GRANDMA GOT MARRIED!!

It was a hard and nice weekend all at the same time. A LOT of emotions that I never thought a person could feel all at once! I told my boys to not plan on seeing much of Grandma or spending a lot of time with her this trip, she would be TOO preoccupied with wedding stuff. But, we finally got to meet Don, Colton started calling him Grandpa right away and Nicholas had no objections to him and even sat on his lap for a while. He seemed really nice. The family went to lunch with him and mom on Friday, sort of our last "Family thing" together. Didn't get to visit much because I was busy dealing with on ornery baby who kept throwing his food on the floor and just wanted to get down and run.
Saturday, the house SERIOUSLY felt like the house on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Trying to get me ready, clothes for the boys, (I was NOT going to let them go to the luncheon in their nice clothes!!) my niece asking me to help with her hair, Lori's roommate trying to help me decide on how to do my makeup and my cousin there with me in the middle of it all!! I walked in on my older brother in just his boxers, my Aunt came in and we were all dressing with the door open and my baby emptying my suitcase and throwing stuff everywhere! Mom telling everyone "don't forget to bring..." whatever it was that she didn't want us to forget, my nephew forgot a tie so he was trying on a bunch of different ones of Keiths'. There were two bathrooms wich was NO WHERE near enough! We FINALLY made it out and got to the church for the family luncheon. THAT WAS REALLY NICE!! It was Mom, Don, Keith, Lori, Me & my boys, my Aunt Paula and her 2 kids Melissa and Mark plus his wife. My older brother Richard, his wife Rita and their 2 kids Austin & Katelyn, and My Aunt Carol; my dad's sister in law. WHAT A CREW!!
Then it was time to get ready for the ceremony. People started arriving and Nicholas started getting cranky; he had only had a 1 hour nap by now. We took pictures before everything started to get that out of the way! I played the piano while mom and the wedding party walked in. There were about 60 people there. When our Stake Pres. started reading the "vows" I broke down and started bawling. A friend of mine reached across the isle and handed me his hanky. By the end of the ceremony, Mom & Don were married. Nicholas had ripped off my corsage, dumped a bag of snacks, got gooey cookie crumbs on me and Colton missed most of it because he was playing with my cousins flashlight and trying to put Grandam in the "spotlight."
Then it was on to the reception, the desserts came out and Colton was in Heaven. Thank goodnes I had family to help with him. He actually got 3 different people to get him a plate full of goodies. Me, I was busy chasing Nicholas all around the room and visiting with good friends whom I haven't seen in AGES!! My dad's cousin Karl Champlin and his wife Janice drove up from Morro Bay for the occasion and our good friends Jay & Ann Hardman drove down from Utah!! I think mom's best surprise was seeing her bench again.
Mom and dad had a bench on the front porch FOREVER!! It was old and the paint was coming off and it looked very weathered. Well, one day she came home and it was gone. SHE HAD A FIT!! Lori had actually taken it to a friends house and restored it and repainted it. We had it delivered to the church and it was in the entryway. When mom saw it, she started to break down and cry. Don of coarse had NO clue about what it was, so I had to fill him in. She took it with her back to Michigan to put on their back deck.
The saddest part of the whole ordeal....I DIDN'T GET TO TAKE MANY PICTURES!!! I was TOO busy socializing and dealing with my children that I just never got the chance. So, I'll have to wait for copies from mom. Here are a few that I DID get!