4th wedding

I love spending time with my kiddos one at a time.  Doing something special with them individually is so much fun!  Daryk, Elizabeth, and I took a trip to Chattanooga this July and went to a dear friend's wedding.  It was on the campus of Lee College and it was gorgeous!  Libby clearly enjoyed herself.  We put curlers in her hair and spent all sorts of girls time prepping for the day.  We drove up to the wedding and then got dressed in the parking lot just before we went inside.  Didn't want to mess up our dresses!  

This girl enjoyed every minute of our time.

Such a ham.  

Every event from now on should have a photo booth.

All of them.

So much fun!  

Oh my heart.

Here's hoping she always thinks that we are the coolest people she knows.

Weddings

Y'all.

I love weddings.

I also love that I live in Georgia and can say that 'Y'all' is a complete sentence.

Because, it is.

I so enjoy spending time with people at weddings.

I like dressing up and dancing.

I like that people are mostly happy at weddings.

The smiles and tears shared are always full of joy.

I seriously had a blast at this wedding.

We enjoyed spending time with Flat Leigh Anne and Flat Buddy.

The bride and groom are awesome people and I love them both dearly.

Not to mention, they look fabulous together and I seriously love them both.

Probably the best night of the summer.

Hands down.

Sisters

In August of 2013 we found out we were pregnant with #3.  I remember distinctly being thrilled and scared all at the same time.  We decided to share our news with our family at Libby's 2nd birthday party.  We got the kids t-shirts made and waited for everyone to notice.  Leigh Anne was the first to notice and she ran out to confirm that what she read on Lib's shirt was indeed true.  It was.  

So I began to think about who that child would be.  Would it be a boy?  I wanted the last one to be a boy so bad.  I just wanted one little girl... and she was a handful, trust me.  She's enough little girl for all of the world.  Seriously.  I love her, but man, she's exhausting.  Well, fastforwrd 16 weeks and we found out it was another little girl.  Daryk and I were just glad to find out what 'IT' was... and 'IT' was a SHE!

More PINK, more hairbows, more glitter, more sass!  Can we handle that?  Are we ready for a repeat of Libby J?  Yikes!  The more I thought about it, the more I wanted that little girl.  I mean, what is better than sisters?  After all, I have two of my own and I love them with every fiber of my being.  I cannot imagine this world without them.  They are often the first and last people I communicate with on a daily basis.  

They GET me.  They get the strange things that make me, ME.  They are often the first people to point out things I neglect, things I didn't want to be reminded of, and things I need to work on.  They are the two women who help to raise my babies and love on them like an extra momma.  My sisters are irreplaceable.  They are amazing and I cannot imagine my life without them.  I am beyond thankful that my girls have each other.  They will be there to walk in front of each other at their weddings.  They will stand beside each other on those days as well.  They will share things and fix hair and steal clothes and all of those girly things.  Sisters are girlfriends and best friends and enemies all at the same time.

My sisters are my favorite people and I'm hoping that my girls will grow up with the same love.

Its Wedding Day

About a month ago my gorgeous sister got married.  Not this one, the other one.  They are both gorgeous though!  I was so proud to stand by her side as she married one of my favorite men in the whole world.  We are thrilled to have Buddy as an official part of the family now.  I am not sure how he feels, but I know the Cochrans love having him around and cannot wait for him to be back home!  The wedding was an absolute blast!  We spent time with some of our Charleston family and we had a grand time.  The food was fantastic as well.  We had a low country boil on Friday night and gourmet grilled cheese on Saturday.  Actually, we had a lot of food on Saturday, but I don't remember much past the giant ice cream sandwich I had.  I almost died from chocolate overload.  God bless the ice cream truck.  Heavenly!  I love weddings!  

So, send me an invite!

My fellow matron of honor, Kitty.

Two of my lovelies--Jordan and Elizabeth waiting out the rain.

My kids were rock stars for this wedding!  It was awesome to watch them!

Also, aren't they so beautiful & handsome!?

Mr & Mrs Orol dining al fresco after the vows...

