Crazy Weekend

Mike's nephew, Bryan, and his fiance, Marlaina, got married on Saturday. Hannah was so excited because she got to be the flower girl. Quick funny story:

Thursday night, Hannah had asked me a question.
Hannah: Is there going to be a reindeer at the wedding?
Me: Ummm...I don't think so. I think it's too warm for reindeer.
Hannah: No. A REEEEEIIIIIINNNNNdeer. Will one be there?
Me: Sweetie, maybe at a winter wedding but reindeer don't come to spring weddings.
Hannah: MOM! Seriously! You know...a reindeer. They walk down the aisle with a pillow!
Me (finally getting it): OH! A ring bearer? I don't know if there will be a ring bearer at the wedding.
Hannah: Geez. That's all I wanted to know!

We left for Atlanta on Friday morning. We were nervous because the rehearsal was to start at 5 and we weren't landing until after 2pm. We then had to get the car and drive to Commerce, GA which is where we were staying and where the wedding was taking place. We made it to the hotel at 4:45, we checked in and headed straight to the church.

Amazingly, we were the second people there...Mike's parents were the only ones that beat us. That was fine because the kids got to run around a little and Mike and I were able to change.

Here are some pictures from Friday night. Click the photos to make them bigger.

Mike and his brother, Marc

The bride and groom, Marlaina and Bryan
Hannah and James, the "reindeer."
Hannah waits patiently with the bridesmaids.
The kids loved this huge chess set outside the chapel.

So, we head back to the hotel and are told to be back at the church at 11:30am. Seriously, we could have shown up at 1:30 and we would have been fine but that's okay. The wedding was beautiful and we got some great pictures. It was the first time we got the whole family in for a picture. Here are some photos from the wedding.

Jacob, Daniel and Hannah before the wedding.
Hannah and Marlaina
I can't believe how nice this one turned out. I'm going to put it in a sepia tone and get it blown up. Hannah was looking out the window to see Marlaina getting her picture taken outside.
Hannah and James walk down the aisle. James was so fascinated by what Hannah was doing.
The start of the wedding.
What a big group!
David and Hannah
Daniel and Maurice
The five of us after the wedding.

It was a fun weekend but it's so good to be home.

Chili Cook-Off and Fun Fest

Last night our synagogue held it's 11th Annual Chili Cook-Off and Fun Fest. Since we've never been to one before, we weren't sure what to expect. Jacob was worried that there would only be chili to eat (not a big chili eater) and that he'd have a horrible time. Needless to say, everyone had a blast. I figured we'd be there an hour or so and then head home. We ended up staying for almost the whole thing and only had to leave when Hannah freaked out because she was outbid for a Webkins basket in the silent auction (I was not going to pay $80 for a few stuffed animals...even if it was for a fundraiser).

I have to say that this was such a fun and interesting idea for a synagogue fundraiser. You get a few people to make some chili and sell some tickets for voting for a dollar. Then you get people to drop another few dollars for dinner. Then, sell some tickets for games for the kids. Meanwhile, set up a silent auction and put in a wine garden for the adults (it was strange walking around the synagogue with a glass of wine, though!). Viola! You've got a great fundraiser. I can't imagine how much work this must have been, though. They really utilized the youth group for the Fun Fest, and you could tell that they were having fun doing it.

When we first started tasting, I was very pleased to see that the chili with the chocolate in it was first up. Jacob really wanted to try the chocolate chili. After that, he tried almost all of them, even the one that was more like stew than chili. He and I agreed on the same chili as the winner, while Mike went for the chicken chili. I now have a chili eater, which is awesome since I tend to make it often and he never eats it. The other two would eat rocks if I told them they were food, so they chowed down through the line as well.

I must say that next year, I'm definately entering the chili cook-off. No doubt about it. What a great family evening. Here are some pictures (of course)...


Hannah, Daniel and Jacob try the chili


Is Jacob trying chili with corn and carrots in it? You betcha!


Hannah gets her face painted.


Jacob shows off a bead thing he made.


Daniel plays a form of dodgeball.


Daniel, Jacob and Hannah decorate graham crackers.


A youth group member shows Daniel how to make a special necklace.

Back to the Same Old-Same Old

Bobbi and Ed arrived a little later than we had expected on Thursday, but it was just a couple of hours later so that wasn't so bad. I had brined my 20.5 pound turkey the night before and it was already in the oven when they got here. BTW, I don't know if brining the bird helped it any...it was just a extra step that I don't think I needed to make. Anyway, the turkey ended up cooking faster than I had anticipated, so dinner was served about 45 minutes earlier than I had wanted it to be. The only problem with that was trying to get all of my sides done, too. Oh well. It got done and it was a tasty Thanksgiving dinner.

Saturday, we headed into KCK for family photos. Mike takes TKD on Saturdays with a guy who's a photographer and he's the one that took the pictures. I was a little disappointed but I'm sure they'll turn out great. The kids had the best time when we put them into their TKD uniforms and told them to kick and punch. I can't wait to see those pictures!

We then headed over to Independence to the Truman Presidential Library and Museum. While it was neat to be able to see and say that we've been, it really wasn't what I was expecting. I guess I was actually expecting a library. It was absolutely a museum...lots of presidential stuff and a replica Oval Office but I didn't see anything that would resemble a library. The kids really liked meeting Harry Truman (they had a guy that looked a lot like him there) and making campaign buttons.



Coming back, there was a lot of traffic at the I435/I70 junction. At first, we thought it was a accident or something like that. Then, we realized that it was the traffic heading to Arrowhead for the KU/Mizzou game. It was backed up in all directions for miles around I70, but it was good the way we were going. We came home and watched the game, which is funny because, as Mike pointed out, I'm not into college football and I have no attachment to any of the teams. I did find myself rooting for Kansas and was upset when they lost. There will be no love for KU, however, if they have to play Bradley or SIU in basketball again this year. LOL!

It was a nice Thanksgiving and a nice visit, but that break was too short. I had to drag the kids out of bed this morning and I got a lot of glares from both boys when I even mentioned school to them. I had anticipated Jacob trying to play sick so that he could stay home but I told him that I wasn't buying it and that he was going to school. Last night, he would say that his chest hurt or that he was having a hard time breathing. I told him that if was really having a hard time breathing, I should take him to the ER. His words to me were, "Why can't we just wait until the morning to see how I feel?" That's what I thought. I'm having a hard time knowing when he's really sick since he told me he used to fake the stomach aches so that he could stay home. Silly boy, you don't tell your parents that stuff until you've made it to college!

I should probably feed Hannah some lunch so that she's got a full belly when she goes to preschool this afternoon. How many days until the weekend?