"Christmas Morning" Three Days Early

I know, two entries in one day- are you impressed, Jen? If you are looking for wedding pictures, check out the first entry I posted today (right after this one). After the wedding, we had an early Christmas morning so the three cousins could open the presents they had all carefully chosen for each other. They had been very good at ignoring the gifts underneath the tree, and actually spent the first half hour chasing each other down the hall. The two girls played down to the young man's level. He crawled, so they crawled. They really aren't unhappy here, just in their favourite corner in the hallway with all the closed doors.

This picture of the youngest young lady was taken a few days earlier. Reminded me so much of my own at that age. The hearth is just the right height for a rest (with a snack). Love the pjs.
Great grandma and Great Grandpa came for breakfast too, and had a perfect opportunity for a photo shoot with their three great grandchildren before the excitement began. The young ones don't look too thrilled, but this is a picture they will treasure in years to come.
Seems like yesterday that our three were the age of the little ones in the picture above. Here we all are, all three, monsieur, missy and petite, married and on their own, and grandma and grandpa enjoying every minute of the festivities and the fun.

The first little video gives you an idea of what the gift opening was like (still quite civilized actually). In the second one, you see that one grandchild has inherited grandpa's Christmas morning "cleanup" gene!

Thanks all for being here. This was our best Christmas yet, and it's not even here yet!

A Wedding at Christmas!

It is hard to believe, but the day arrived almost before we knew it. Not the perfect day weather-wise, but not as bad as is possible when you live in the middle of the prairies. No one got much sleep the night before the event (a little too keyed up after the rehearsal and the party following), but there were no yawns when the morning arrived. The women of the group (all from age 4 to 59) were at the hairdresser on time, ready to be styled. Some were happier than others with the result! Here the bride makes big-time adjustments for her sister.Back to the house for make-up. Even though all these women are naturally gorgeous, their features were enhanced just enough to make them look spectacular! The finishing touches on the last one were being done just as the Limo Lounge arrived to transport them to the church.


The ceremony was beautiful, touching, and very meaningful. It was made very special by the attendance of all four of the bride's grandparents. She knows she is very lucky.
The wedding party took off in the Limo Lounge for pictures, and most others headed off for the hotel. Keep in mind that these pictures are candid shots taken by the M.O.T.B. and others. More professional shots will be posted later. Here is the venue, taken from the D.J.'s perch, prior to the dinner. The room was elegant; probably the most perfect place in this city for a winter wedding.
Here's what everyone wants to see...the bride and groom! This was one of the first group photos - with the bride's immediate family.
With the groom's parents.
With the bride's maternal extended family.
and with her paternal extended family.
The young attendees behaved exceptionally well. This young man, nephew of the bride and groom, was enjoying himself immensely.
One of the nieces had travelled some distance to be at the wedding. Here she is, looking much older than her four years.
Her younger sister couldn't last quite as long as the others. She slept while...
others danced the night away!
The event was wonderful from beginning to end, and I know all wish the couple much happiness. We have many things for which to be grateful, among them that these three in this video weren't providing the music for either the ceremony or the dinner and dance!

Happy Birthday! (x 60)

It's a good thing our friends have birthdays and our children get married, or we would have no social life at all. This weekend we celebrated with two friends who have reached that magic "six decades" mark. Above is the friend we have known for almost 30 years, and with whom we attend the theatre during the winter.

And here is our long time friend, and the second half of the "Telegram Twins", who also celebrated this milestone. Below, one shot of some of the delicious desserts on the table
Congratulations to you both. Of course, being much younger than you, I have no idea how you really feel about being 60, and won't understand for at least another 10 months!

Christmas Elf

On a Saturday three weeks from the "big day", a Christmas elf arrived to help Grandma with the house decorations. Here he is, getting into the spirit of the day. He loved the singing stockings!

While not technically "under" the mistletoe, he definitely kisses on demand! Just beware the drool accompanying the open mouthed "kiss". Thanks for all the help, young man! The house looks ready for the season, thanks to you!

66th Annniversary

For those of you who do not see our daughter's blog, here are some pictures of the latest family celebration. 66 years married is quite an accomplishment, and in spite of recent challenges, the love shown by this married couple is as strong as ever. We were privileged to be present at their celebration.
Here they are - the bride and groom. We can only hope we will still be together after 66 years, and able to talk about it!
Some of the guests included long time friends (for 37 years at least), and daughter-in-law.
The youngest family member congratulates the bride with an open-mouthed "kiss".
And here he is with great-grandpa, also known as the groom.
The happy couple.

