Michigan Wedding

We flew to Michigan on August 2nd for my sister Hannah's wedding and, afterwards, a week of vacation with my extended family. All the kids and I were in the wedding. We arrived at 2:30 a.m. Michigan time on Thursday and started an exhausting, fun, whirlwind weekend.

We were so thankful for my cousin Maureen's hospitality--she hosted all six of us for those days leading up to the wedding! She even picked us up from the airport at the ungodly hour at which we flew in, and then took the next day off work to make the kids' dream come true of experiencing a real-live Stick Day.

Reenie had told them stories of Stick Day when she stayed with us: she invites her nieces, nephews, and friends' kids over for a day of clearing her acreage of sticks and branches, and they end the day with a bonfire. Lydia was so thrilled to be at Aunt Reenie's and with her legendary dogs (Daisy and Suzie) that she woke a good hour or more before the other kids, and much earlier than she should have, for going to bed at 4 a.m. She ran the hills with the dogs, took charge of giving treats to the dogs, learned how to give directions to the dogs, played ball with the dogs . . . you get the picture.

Several of my cousins (Reenie's siblings/siblings-in-law) brought their kids over for Stick Day. Reenie split the kids into teams and let them have at the huge yard. They competed against each other to see who could make the biggest pile of sticks (and branches/logs) in the least amount of time. Our kids worked with a will!

That evening I had Hannah's bachelorette party at my sister Elisabeth's apartment, where it was fun to see some Dubai people and spend time reminiscing and celebrating my little sister. Poor Jer had to put cranky kids and a distraught Clara to bed (she could climb out of the pack'n'play because it was right up against a bottom bunk, so she ended up falling asleep on the floor after Jer gave up trying to keep her in bed amidst her crying for Mama).

On Friday we had a lovely rehearsal luncheon and then the actual rehearsal at the church in the evening . . .

Josiah excited to be a ring-bearer--looking forward to carrying the real ring!

Pa and Clara, who was happy to have a basket like the big girls!

My cutie twins! Lydia on the left, Abby on the right

Our kids hit it off with Luke's youngest siblings at the rehearsal lunch. Caleb (Luke's youngest brother) is just a few months younger than Josiah, and Elizabeth (his sister) is eight. Abby and Lydia admired her immensely and wanted to be with her and hold her hand when they walked up the aisle. This was an encouraging prospect for the actual wedding processional . . .

After the rehearsal, we went to a park where a bunch of out-of-town guests gathered. There we got to see all the Penmans, some of the Bustraks, the Tuffins, some Baluches, and other family friends from Dubai, many of whom I hadn't seen for years (some for almost a decade!). We also saw Detroit friends and some Baynes. I so enjoyed the chance to catch up with people, but we stayed late and paid for it with a rough, overdue bedtime and an epic meltdown from Abby that lasted until midnight. She kept crying and reciting a litany of "I can'ts": "I can't calm down! I can't stop crying! I can't go to sleep! I can't breathe! I can't blow my nose! I can't close my eyes! I can't . . . !" 

Once exhaustion finally silenced her, Jeremy and I packed for Lorien (we planned to leave from the reception) and prepared wedding clothes and finally fell into bed for a few hours' sleep. I was up early enough to drive to Elisabeth's apartment for hair and make-up, get some vacation groceries at TJ's, and then prep all my progeny. (We didn't dress the girls til we got to the church.)

At noon we arrived at the church for final preparations and pre-ceremony pictures. My cousin Abbie (above) endeared herself to our Abby by virtue of her kindness and her name. She helped do the girls' hair.

Aunt Rach, maid of honor, with Clara

Lydia felt tired and overwhelmed and had a meltdown about an hour before the ceremony

Hannah was gorgeous, of course!

Being a bridesmaid and having my children as part of the wedding party was a bit challenging, and I didn't get many pictures (I enlisted Jeremy to take a few). Clara urgently requested to nurse just before we lined up, of course. But other than being a bit bewildered and clingy, she did pretty well overall.

We did some bridal party (girls-only) pictures outside. The children were somewhat cooperative, by turns. I wondered how they would do with walking down the aisle . . .

