Prettiest flower girl ever

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Evelyn was the prettiest flower girl I have ever seen. I know I'm biased but that's my motherly way right! Evelyn (8yrs old) was wonderful in her part of the ceremony. She was angelic and poised. It's hard for an 8 year old to stand still for 30 minutes, but she did a great job. Just as in my other post about Elisabeth I wondered when did Evelyn get so mature? She too is growing too fast, I guess I need to cut back on the "Miracle Grow", I wish I could. I need to cherish the next 10+ years. Before I know it my girls will be a mom just like me, and they will be wondering where the time has gone to.

She's a beautiful young woman

Elisabeth is the one on the right

Saturday my daughter's where honored to be part of my baby brother's wedding. As I watched Elisabeth (almost 12) walk down the aisle as a Jr. Bridesmaid I was over come with emotion, I realized for the 1st time that she is not a little girl any more, she has grown into a beautiful young woman. How did that happen? It seems like yesterday she was a babe in my arms or just learning her ABC's, now she is a YW.

She is always telling me "mom don't Blink!" I think I have because she can't be 1/2 way grown. In the next 10 years she will have her 1st dance, date and kiss. She will graduate from high school, learn to drive and go to Prom. She will decided what it is she wants to do with her life and may even be married and have a child or two, I'm hoping this waits a while linger. But she will have so many things going on that I know these years will fly by. Anyone have any ideas on how not to blink?

Haven't Been there, Don't want it to happen, and I'm going to treasure all that I can.

He's not my little brother anymore...

Mr and Mrs. Benjamin Christopher Williams

Well technically he is. My Brother Ben is 16 almost 17yrs younger than me. I wasn't around much of his growing up but he was still loved by me. I had waited a long time for a brother, in fact when my sister was born and I found out it wasn't a brother I told my dad to send her back, I would wait for a brother.

I remember he turned 8 the year I was married and he turned 10 the year I had my 1st child. I remember he used to let her sit in his lap while he played video games. For the past 7 years he has had another girl in his life, and this past Saturday October 10, 2009 he made Mallory a permanent part of his life and our family.

The wedding was set in a little country church that Mallory had grown up in. The flowers where beautiful as well as the music, the bride,everything. One thing that touched us was when the mothers to light the family candles used for the unity candle the song played was "There is Beauty all Around When There's Love at Home." Ben had that played I'm sure.

The special part of the day for me was that my two girls where so happy to be included in this special day for their Uncle and new Aunt. Elisabeth was a lovely Jr. Bridesmaid and Evelyn was a beautiful flower girl.

We didn't have a lot of family from out of town but those that showed up I was glad to see. My Uncle Glenn (whom everyone thinks Ben acts like) and his sin BJ (he's 1 yr younger than Ben) Then my Mother's Aunt and Uncle from her Fathers side surprised us, and Helen and her daughter Lana from mother's mom's side also came. So it was a nice little reunion and as one of them said "better to get together for a wedding than a funeral."

The reception was lovely, dinner and fun had by all. I'm not sure if Mallory will ever forgive Ben for shoving cake up her nose. B.J. caught the guarder and then lost it and Christina caught the Bouquet and then was knocked to the ground and lost it. There was a lovely Sunset that night that topped the whole thing off. The only thing that could have made it better was if Dad could have been there, but we can't live by "what If's."

I'm just glad that Ben has finally tied the knot.

Been there, Done that, Time for Christina to do the same.

Blessings

I have decided that I need to have a blessings journal. I have been through a lot lately and I need to remind myself of the blessings that have come from the Trials. I truely believe that with every trail there are blessings sometimes we have to look hard to find them, and sometimes we don't find them but they are there. I also believe that if you look for them they become easier to find.

So here I go... 2 days before Vacation I got a speeding ticket... was I speeding? i don't know for sure but I probably was since I have a lead foot... the Blessing is this is that I had to go to traffic school, I have learned to lessen the weight of my lead foot and I now TRY to keep my speed within the limit, I also learned a lot that I had forgotten over the last 23 years.

On the way home from Vacation we had an accident the totaled our only working vehicle... Blessings one of the other drivers was from our area, I know his kids from school so he brought use the 3 hrs home... we got a "New-to-us"car that is bigger, so when we go on vacation again we have more room.

About 1 week before my brother's wedding my father had a stress test done, the results where not good, 5 days before the wedding he had to have Quad-By-Pass surgery done... have not seen the blessing here except that he could have had a major heart attack at the wedding.

3 days before the Wedding mom fell and broke her shoulder... Blessing we canceled the rehearsal dinner and had a desert (just cake and punch) much less stress on mom, my sister and me.

Thursday night needed to borrow a vehicle from the neighbor... it was a truck get to mom's need to move stuff from her attic like closet. It wouldn't all fit in the car as we had planned used the truck and got everything moved to Brother's house in 1 trip.

Dad had to miss the wedding... We really thought he would be out of the hospital in time and we had made the plans of how to take care of him at the wedding... blessing was less stress on us, we didn't have to worry about whether he was over doing it... we all got to enjoy the wedding and my brother is now married to the love of his life.

Dad was suppose to come on Sunday meaning Christina would have to stay the week after having an already stressful one... dad didn't come home... blessing was that Christina got to go home and have a whole week of rest while I took care of mom.

I can now see that the struggles and trails that I have gone thru have many blessings some I haven't even listed. I truly believe that listing our blessings help us grow stronger and learn that God doesn't close a door without opening a window.

"That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

Been there, Done that, and still learning.