. Ben was the only groomsman without a suit because we weren't given that message until Friday night. Oh well, it all worked out. Despite the excess flesh we saw and the moments of parental stress, we had a great time.

Pre-Wedding Festivities (Warning Lots of Pictures)

Our massive bowl of cole slaw (Ben & I made it)

The Spread

See that roaster pan? It's full of pulled pork

Maren checking out the toys

Maren loved the water

Cheesy Sydnee

Eve is always in charge

My cute nephew Ian, he kept asking me to take his picture

How many kids can you fit in the pool?

Grandma Yancey bought the babies these darling swim suits

Look at those ripples!

Miss Mae

Ben's older brother George got married Sunday night. It's been a fun few days, but very busy. The Yancey's love to get together and eat. There is never a shortage of food at their home, if you go away hungry, it's your own fault. On Friday we had a barbecue at the house so that we could visit with the family from out of town. We had lots of fun, then later that evening Ben, Addy and Sydnee went to the strawberry days rodeo. The girls were so excited, they had lots of fun with their cousins. Maren and I stayed home and hung out. I even got to watch a chick flick while they were gone. Saturday morning Ben and the girls had to go to a rehearsal so that they would know where to stand and what not. When they returned home, we headed back to the Yancey's for more food. They hosted a rehearsal dinner/barbecue. They were expecting 50 people, made food for about 100 and had about 30 show up. We have been eating a lot of leftovers, in fact, we haven't had to cook for several days now. The kids loved playing in the pool and just enjoying their cousins. Ben's sister Sue lives in Colorado, so we only get to see her family once or twice a year. It was lots of fun meeting George and Hope's friends and catching up with Ben's family members.