McKinley, The Ring Bearer & A Big, Big Weekend

Today was the long awaited wedding of our long-time friend Jodi and her HUSBAND, Dave. It was a super fun, super hectic day full of emotions and laughter and some great dancing.

Last night, at the rehearsal, McKinley showed his 'tough guy' face while rehearsing his big duty as Ring Bearer. Proof that he would happily serve as comic relief for this special time. In an attempt to NOT smile while ALL eyes were on him and the flower girl, this new - and hilariously funny - scowl appeared in the place of our usual 'all smiles' boy. Nose and lips scrunched together, eye brows pulled down as far as they would go and jaw set...he was a sight! Everyone was cracking up!

After that 'grand' entrance, we rehearsed most of the actual ceremony. McKinley took a break and sat with Cary in a nearby pew. When the pastor blessed the wedding rings, she said, 'In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"...being Catholic, this is something we hear a LOT. McKinley is uber familiar with this as he leads our nightly prayer, crossing himself and saying the above. So...when the pastor got to the, "Holy Spirit" part, McKinley boisterously pronounced, "AMEN!" That boy has natural comedic timing! It was a precious thing to hear...it made everyone giggle, made Mommy and Daddy beam and was a sweet little affirmation of why we were there.

Soon we were onto the Rehearsal Dinner where McKinley officially became acquainted with his new buddies, Carrie and Chris. Chris invented a little game called 'the jump button'...officially McKinley's new favorite game...where Chris instructed McKinley to hit the jump button on Chris' arm, at which time Chris would LAUNCH McKinley WAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY up into the air as far as he could reach, then come back down to Earth. Peals of laughter rippled through the banquet room! Soon, it was time for McKinley to open his adorable Ring Bearer gift: a 'Ring BEAR-er' and a book about a little boy who was a ring bearer (right up our alley - we LOVE books!).

Soon it was off to bed so McKinley could sleep in as late as possible - there would be NO napping on the day of the wedding!

I was up bright and early for my hair appointment and a few small errands, so Cary and McKinley enjoyed the morning together then met me at the church at 1pm. When I saw that little boy in his precious tux (and his handsome Daddy in his pinstripe suit) I could not have been more proud. He was a sight! Seriously adorable!

I'm so happy to report that McKinley and his flower-girl-side-kick EASILY made it down the aisle. Yes, McKinley still had that face that would soon be dubbed "The McKinley Face" by the photographer - but it was cute, none the less. During the ceremony, McKinley chose to sit with Daddy, Nonna & Papa (my Godfather) while the flower girl literally took a nap on the step of the altar. When the organ played that familiar 'going away' song, the flower girl jumped and McKinley scooted right up to me to head out the door, as instructed.

That went by so fast!

Next we had lots of pictures, then headed to the reception. McKinley sat between Cary and I and with Andrea and Andrew - a couple who were also in the wedding party. McKinley requested Splenda in his iced tea (a treat), insisted on sampling SEVERAL slices of cheesecake and proceeded to dance his little self all over the floor for HOURS. He closed the place down. Literally. We have no idea where all the energy came from, but he was certainly lighting up that dance floor!

Carrie and Chris again buddied up with our boy, dancing away all night, making runs for iced tea, and fishing for pennies in the nearby fountain. My favorite parts of the night were watching McKinley dance the dollar dance with Jodi (totally made me cry...), dancing with my two favorite men for a slow dance, and all of our friends who were there (Sara, Shawna, Jodi, Jill, Carrie, Chris, Lisa, Randy and the boys, Brenda and EVERYONE ELSE!!!!) hitting the floor with McKinley to cut a rug. It was heartwarming and so much fun for me to watch and be a part of...totally an emotional day!

I think we have made some wonderful new friends, and I cannot express how honored we all were to have shared in the official beginning of what promises to be a beautiful union. Congrats to Jodi & Dave! Happy Wedding!!!!!

And to our little ring bearer - you were precious to watch. I especially loved it when you totally crashed and fell asleep in my arms minutes after arriving home. Love you so much!

Lynn

I Love a Good Picnic...

...and so does my boy!

Today was perfect. The pictures say it all.

Lynn

Hello, Zoo!

Sure seems like it has been a long hiatus from our beloved zoo, so you can just imagine how excited we were to be back there for the first time this spring. We were fortunate enough to make a few trips during the winter months, Christmastime of course, and a few other times while I was working in Indy. But it was cold, limiting what we could see and do. Cold no more, it was an unusually warm April day and PERFECT for our visit.

Our friends, The Semmler's invited us to kick out Cary's vacay with a trip and we were thrilled to be invited. We had to keep our plans on the down low, as usual, not telling McKinley until the evening before. If we tell him any earlier...well, it's crazy!!!

We met up with the Semmler's at Rick's parents' home in Avon, headed out for a quick lunch (the zoo fare is not so good...and not so cheap either!) then off to the park! The seals and sea lions greeted us as usual (which the kids adored), then we visited the sea creatures. Rick and Cary 'petted' the sharks and nearly convinced Savannah and McKinley to pet them too. Little did our husbands know the sheer terror they were evoking in us mothers. Oooh, not a good feeling to watch a shark swim by your husband and child while they frolic and play like we're dealing with a puppy or something! HELLO! SHARK!

Moving on, the rest of the ocean life had our attention for quite a while -we even attended the dolphin show, which was a special show honoring the NCAA Final Four. It was so fun to watch one of the dolphins 'dribble' a basket ball under water!

