Cailin's Wedding

On Friday we all got dressed up in our fancy duds in order to attend Tyler's cousin's wedding. Cailin had asked Lucy about 8 months previous if she would be the flower girl at her wedding, and there has been a lot of anticipating for this event. She had to go for a dress fitting to select the perfect thing to wear, and on Thursday evening we headed to the Ranchehouse for a rehearsal. All I can say is 'praise the rehearsal' because Lucy was all nerves and tears that evening as we tried to convince her to walk the long distance up to the front of the procession towards people she didn't know very well. Cailin gave her the options of walking with one of the bridesmaids so she didn't have to walk along, but of course Lucy didn't know them either, so she preferred to be on her own. Cailin was also kind enough to save seats for Tyler and I on the front row with her parents and grandfathers, so Lucy could come and sit with us during the ceremony. The rehearsal was cool and a bit rainy, but we woke up Friday morning to a beautifully sunny day. Lucy got her hair curled and all dolled up. My mom came out to watch Max (which consisted of her sitting in our house while he had a nap) so we could attend the wedding ceremony. We were a bit panicked that we would be late, but it turned out that everyone else was, so we were actually the first members of the bridal party to show up. Tyler saved our seats while I stood with Lucy in the 'staging room' until everyone else arrived. She looked so adorable in her dress, and her jitters seemed to be replaced by excitement. The rest of the bridal party showed up, and I made my way to my seat while Lucy stood in line. The ceremony began and she did fabulous. She looked behind her a number of times to make sure she was doing what she was supposed to do, but she did a great job. The ceremony was beautiful and hot! After all was done, she walked back down the aisle, this time with Cailin (which she was VERY happy to do) and all the guests hit the shade for some lemonade and refreshments. We headed home for a break and to pick up Max while the bridal party took photos. Lucy got a couple of shots with the couple in an old studebaker that Uncle John had restored. When we headed back it was time for dinner, toasts and speeches and all the usual festivities. The kids were antzy as they knew there was a dance promised, and they just wanted to get to it. Sarah and Janeen sang for Cailin and Chris' first dance and then it was time for Cailin and Uncle John to dance. Finally the bridal party was invited to dance and I told Tyler he should dance with Lucy since she was part of the bridal party. She told him she wanted to dance with Max, so she took her partner out on the floor and they stole the show. At first they danced hand in hand, they way they usually do, but when they looked around and say everyone else dancing with arms on shoulders and waists, they corrected themselves. I don't know if it was Lucy's idea or Max's, but it was adorable. The dance got into full swing after that, and so did Lucy. Max was still a bit shy and mostly wanted to cuddle with mom or dad, but Lucy displayed some of her best moves, without hesitation. Most dance circles were formed around her, with all the participants trying to mimic her moves. Not an easy task as there is no rhyme or reason. Max and Dad went and requested 'Pokerface', which is Max's current favorite song, and when the DJ played it, he busted out his best robot moves and then was back to cuddling when the song was done. We ended up staying much later than we planned because Lucy was having so much fun and put two very tired children to bed after 11pm. It was a fabulous day, and we had fun spending it with family and creating precious and silly memories. The next day, when Grandma asked Lucy what her favorite part of the wedding was, she said, "Slow dancing with Max."