Cowboy Wedding

Recently, Jim's nephew got married.

It was an outdoor, cowboy-themed wedding, which was LOTS of fun!

It's been a while since we've gotten together with Jim's family, and it was so nice to see all of them.  Lisa made this incredibly yummy and beautiful cake.

Marley was quite the social butterfly, but one of her favorite things to do is to love on Uncle "Jonkey". 

* There's a story to go with that name...but I'm not sure it's suitable to tell out loud! *

Marley was ecstatic to dress up in the closest things we had in her closet to make her feel like a real cowgirl...

She was mostly just geeked to be wearing her new plaid shirt and some boots.

What's a cowgirl without her pony?!?

And then she discovered a field on the edge of the yard.  I showed her how to pick one (Is it called a foxtail?  I have no idea.  I just know I chewed on them when I was a kid, and there was minimal brain damage.) and tuck it in the corner of her mouth like a country girl.

 

Which she's not.

 

This endeavor brought on a variety of expressions as she tried to get the hang of it.

 

 

   Maybe lying down will help?

NOPE!

Oops!

Once the karaoke machine came out, she had the uncontrollable urge to dance.

 

Gotta pick some flowers too.

No, she's not mid-sentence in the picture above. 

That's a weird face she likes to make sometimes. 

 

Must've gotten it from her daddy. 

Ahem!

 

 

Here's my favorite picture of her from that day...

 

Wordless Wednesday

Change of Plans

We were supposed to go to the state fair.  My friend and I had loaded up her car and headed toward Indy.  The girls were chattering excitedly about rides and food and animals in the backseat.  And then it happened.  About two miles outside of town, the skies opened up and we were in the middle of a torrential downpour.  I pulled into the truck stop and she pulled out her phone to check the radar.  A swath of angry red and yellow stretched across the better part of the state.

 

Time to adjust the plans.

 

We told the girls that the fair was out of the question.

~Insert disappointed wails from the back seat...in stereo!~ 

A little bit of brainstorming found the vehicle headed North instead of East, on our way to Chuck E Cheese.  Marley and I have never been there.  What a fun place!

 

 

 

Especially if you're a lover of merry-go-rounds of ANY size!

 

 

There weren't many people there at all, so the girls pretty much had free reign of the place.

 

 

 

And because I'm a sucker for these kinds of things...

 

 

 

 

And the pizza wasn't too bad either!

Thank goodness for indoor rainy-fairday alternatives!

*Not So* Wordless Wednesday

It's that time of year again!

                                2008- 4 months old

                                  2009- 1 Year Old

2010- Two Years Old

 
 

This was the first year that she picked out what she wanted to be for Halloween!

2011- Three Years Old
First Halloween in Indiana

 

2012- Four Years Old

 

She's growing up on me!

Have a happy, safe Halloween!

Wordless Wednesday

4

Waaaay back in June, my "baby" turned four.

 I still can't get over how much she's grown in the last year. 

This year she had very specific requests for her cake:

1. It needs to be cupcakes in the shape of a butterfly.

2. It HAS to be pink and purple!

Since we have people that we love both here in Indiana and in Michigan, we had two parties.  Lucky girl!

Marley was so excited to have people there from mine and Jim's families, as well as some of her friends from preschool, along with our favorite babysitter...

and cousins!

Our Indiana party was a little delayed this year, to accommodate for as many schedules as possible, so we spent her actual birthday in Michigan.

Jill and her family treated Marley to ice cream sundaes on the evening of her birthday, which she just LOVED! 

Look at that face!

 Our friend "G" was feeling extra festive, so she donned her special mask. 

Those girls crack me up!  Visiting with them is like spending time with family.

 

A few days later we had a bigger party at Grandma and Papa's house.

 Check out her face.  Art supplies really got her going!

 

 

 And who doesn't love a kitty to snuggle?

This is Denise, the giver of all things artsy...

Before the evening was over, there were lots of hugs all around...

a bedtime story with Grandma...

plans to help Papa water his flowers and feed the birds tomorrow...

...and then she was sound asleep.

We have so many people who love us, pray for us, and look after us in many different ways. 

We are truly blessed!