The famed splash park was open already, so we had to distract, distract, distract to get to the rest of the zoo. CAROUSEL! We all rode the carousel together, which was fun. McKinley and Savannah sat side-by-side (with me standing between them...just in case). It was adorable. Soon we were off to the train where we rode TWICE. Bet you will never guess who enjoyed himself beyond words...McKinley! Actually, we all enjoyed the rides on the brand spanking new engine. Again, McKinley and Savannah wanted to sit together, so Robin, Rick & Austin, Cary and I got our own seats and literally got to just enjoy the ride. It seems so hard to believe that the kids are old enough to ride by themselves already.

Before long, the zoo was CLOSING! Funny thing is not THAT long ago we were closing bars on a Saturday night...now we close the zoo. Truth be told, I really think the zoo is WAY more fun. Seriously. Who knew?!

As we all headed home the rain came. And as Cary, McKinley and I were about 10 minutes outside of Indy, the storms hit as well. My Mom was literally a few blocks behind us, having come to Indy for an appointment, so I called her and met up as the emergency sirens began going off in the city of Plainfield. We sought refuge in a mall there - the storms were REALLY bad. Thankfully they blew over without much damage to our immediate area (though we could have done without the hail, thanks), so Cary and I decided to do a little shopping and Mom headed on home.

It was a really fun day with Robin, Rick and their children. We had a wonderful time and love sharing in fun little day trips with such good friends! Zoo, I know we'll all be back soon!

Lynn

Happy Easter!!!

See that face? Pure joy. The Easter Bunny brought pure joy to our son's face this morning. Thank you, Easter Bunny, you made our boy's day! He was most thrilled with the goods left over night by the big-eared one. There was a Tag Jr, and books, some fun travel puzzles, dominos, stickers, a bunny mask, a little tiny Bunny Train and track, and a little bit of candy - including McKinley's very first Pez dispenser, which he ADORES.
The E.B. even took the time to hide our Easter Eggs in the back yard and even brought along some fun new 'eggs' a la Lightening McQueen, a big fave in our house.

My Mom was down for the count, so we headed out to visit family in Bloomington. McKinley had SO MUCH FUN rolling down Grandma Vernon's hill with his cousins - it was adorable, grass stains and all.

Soon we headed back to the Haute to visit with Mom, where we watched Toy Story together (a gift from my Mom to McKinley for Easter). The best part for me was knowing that Cary would be on vacation effective tomorrow. I so love having my hubby home with me and McKinley!

What a great Easter!
Lynn

Recap

We have been so busy lately! So much to blog, so very little time...

So, to briefly recap events of recent:

Lunch in Indy with Diane (aka HONEY) and Shelby, my Mom, McKinley and I. Buca Di Beppo. Shopping at Castleton. Awesome! It was a gorgeous day and we really enjoyed spending time with Diane & Shelby. I love this pic!

Another fun outing was our impromptu dinner with the Douglas Fam. Cary, McKinley and I had a blast that evening visiting with our friends. The night was complete with Baby Ollie sleeping peacefully the entire time while our ditzy waiter danced around us and gave us over sweetened tea (YUCK. I HATE SWEET TEA), extra rice and a heart attack as he bumped Ollie's car seat, nearly toppling the newborn. YIKES! Aside from that, it was so great to spend time with them, as always. The boys (McKinley & Lincoln) were as cute as usual, arm in arm, being cheesy for the camera. So cute!

Finally, it's that time again! Spring Planting! This year McKinley picked out a pumpkin, a sunflower and a watermelon to grow from seeds. McKinley really enjoyed the entire process: moisten peat pellet with water, allow to expand, place seeds in peat, cover with soil and wait for some action! I'm happy to report the sunflower and watermelon have already sprouted and need planting this week! That was fast!

It certainly is an extra busy time for us right now! We are blessed with wonderful friends and family, fun events and special times together, and are grateful to have so many great opportunities to report!

Happy Spring!

Lynn

EGGcelent Family Activities!

As unreal as it may seem, it is Easter Weekend. I'm shocked at how quickly it has crept up on us. Seriously! So, it is time once again to dye the Easter Eggs and hit the City Hunt!

Last night we did our Egg Dying - and how sweet was McKinley wanting to do it all 'myself'!!! He colored on several eggs, then we dipped them together. I wrote our names on 3 eggs, and into the bath they went! McKinley chose when each egg was 'done' or needed 'more' color, then together we set them aside to dry. He was so excited this year! What a big boy!

Today, it was time for the City's annual Easter Egg Hunt. I wasn't so sure we would return after last year's experience, but it's right around the corner and why not?! Right?! So, off we went! It was rainy and wet, so McKinley donned his favorite galoshes and an extra layer of clothing. I wasn't surprised that the turn out was not so great as last year - the rain took care of that, but there was still a big crowd! We got in line (after family friend and photographer for the newspaper took our pic), and waited. The waiting took MUCH longer than the actual hunt, but it didn't matter when I saw how giggly and happy McKinley was while hunting for the eggs. He scored quite a few and when we opened them we found that he won a little rubber bunny. While we were still there a staff member brought us an arm load of more eggs, where McKinley won a train whistle! He already has one, but hey! TRAINS! He loved it.

This evening we will go visit the Easter Bunny one last time before he visits our home this evening! Wonder what the Bunny will bring our boy?!?!

Lynn