To Be A Princess...

Unfortunately between getting my hair done, packing necessary rations for a baby, doing Jess' make up, praying both children napped, driving back and forth to the Oregon Gardens, trying to keep a sleep-deprived 11 month old from crying the whole entire time during pictures in 85 degree weather with three layers of clothing on I was unable to snap more than the following pictures on my phone.  =( I actually woke up the morning after the wedding so sad because I didn't take a single picture of just our little family all dressed up, OR of just Matt and I, OR of just our two children together...

*sigh*

Epic fail. 

So you'll have to settle for my word for it when I tell you we ALL spent the entire day trying to look like royalty.  The Princess, however, is the only one I snapped a few pictures of...

I wish I could have captured Madelyn's evening and stuck it in a bottle to pull out and replay over and over.  She truly thought she was a princess for the night! Auntie Katie did her princess hair (and even trimmed it for the first time!) and Nana pulled out some of our baby jewelry and Madi was in HEAVEN!  When we headed out of our den all dressed up the first thing Madi said was, "Mama, I can't wait for Daddy to see me in my pwincess cwose."

At the reception Matt asked Madi if she wanted to dance with him and she replied emphatically, "Yeah, in a CASTLE!!!"

Oh wow. 

Jess gave Madi a special purse which was quite the hit, as you can imagine, and of course our little hoarder was able to fit an impressive amount of things inside there! She had a stick of gum and a sucker for the ceremony, as well as a baby wipe (per my request) to wipe her hands with.  She also had some sunglasses and chap stick among other things...

She did AWESOME for the ceremony and asked several times throughout the day if it was time to walk down the aisle yet.  Seven pulled a wagon with the three youngest boys inside and Madi and Michael walked alongside throwing rose petals (in theory).  However, it took ALL of Seven's might to drag that entirely too heavy wagon down the very soft grass aisle and he kept running over parts of Madi's dress and dragging her to the ground.  She didn't seem to mind - just jumped right up and kept going.  Of course, they all stole the show.  The babies got dumped on family members and the three oldest joined us up front.  Madi enjoyed the contents of her purse and eventually concluded the ceremony with sitting on Nana's lap in the front row.  

Her attire (complete with red princess shoes) couldn't have been any sweeter.  The morning of the wedding Madi came stumbling out of her bedroom (hardly awake) and said, "Momma, is today Jessica's wedding?" She was an incredible trooper until wee hours of the night and even came home with a cloth dinner napkin snuck in her treat bag, along with a rose bud that had clearly been be-headed from somewhere...

 Madi insisted on carrying a bouquet like the bridesmaids and thankfully there was an extra (throwing bouquet) which she quickly claimed for pre-wedding festivities. 

This princess had NO problems getting dirty and tackled the evening just like she does any other night... right alongside of the boys. (Believe it or not the dress came clean - with the exception of the glow stick spot - with a healthy dosing of spray 'n wash!)

Em had a rough time pre-wedding... aka, picture time. He was SO tired and ready for his second nap so he pretty much cried if I wasn't holding him.  He eventually fell asleep on me during pictures and then I handed him off for a kid picture and he actually stayed asleep.  Yup, completely OUT. He was the sweetest little man all dressed up (along with his cousins, including mini-Chris Farley... better known as Crosby). 

Thank you Aunite Jessica and Uncle David for sharing your special day with our princess (and the rest of us).  It truly was a fairy-tale-filled evening.