Of course, I was standing at the front and Jeremy was wrangling the kids, so we don't have any pictures of the ceremony from our camera. At the last minute the wedding coordinator decided not to let the twins walk down the aisle with the much-adored Elizabeth (fellow flower-girl), and Abby looked out on the sea of people in the church and turned back weeping. Jeremy had to rescue her from the lobby.

Lydia pulled herself together from her earlier meltdown and actually did her flower-girl duty. Clara and Aria were hilarious. Aria sidled right up to an older gentleman in one of the back pews and made friends while Clara wandered down the aisle and got side-tracked by cute babies.

Josiah and Caleb were men on a mission. They executed their task of delivering the real rings to the maid of honor (Rachel) and best man (Luke's brother Paul) and sat down where they were instructed to. The girls eventually made it to the correct pew, too, where Aunt Reenie again came to the rescue and helped Jeremy with the kids. 

Did I mention Hannah and Luke were married in the same church in which Jeremy and I wed? It was exactly nine years and one month after our wedding day. They had a lovely ceremony with lots of beautiful music; Luke's dad played both organ and piano (not at the same time), and several of Hannah's Csehy friends sang an arrangement of Fairest Lord Jesus. Jeremy missed most of the sermon and latter part of the ceremony because he had to evacuate with a few kids. Aunt Lisa came to the rescue with an iPad video in a back room. 

We asked friends to take a family picture for us after the ceremony while we were still in our finery. As you can imagine, there were problems . . .

Clara was a bit crazed

She pulled Lydia's hair

Poor Lydia trying to pull it together, and Clara pinned by Daddy so she can't do more harm

We drove over to the reception hall after pictures and hung out for awhile til Hannah and Luke arrived. Then we partied! My Aunt Colette catered the reception and made some excellent food. My cousin Kathleen plied her talent to make a truly yummy carrot cake that looked gorgeous, too. We ate, toasted, talked, and danced. I got to dance the Virginia Reel with Nathanael Bayne--such fun! 

Josiah found his gang of boys (my little cousins and my cousin's kids) and enjoyed himself immensely with them. The girls were a little unwieldy, but everyone survived until about 8:30 when we decided to wrap things up, change the kids into pajamas, and head up north. We said goodbyes and left around 9 p.m. Hannah and Luke were still there and apparently didn't leave for another hour or so, I think. I wish we could have seen them off--but I think it was wise to whisk the children away before disaster ensued. 

Abby

My mom with her step-brother, my Uncle Don

Tired Lydia

The newlyweds with admiring flower girls

Clara with Aunt Hannah and Uncle Luke

My cousin Kathleen and her beautiful creation

My handsome boy

Well, the wedding account got longer than I intended! Next up: vacation pictures, and then hopefully more regular posts about everyday doings around here. We're looking forward to the weather cooling off so we can get to parks, hiking, bike riding, etc. 

Flagstaff Fourth (of July)

My sister Hannah came to visit us for a week in early July, and her then-fiance (now husband) Luke joined us for the July 4th weekend. We decided to ditch the Phoenix heat and spend a few days in Flagstaff, thanks to the generosity of my in-laws (who were away but allowed us to stay at their house).

We drove up after church on Sunday and hiked the lava tube, which was colder than I remembered and definitely took longer with children! Clara objected to the dark unknown and only wanted Mama. Lydia (and Abby, sometimes) wanted to lead the pack and often knocked her shins or tripped herself because she went beyond the beam of the flashlights. Kez was a trooper the whole way and even hiked a good bit herself. Justin met us on the way out (Anna had to leave earlier) and we all left with tired kids.

Abby and Kez 

Blowing a dandelion

Monday we hiked near Shultz Pass, skirting the tank and taking a trail to a little meadow, where we stopped for snacks. We enjoyed the lovely weather and the good company! The kids especially enjoyed having Kezia along again. They fought for turns holding her hand.

Anna and Justin brought exceptionally good snacks, which thrilled the kids. They wanted to camp out on that log and stuff their mouths for a while!

Lydia loves cherries! 

Trail mix! 

