Happily Ever After

The day that we've been talking about for well over a year finally came last weekend! It was Halloween, yes, but what we were waiting for was the marriage of Jason's cousin, Michelle, to her long time boyfriend, Adam. Michelle is Amelia's godmother and we were thrilled when she requested that Amelia be the flower girl on the big day.

The day was pretty hectic and started extremely early---at least for me. I was up by 5:15 AM to make sure that I got my H1N1 shot and could be back home to get Amelia dressed and ready for the big day.

I asked someone to come to our house that morning to do Amelia's hair because I was unsure of what to do with it myself. It could not have worked out better! We strapped her in her old booster chair and put on Toy Story while the hairdresser worked her magic. Amelia did not complain once! And many have asked after seeing the pictures below if she was sporting fake hair and I assure you, she was not! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it myself. This lady was a miracle worker and hid ALL evidence of the self-given haircut that occurred 3 months ago.

We got to the church PLENTY early (some may say TOO early) with a very excited young lady. She spent lots of time practicing her walk up and down the aisle. She never once expressed any anxiety about going down the aisle and I was holding my breath that when the time came she would do as well as she did during the rehearsal.

Part of the way I occupied her was to say things like "I think Grandma is coming. You should watch out the window until you see her". That totally worked...for awhile anyway.

She also spent a good amount of time checking out the stained glass windows. Big surprise considering how bright they were and the colorful reflections they were casting on the floor.

Taking a rest to watch the beautiful bride get her picture taken pre-wedding. What? There are no pictures of the bride in this post? No wonder Amelia mistook the day for HER wedding day and had to be told several times that MICHELLE was the one getting married.

Giving me all of the details about where she was going to walk and who was going to be watching. She obviously has been listening well over the past year. All the while, I was trying to keep her from falling into the baptismal font. I thought that might be a hard thing to explain to the bride....

Leading up to the wedding, she would ask my mom, "What are you going to say to me at the wedding?". My mom would respond with something like, "Oh, Amelia! You look so pretty!". Then, matter of factly, Amelia would say, "Well, I won't hear you because I'll be walking down the aisle".

Still practicing...did I mention we got there early? And did I mention that GG made this dress? It turned out perfectly and looked so cute when it was all said and done!

The BIG moment (other than Michelle coming down of course. Oh, and that guy she married). She did SO great, I was incredibly proud. She walked super slow, was all smiles, and even cast a little wave when she saw my parents. She did so well, in fact, that I was pretty choked up by the time she made it to me.

After some post-wedding pictures which ended with a minor meltdown, we decided to get the heck out of there. We changed her into sweats, put her in the car, and hoped for the best as far as napping. To aid in getting her to sleep, we drove all the way to Warrenton and back. It worked! She slept for about an hour and was in a MUCH better mood when she awoke. We took a quick trip home to fix up her hair a bit and then it was off to the reception.

Amelia decided that she wanted to be escorted into the reception by Uncle Dave and wanted him to carry her. He, of course, obliged.

I just had to take a picture of her hair at the reception--I think I did a pretty good job getting it back in place. Although, you'll notice I didn't take one at the end of the night--it was not a pretty picture!

I am pretty sure that Amelia did not miss being out trick or treating given that she had the time of her life at the reception. She found a friend to run around with and pretty much was on the dance floor from the time we got there until we drug her off to eat dinner. There was also a stage in the back of the reception hall---if she wasn't on the dance floor, she was up there!

After dinner she was back to the grind (fueled in part by the candy buffet, I'm sure. Or was it the sugar cookies on the table?) and stayed on the dance floor off and on until we left around 10:30. Needless to say, she fell fast asleep on the way home and spent much of the day on Sunday recuperating.

It was really a fun night with family! Who's next? Dave?

Jason's parents

Jodi's parents

The Main Event!

This year, our main trick-or-treating came on the day before Halloween when we took to Main Street to score some candy. Since we were fully booked for Halloween this year (and not with a single Halloween activity, actually), we were hoping the weather would work out and allow us at least to do a little candy collecting this year.

