"Do You Promise to Marry Her Lovely and Gently?"

In April, we packed our car full of yummy snacks, loaded up on all kinds of activities and entertainment and set out on spring break road trip to Indiana for our friends' wedding. It was the first time the girls were in the car for a road trip lasting more than five hours. As we buckled in our five year old and two year old, we were very realistic that the excited and adventurous attitude filling our car as we started out at five a.m could turn sour at any point. I'm still amazed to say that it never really did. The girls did great for the ten hours there and only started to crumble in the last hour of our trip home. It gave us lots of confidence for our first trip to Florida this month.

Some things we were excited about:

• visiting with lots of college friends over the weekend
• lunch with Miss Emily 
• pretty dresses and wedding dancing 
• celebrating with Mr. Dan and Miss Jen 
• hotel rooms and hotel pools

Abby was especially excited about the wedding details and wanted to know all about picking colors, flowers and dresses. Seriously, invite this girl to your wedding anytime you want to feel good about all of the months and months of detail planning that goes into a big event because she notices and LOVES every bit of it.

Our little fish, Ella, couldn't wait to get into some swimming pools.

In addition to seeing lots of good friends, with all of those hours in the car I was excited to catch up on some sermons and books I had been meaning to get to. Plus, I always love watching way too much of the Food Network when we have hotel down time.

Of course, Joe had already mapped out each Chick-fil-A we would stop at on the way and basically cheered us off the exit right into every Chick-fil-A parking lot.

The girls are at such a fun age right now. They are still both so little, but old enough to do independent things that make life a little easier...like proudly and insistently wheeling their own luggage!

 

 

We stopped earlier than expected the first night because of some severe tornado warnings that were happening in the same town we made our hotel reservation in. With a few hours to spare, we got some swimming in before going out to dinner. The girls were thrilled to be back in water again!

 The next day, we got to Indy with just enough time to have lunch with our dear friend Emily (so sad I didn't get a picture) before Joe had to head to the rehearsal. Joe was one of Dan's groomsman in the wedding party.  The girls and I joined him for the rehearsal dinner afterward.

Abby and Ella with the bride

my babies

Meeting baby Finn

Is there any cozier place to be?

Joe spent the day with the wedding party, so it was the girls and I until it was time for the ceremony. We spent the morning swimming together, then we had a little lunch date in our room while watching the Food Network...because the girls requested it! (Proof that I'm doing something right?) I love it.

We took full advantage of our girlie time by taking our time getting ready together, pretty lip gloss and mini photo shoot included.

We had a special night celebrating with Dan and Jenn. Dancing and catching up with old friends was a blast. Our girls did not leave the dance floor all night. We nearly had to restrain them during dinner just so they would take a break and drink something. 

Halfway through the night, this preggo mom was pretty wiped. The girls didn't skip a beat. I sat down and looked up to find them dancing in the center of a circle of our friends. If you would have told me in my earlier college years, that ten years later Joe and I would be married and have babies and be dancing with all of our friends again, I probably wouldn't have believed you. Nothing like a wedding to be reminded of God's plan and purpose for us and how He brought us together before we ever knew what was happening.

making new friends everywhere she goes

I can't get over this family picture. Look at how similar Abby and Joe look. They even have the same forced smile in this pic. I think this picture shows the ways Ella and I look alike too.

When we got back to our room that night, the girls begged us to stop talking and turn off the lights. They were equal parts happy and deliriously exhausted. We actually had to wake them up the next morning to get to a breakfast we were having with friends we hadn't seen since our own wedding eight years ago.  The girls barely held it together long enough to take a few bites of their pancakes, but we were thankful for the short time to visit with the Goldens.

The ride home on Sunday felt longer than the way there, but we made it in good time! One of my favorite parts of the trip home was during our stop for dinner when Abby requested a salad and then insisted she nurse her baby while she ate. :)  

Sweet Ella needed sleep! Her sleeping car face is my favorite.

The next day, Joe brought Ollie home and after our excited little family reunion, he was more than happy to snuggle up with his mom in the spring sunshine, while I read. When I took this pic, I thought for sure it was his "Oh mom, I'm so glad to be home and together again" face. Could this dog be any more loved?

Dan and Jenn's wedding paired with the trip to see Cinderella at the movies the week before has meant lots of love and wedding talk happening around our house ever since.

Abby and Ella broke out our wedding video and watched it three times in one day. I love seeing the wonder in their eyes as they watch their mommy and daddy promise to love each other forever.

The girls have been playing wedding with their dollhouse people. I overheard Ella as she spoke for the pastor who was marrying Cinderella and Prince Charming, "Do you promise to marry her lovely and gently?" :)

Abby asked me what "special touches" I had for my bridesmaids, then informed me that Ella is going to be her maid of honor and she wants to do something extra special for her. She might even have her wear a totally different dress from everyone else, so "she always knows how extra special she is".

Ella woke up one morning and said, "Mommy, I had a dream about my wedding day. I was wearing a really pretty long dress."

Raising little girls gives us to much joy every day!!