Dance party for the bride and groom.  

Love you both!  

We cannot wait to see how God blesses your life together.

The Baby

Last week this girl had a birthday.  She's 7 years younger than me and was my first baby.  I remember changing her diapers.  I remember using cloth diapers, with actual diaper pins, and rubber pants and changing her diapers.  People think I'm crazy when I say that, but I remember it like it was yesterday.  I remember when we found out she was born and we jumped up and down on Aunt Patsy and Uncle Malcolm's bed at that big white house with a pool.  I remember when she came home and how tiny she was.  I remember how she loved to be around momma and how she would spend hours nestled close to her in that blue velour robe before school and in the van while it warmed up.  I remember Leigh Anne reaching her chubby hands atop the table to grab mom's coffee cup so she could steal a sip of the leftover cold coffee.  I remember her yelling from the bathroom as she was potty training and needed help... (sorry sissy)... 

Mostly I remember thinking that she was mine.  She was someone I got to help with and take care of.  She didn't like to brush her hair or wear socks with a seam across the toe.  It was her job to smell the piles of clothes in our room, all 3 of us shared, and decide clean or dirty.  She had the most beautiful curly hair and momma made her cut it because she refused to brush it.  She was, and still is, the tallest one of us.  She still has that gorgeous curly hair.  She has the best skin and longest legs.  She loves to sing and always has.  She spent a lot of her childhood chasing us around ballfields and softball tournaments.  She quit gymnastics because it smelled like feet.  She has always been a pain... continues to be one.

But I love her.  With my whole heart.  She is my favorite baby sister and I cannot wait for her wedding.  

Happy Birthday Leigh Anne Palmer.  

You only have a few weeks left for me to call you LAP.

Shades

There is nothing like a Saturday stroll with these two kiddos and their shades.  Stolen shades, of course...

My sisters were so kind as to take them out for a walk twice last weekend.  We had major work to do at my house to get ready for the bridal shower and bachelorette party.  (by the way... bachelorette is not a real word that spell check recognizes.... so we should use something else?)  My kids enjoyed a walk twice in one weekend, even if they did complain and ask to go home a million times... and I certainly enjoyed the quiet moments at home.  Friday night they rode along with their own glasses and Saturday morning they forgot their glasses.  Apparently they conned their aunts into giving up their glasses for the remainder of the ride.  

Typical.

Alllllll up in your junk

In case you ever decided to come visit... this is what you would find and exactly how you would look.

Elizabeth and Hayes have no concept of personal boundaries and don't really care to learn.

They spend plenty of time all up in your junk.

They will climb on your lap or up your legs or on your head.

I have to fight them to keep them off my belly.

I'm sure Spencer Brynne wouldn't mind, but I can't handle them all squishing me from every angle...

Leigh Anne got her very own taste of it... 

Bless her.

And she couldn't even escape it.

They were attacking her from all sides.

With her own slipper no doubt...

No escaping the affection of the children.

Leigh Anne comes over to do wedding prep and gets attacked.

Newest addition, Buddy.

Mid November this good looking guy proposed to my baby sister at the airport.

I actually kept it a secret!  

BAM!

We are so thrilled that he wants to join our family.

I cannot wait for their wedding next spring.  

Clearly, my children share the same love for Buddy as the rest of us.

I hope Buddy doesn't anticipate any personal space while he's visiting.

Annnnnd, that's a wrap.

The wedding involved some climbing...

No groomsmen were harmed during the shooting of this photo.

Sheldon Cooper ladies and gents...

I'm raising Sheldon Cooper.

Lined them up first, then organized by color, then ate his favorites last.

He is my child.

Lord help us all.

Best looking crew out there.

We sat and waited in the rain for what felt like hours....

But I'm pretty sure it was more like 45 minutes-ish.

Kathryn didn't even know her dress would double as a blanket during such a time.

We were trying to keep warm and dry!

Luckily we had a beverage delivery service from the 'mens.'

They were troopers and did a great job that day!