Poor Willow was so tired 

Clara trying to eat and make a camera face

The kids all did a good job hiking. They enjoyed exploring various knots of trees for fort potential, and of course, we ended up with a couple potty adventures.

We finished out the day with the guys working on Justin's retaining wall (and Josiah and Lydia pitching in) and a salmon dinner at Anna and Justin's house. On Tuesday we packed up, cleaned up, and headed down the mountain. Luke flew out that afternoon.

It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but we really appreciated the chance to get to know Luke more. We had only seen him for a few days the previous summer (and talked a few times on skype over the year). The kids always love having aunts and uncles around and pressed both Aunt Hannah and Uncle Luke into service--swinging them around, playing games, chasing them, helping build Lego, etc.

August Vacation

We took our annual trip back to Michigan in August, braving the skies with four small children who were very eager to open and shut the plane's window shades, latch and unlatch the tray tables, buckle and unbuckle their seat belts, and eat up all the special snacks brought along for the ride. But all in all, the plane trip was an improvement on past years.

Clara was the hardest to handle, being a squirmy nine-month-old past her naptime and stuck on Mama's lap. She liked to look over the seats at people behind us and smile, which was sweet. But she also liked to pull her sister's hair, suck on the end of the seat belt, throw her toys, and gnaw on my chin. Finally (finally!) she succumbed to sleep for about an hour.

We arrived in Detroit on a Friday evening and left for Lorien Saturday morning. This was another long ride, but thankfully the car trip meant we could stop for lunch at a rest stop and otherwise the kids were all buckled in their car seats. Clara slept more!

 Abby at the beach

All three "big" kids remembered Lorien from last year. It was fun hearing them recount their favorite things from before and anticipate the great time they expected to have. Josiah was eager to see his "friends" (my cousins and my cousins' kids)--Jonas, Justin, and Andrew. They all wanted to swim, dig in the sand, play on the slide and merry-go-round, eat s'mores . . . and all their wishes came true!

We spent the first week with just my parents and sisters. (There were other families up there, just not our extended family.) Josiah made friends with a little boy named Sam. They met the first night when both were plucking apples from the overgrown apple tree separating our cabins. "I'm five," Josiah told Sam. "I'm five, too!" Sam said excitedly. Then he came right up close to Josiah and said, "Measure." Josiah was clearly several inches taller. But Sam angled his hand from his head to Josiah's and said, "We're the same!" They had lots of fun together all week, and Josiah still comments, "Remember my fwend Sam!"

 Lydia

 Clara trying out the sand

The weather was warm but not too hot--nice for daily swims in the lake. We all made good use of my parents' Sunfish (sailboat). Lydia, Abby, and Josiah loved "kayaking" with Pa in the shallows, and each went on the sailboat, too. But Josiah blanched at every tack and talked afterwards of the "wild ride" Daddy took him on. (The wind was light that day!) Abby wanted to go again with Daddy, but not Josiah.

We spent hours at the beach. The kids loved digging in the sand and wading and swimming. The lake was lower than usual, so the kids could walk almost all the way out to the anchored, floating dock. Lydia liked jumping off it over and over. The girls and Grandma spent lots of time splashing and floating in the little cove.

That's Grandma and Lydia on the dock

 Pa pushing Lydia on the rope swing by the shore

Josiah and Uncle Andrew making roads

 Abby the bulldozer operator

Aunt Hannah, Aunt Rach, and Aunt Bobo obliged the kids by pushing them on swings, playing War with them (the card game), chasing them around, telling them stories, etc. etc. It was wonderful to have two weeks with doting aunts! :)

 Sunbathing with Aunt Rach (L on left, A on right)

 Clara with Aunt Hannah

 Clara pulling off her hood with Aunt Bobo

Aunt Rach and Clara

 Aunt Hannah and Abby

 Josiah gets a piggy-back ride from Aunt Hannah

Aunt Bobo helps Lydia climb the apple tree

Aunt Bobo and Abby

 Crazy faces!

