Happy Father's Day

I just had to share this great pic of my husband who is now the daddy to two amazing little girls:

Happy Father's Day! 

You're a wonderful husband and father, and we're truly blessed to have you in our lives. 

We love you.

And Happy Father's Day to all of the other fathers, future fathers, fathers of angel babies, and any other father figures. You play an important role in the lives of the children you love. Thank you for all that you do.

Bridesmaids dresses are not conducive to nursing...

So Dorothy (my little sister) is hitched. The wedding was at the end of May, I was the Matron of Honor (truly an honor indeed), and Claire got to be a flower girl.

I was so glad and proud to be a part of Dorothy's big day, but it was not without its challenges. I was nursing a newborn, in charge of a toddler, and co-hosting Dorothy's bachelorette and lingerie shower festivities. Not to mention that Jared was a groomsmen in a different wedding during the same weekend. He helped out as much as he could, but he had his own activities and schedule that he had to follow. If it were not for my sister-in-law, Ashley, and Jared's family I do not think I would have made it.  Luckily, the weddings were not on the same day. Suffice to say we had a jam packed weekend.

Friday Night:

Jared had his rehearsal dinner. I (and Amelia tagged along) had Dorothy's bachelorette party and lingerie shower. Claire went to see her JuJu and Zo.

Saturday:

We had Dorothy's rehearsal around noon. There was a wedding party get together/lunch at my parents house. Jared had to go take pictures around 3:00pm and then had his wedding. Claire went to take a nap at the Allen's house and stayed with them until they took her home for bedtime. I attended the wedding (with Amelia in tow - she refused/continues to refuse to take a bottle) and then rushed over to Dorothy's rehearsal dinner. Jared joined Amelia and I when he was finished visiting with his friends and his wedding duties were over.

Sunday:

Amelia and I attended a Bridesmaid's Brunch and then went to get our hair done with (another) Claire (the groom's sister). Then we headed to my parent's house where the rest of the bridal party was getting ready. Then it was a whirlwind of make-up and getting to the venue. Claire (my toddler) was with Jared in the morning and then got dropped off at her JuJu and Zo's (again!) for a nap - before they dressed her and brought her for pictures. Then it was go time!

Phew!

General Comments/Feelings:

The most stressful moments were definitely during pictures when I was in charge of Dorothy's dress/veil, my dress, and Claire - she was NOT in a cooperative mood.  I was also so worried that she was going to decide not to walk down the aisle (Claire, not Dorothy) or that she would throw a tantrum at some point mid-walk.

All my worries were for nothing. Claire did beautifully. She walked down the aisle perfectly, then let out a little shout of excitement when she saw her JuJu waiting for her, and took off at a toddler run to get to her. It was so cute. After that point I took a deep breath and enjoyed myself much more. Jared had Amelia and I only had myself and Dorothy to worry about for half an hour.

Then after the ceremony it was a whirlwind of making sure everyone (else) was fed, Dorothy had everything she needed, my toast (which I totally did not prepare for adequately, but turned out okay), and trying to enjoy some of the reception.Yeah, I never did get to eat dinner, but that's okay. Even though I missed at least half of the reception - between nursing, Matron of Honor duties, etc. - the parts I did see/get to be a part of were a lot of fun.

Claire and the newlyweds.

Also, it turns out that a combination of nursing and not having time to eat is an excellent way to lose weight - I was down three pounds by the end of the weekend. However, I don't really recommend that diet to anyone. ;-)

It was a beautiful ceremony, Dorothy was a beautiful bride, and I was one proud sister. We all had a great time. I don't really care to repeat the craziness of that weekend ever again, but it was a really sweet time with/for my family.

Too bad I didn't have time (or free hands) to take any pictures. 

Holy Moly...

So I know it has been about a month since I posted, but life has been crazy! I am only posting now because I am not exhausted and both girls are asleep...the house is quiet.

Amelia Jo is almost two-months old now. Claire is almost 2 and a half years old and my little sister is married.

May went by in a whirlwind. I was trying to get the hang of mothering two (which I am still trying to get the hang of by the way), planning a bachelorette party for my little sister, and working off some baby weight in order to cram myself into a bridesmaids' dress (which I did fit into--barely).

I love Claire, I love Amelia, and I cannot imagine my life without either of those little boogers, but parenting two is a daily hourly minute-by-minute challenge (and I can only imagine that with each successive child the challenge just continues to grow). It is such a weird place to find yourself. Absolutely loving your life and loathing it simultaneously. I don't mean literally loathing life, but there are definitely moments when I think, "How did I get myself into this mess?" Of course, there are also moments when I think, "How did I get blessed with this mess?" I mean seriously. I have two of the most precious baby girls (and a fabulous husband; who happens to be the world's best daddy too).

Claire is in the middle of her second year. It is a really fun time to be her mother AND it is a really difficult time to be her mother. I am so glad that the Lord's mercies are new each morning because boy do I need it. I do not get enough sleep (Amelia needs to eat at night) and my patience just wears thinner and thinner throughout the day. There are many nights that I go to bed feeling like I have absolutely failed at mothering Claire. Luckily, she is pretty forgiving at this age. I do wonder (and worry) if our nap time (and other) power struggles are going to have lasting harmful effects on her and/or our relationship. Surely other parents worry about this - I can only hope I am not the only one. Even though we have our fair share of stand-offs throughout most days, we have some really precious moments too.

Amelia is such a good baby. She naps. She eats. She is growing SO quickly. I never had those "she is getting too big too fast" moments with Claire. I was always just so glad she was gaining weight (we had trouble with that in the first few months), but Amelia is a different baby entirely. I am pretty sure she is just average sized, but she is wearing clothes that Claire didn't fit into until she was five months old; and she is not even two months old! Also, Amelia is a snuggler - Claire never really was - so I am cherishing my little snuggle bug. : ) I really cannot imagine our lives without Amelia. She is such a sweet blessing and has wiggled her way into my heart right next to her sister. I still cannot fathom how one heart can hold so much love, but my love for these girls just continues to grow.

God gives us so much more grace than we deserve (because we deserve none), but I cannot remember a time when I have been more aware of that fact than during this season of my life.

So, in order to not make this the world's longest post, I am going to break this up into two posts. Dorothy's wedding weekend to follow.