I don't think anyone understands the magnitude of my worry from that day.

I was TERRIFIED that my children would ruin everything.

Throw a fit, run, cry, scream, you know... the works.

Worst thing that happened was that we had to keep them DRY long enough to get them to the wedding.

Also, Elizabeth filled her diaper with a lovely surprise about 2.5 seconds before go time.

She sported the dirty diaper for a stroll down the aisle.

Thankfully no one was close enough to notice!

Papa is the only one with legs long enough for this to be a game.

She tries it with the rest of us and it doesn't end well.

She usually falls backwards or makes me fall over.

We all danced.

Even this chick.

Hurry up & wait

Bride and MOH getting last minute prep work done before pictures!

Hope was the dog whisperer on Saturday!

She picked up Baby Dog and brought her to FoxHall so she could do pictures with them.

Her real name is Eleanor Rigby.

Baby Dog for short.

Happy couple getting pictures made before the ceremony.

Sir William Pitts posing in his stunning golf cart.

Totally suits him.

One of the BEST spots for photos!

I was so worried a meltdown would ensue with the kiddos.

Thankfully they BOTH cooperated and were fantastic!

She was SO gorgeous!

Not that she isn't gorgeous every day....

We even had PaPaw with us on her special day.

He accompanied all of us down the aisle on Saturday.

Wedding Prep

My hair was a filthy mess when Layla got started Saturday morning.

But dirty hair stayed put all night long.

Also, I felt like she was doing brain surgery and stabbing the bobby pins into my scalp.

But I looked fabulous, so that's all that matters...

Right?

My favorite girl named Carrie doing the makeup for the other 'maids.

Emily looked amazing and Carrie did a fantastic job!

I enjoyed getting to catch up with Carrie and chat while she made them all beautiful!

Megan's hair was flawless.

Also, her house is amazeballs and I need to hire her to decorate my house.

I caught the bride in mid tweeze....

Jessica fell in love with tiny doggies.

I think she wanted to take them home.

This pup was a pro at begging to be held and for food.

No shock that the pup followed Jessica all day long.

Face almost done and hair was complete.

I waited on eye makeup until I was sure I wasn't going to cry anymore.

I think I ate all the cucumbers and broccoli that was present that day.

I love my fresh veggies!

All our dresses were the same shade o' blue... but different styles.

I loved them!

Annnnnnnnnnnnd they had pockets. 

Epic.

Part of our gifts and the shoes Megs and I sported for the reception.

We should have packed rain boots...

Practice Round in Pictures

My sister Kathryn got married on Saturday.

We had the rehearsal dinner on Friday at Foxhall Sporting Club.

It was a fantastic time had by all and I will show you via pictures.

The evening started with a super short rehearsal and a great dinner.

We played corn hole, bocce ball, and walked around barefoot.

The kids got backpacks, chalk, coloring books, and bubbles.

Kitty knows the way to their hearts!

The food was amazing and I'll be visiting food trucks more often!

After dinner and dessert the food truck ended up stuck at Foxhall.

Always an adventure with our events...

This is Sir William Pitts and his new BFF Hayes.

They threw the bean bags way high in the sky and Hayes loves him.

These are my amazing and beautiful sisters.

I couldn't love them more.

This is the gorgeous couple enjoying the evening.

Cutest little girl I know...

He was sharing his cookie.

Write it down, doesn't happen often...

My sister, the bride.

Her wedding weekend was the best one I've ever been a part of.

Can we have a do over?

The bubbles in action.

We shall call it the blur.

The best babysitter/extra sibling ever.

Seriously, my entire family was so thankful for her help this weekend.

Couldn't have done it without her!

Probably a more accurate representation of the relationship...

And my amazing momma.

I appreciate her so much.

Her love is endless and her work is never done.

And the man of my dreams.

He's got tattoos and he watches weird movies.

He told my cousins this weekend that he wasn't the "Ken" I had dreamed of...

but he's perfect for me. 

I'd marry him again any day of the week.

and just for the record....

I love his gray hair and my lipstick.