Successful climbing

 Aunt Rach and Lydia doing the crazy face

Aunt Rach and Abby

Clara was also doted on, of course. She loved the baby swing, especially when Josiah came to tickle her toes or give her a push. She wasn't so sure about the sand at the beach, but did like the water! She wanted to splash and eat rocks. Though she showed some stranger anxiety when she met Uncle Andrew and a few of my guy cousins, overall she warmed right up to the relatives and was content to be passed around, held, and entertained by many.

She loved having a go at a watermelon rind!

Clara also got a turn in Aunt Bobo's kayak (beached)!

 Sometimes you've gotta escape the overbearing sibling love

She liked climbing up the slide with Pa

 Practicing steps with Grandma--she stretches that left leg out so far and points her toe!

We had a couple fun campfires with the cousins during the second week at Lorien. Our children had quite a bit more sugar than they're used to. I limited them to two s'mores, but afterwards I discovered Josiah clandestinely stuffing a marshmallow into his mouth and riding off on his bike with bulging cheeks.

Lydia squeezed too hard and the marshmallow came out

 Abby--I pulled her hair back before she got that sticky beast of a s'more everywhere

Sugar makes ya crazy!

At the end of the first week we took a trip into town on a rainy day. We visited the free Maritime museum, complete with a replica ship and lots of shipwreck artifacts! Everyone enjoyed the excursion, and we walked out on the Thunder Bay pier on Lake Huron as well.

Josiah and Lake Huron

Lydia gets her snuggles with Grandma every chance she has

Just looking, not peeing

At the marina

One of my cousins also has identical twin girls--they were around 16 months old when we were at Lorien. Our girls are very interested in them, and they understand the twin thing now!

Cora and Adele

 The big twins and the little twins!

Another of my cousins graciously borrowed his neighbor's balance bikes for our girls, and my mom found another person willing to lend a bike to Josiah. So our kids had great fun riding their bikes all over and tagging along with the bike gang of older cousins.

My brother Andrew, his wife Lisa, and their baby Aria came up the second week with the rest of the relatives. This was our first time meeting Aria, our kids' first cousin on my side. She's just a few weeks younger than Clara, but she's definitely bigger! Lydia and Abby were very excited to meet her--and play with all her toys! They spent some happy hours in Andrew and Lisa's cabin with Aria's Little People sets.

 Aria and Andrew

Aria wasn't so sure about all of us, but she'd smile and laugh and clap hands and babble when safe in her parents' arms. Next summer I bet she and Clara will be running around together! Here you can see her a bit skeptical of her crazy cousins . . . (Aria in stroller on left, Clara on the right):

Josiah and Andrew (my cousin Kathleen's son) spent hours making and fixing "fairy houses" in the woodsy area by the playground. Other kids had originally built some of these fairy houses using moss, sticks, bark, leaves, grass, etc. They enchanted Josiah. While he wasn't very adept at making his own, it was for no lack of trying!

My dad, as usual, made sure tradition continued with the pancake breakfast, pizza night, and field games. All involved had lots of fun, of course!

 

 Clara feeling full and throwing pancake pieces; Lydia with Aunt Lisa

 

 Pancake breakfast

Preparing for the Big Game

Abby and Daddy

 Josiah was eager to be part of the game. I heard he even hit the ball and made a run!

The line-up for team divisions

Lydia needed Grandma for moral support

Abby was happy to participate as long as Aunt Reenie was with her

Josiah was serious about his team

Even little Gloria joined in the relays!

Pa demonstrates one of the relay events

Josiah concentrates on balancing

Geno loses the cone

 Lydia (left) and Abby (right) take a turn

 Josiah and Justin (my cousin, a year younger than Josiah) were partners for the water-balloon toss

Abby throws her balloon

How about some cute Clara pictures for good measure?

One day the kids (with help) found a little toad. They loved it almost to death before we had them let it go . . .

 Of course, Lydia dearly loved their little pet

It was so nice to have lots of unstructured time with everyone, time to play and talk and walk and eat together. Jer and I enjoyed game nights after the kids were in bed, an evening out together in Alpena, kayaks and walks with one or two others, rounds of Hand and Foot Canasta, volleyball, cornhole, and other leisurely activities.

Aunt Bobo telling stories

Fun on the mat with Aunt Hannah and Aunt Rach

 Crazy faces still going strong