Too late Auntie D!

The services of the resident "Great Aunt Who Teaches Kids to Climb Stairs" will not be needed for this young man. I have it on good authority that they will not be needed for this young man's cousin from the east, who I hear runs up and down the stairs! I don't think Grandma is quite ready for that. One piece pjs, the kind in which the feet and legs tend to stretch, are not the best climbing apparel!

Happy Birthday!

The birthday bride celebrates her big day with her favourite little man (favourite big man was not far away!

A "Jack and Jill" - an evening with friends!

I know all would be disappointed in me if these pictures were not on the blog by today, so here they are! It was fun to have a "shower" with male and female participants (although I have it on good authority that the females did all the work!) Whoever did the work, the result was fabulous. Thanks to the parents of the maid of honour for the use of their home. We had a wonderful evening, sampling various wines, eating yummy food, and sharing in the bride and groom's joy.



While everyone brought wine to stock the almost married couple's cellar, there were many wines for the guests to enjoy as well. How can you tell that the maid of honour and her hubby are experienced bartenders?

For once, the groom got to be part of the gift opening.

The rest of the pictures are of various people who attended and celebrated. The gentleman on the right is the one whose wife was the prime organizer. Unfortunately, this blog entry doesn't contain a picture of her (she must have been too busy running around to pose for a picture), but her husband/groomsman was more than willing to state that he could not claim any credit for the evening's festivities.

Father of the groom, fresh from a trip to China, offers some sage advice to the youngest brother.

I like this picture of the sister of the bride, but I must admit I took it more for the background. Doesn't the mantle look elegant with all the candles and the florist's extra touches?

Sister in law of the maid of honour and her husband (this gets really complicated to explain without using names)!

The florist (and good friend of the bride).

One of the "L" bridesmaids, and beau.

Another bridesmaid and fiance.

This young man was the youngest guest, until Leo showed up. You may recognize him from a previous blog - in that one he had a basketball on his bum! He has grown up a lot since September.

Some of the guests (shot taken from across the room).

Same shot - poor exposure - but I can't remember how to delete pictures once they have been posted.

Here we are listening to the bride's heartfelt thank you. There is nothing like a wedding celebration to reinforce what good friends we have!

I think that's it for me folks. We are at about 40 days and counting! Can't wait for the big event to happen!

Meeting the deadline

This young man has 45 days left to learn to walk (we all want him to be walking at the wedding, rather than scooting or crawling around the floor). He is really close to walking independently. Here he is walking with absolutely no human contact - he is hanging on to a saucepan from the play dishes instead!

A Beautiful Day, A Beautiful Shower, A Beautiful Bride

It was a glorious balmy November day - perfect for a drive to outside the city to the groom's home town for a wedding shower. Everything about the day was perfect...the weather, the occasion, the company, and the event itself.

The location was perfect. The Arts Association building is a gem. Once a bank, then a family home, it is now the perfect venue for display of artworks and for performances and shows. I think I will be heading back often to make purchases!

We arrived on the dot of 2 and had no trouble at all finding the shower location.

This was a shower for family and close friends of the groom and his family. Here, some of the guests wait for the festivities to begin. Zoom in to look at some of the pieces on the wall behind them!

As is custom, the "young ones" assisted with the gifts. Seated here are (from left), the newest bride and soon to be sister-in-law, the next bride and soon to be sister-in-law, sister of today's bride-to-be, and maid (or matron?) of honour for today's bride. Got that? In the background are the chief organizer of the event and her daughter.

Two of the bride's grandmothers were there to help celebrate. At each occasion they find more things they have in common!

Most recent bride, and sister of the groom, works her magic with the bows and a paper plate. We are so glad that today's bride is able to wear at least one ribbon hat!

Mother of the bride and bride to be with one of the gifts - a very interesting plant!

And here she is...modelling her newest wardrobe accessory. You can't go wrong with a great hat!

The groom came at the end to mingle with relatives and friends. Everyone is so happy for this couple!

All in all it was a lovely afternoon, but what else could it be when there was so much love in the room. Once again, I have to say how blessed we are to have family and friends who care about all of us so much. Thanks to all of you!

Oh yes...one last picture of one young man who didn't get to go to the shower! He stayed home and watched NASCAR races with Dad instead! Probably just as well.