The rain ended late in the morning and after lunch, Amelia got her hair did again! Surprisingly, she is totally into having her hair in curlers. They were a great investment and I think they will get lots of use!

The curlers came out before Jason arrived home, so we did a mini photo shoot on the porch while we were waiting for his return. Amelia was totally feeling it and posing like a pro (which is pretty rare these days). Must have been something about the promise of candy.....

Did I mention that GG whipped this dress together in no time flat? I say "whipped" because she had just finished slaving over Amelia's flower girl dress and still had it in her to churn out the Annie costume too. Is Amelia lucky or what?? I would also like to mention that the whole costume cost less than $5 in materials too...woo!

We met a few friends down on Main St. As you can see, everyone was pretty giddy!

Emma made the cutest Minnie Mouse EVER! Check out her tiny pumpkin bucket.

Let the (trick or treating) games begin. Just ignore Uncle Dave in the background who couldn't even stop texting to enjoy a little fun with his only niece. Kidding Dave ;)

Amelia was pretty funny and received several compliments on her talking. She would say "trick or treat" on the approach and then "thank you" after the candy was dropped in her bucket. As she turned to leave, she would throw in a "Happy Halloween" or "Have a good night".

This was year #3 of Main St. trick or treating and one of my favorite Halloween traditions yet. Thanks to Uncle Dave, GG, and Grandma for joining us this year!

Down on the Farm--Halloween Style

Papa John came through once again with a fun family holiday activity. We attended a similar function at Grant's Farm for Christmas, but this time we celebrated a spooky Halloween visit. The park was closed down to the public and open only to those who received special invitations from Anheuser-Busch/InBev.

We learned from last time to get there nice and early and made it on to the second tram out to the fun. Here's our little Annie waiting for the tram to arrive. The fog machine was in full force and made it a little tricky to get a great picture.

On the tram with GG and Papa John. She was pretty taken with all of the "spooky" (pronounced "fooky") stuff. She loves to be scared!

Had to get a shot of her curly locks. Thanks to a suggestion from someone in my playgroup, Amelia was subjected to numerous sponge curlers strapped to her head for about an hour. Despite looking everywhere, I couldn't find a red, curly wig, so this was the alternative.

Much of the night was spent dancing in the courtyard to the DJ. He played everything from the "Monster Mash" to the "Duck Dance" to the new Miley Cyrus smash hit.

Regardless of the tune, she could not get enough!

A little YMCA action with a vampire.

Taking a dance break for a quick snapshot with Frank. Amelia was all for it until they stepped up for the picture. Frankenstein and Dracula were in charge of keeping the dancing going for the night and they both did a great job staying in character.

Back to dancing....seriously there was no stopping her.

The whole night had a pretty sweet set up. All food and drinks were complimentary including the various stands located around the park. Costumed characters greeted us coming off of the tram with glow sticks for the kids and Mad Science put on shows throughout the night in one of the smaller arenas.

And, of course, the horses were available to look at in the stable area. When Amelia wasn't on the dance floor, it was likely to find her here.

Of course, a trip to Grant's Farm wouldn't be complete without feeding the goats a bottle of milk (also free!). Amelia wasn't so sure about these pushy little guys. She did a lot of giggling but was a little squeamish about getting too close.

Personally, I think its great practice for baby Pom Pom. If she can feed these guys, she can feed anyone!

Throughout the park, there were various "fooky" displays set up. Amelia insisted we visit ALL of them. She also insisted that she get her picture taken with Frankenstein--that is, until she got up close to him. She was convinced he was going to move.

GG and Papa weren't scared though.

Another perk of the night were endless carousel rides--thoroughly enjoyed by the little one as you might imagine!

And it wouldn't be a trip to Grant's Farm without a picture with a Clydesdale. Amelia, while stroking the horse's mane, said, "Daddy, I just LOVE this horse!".

What a fun night! It was especially nice that it was planned for the choice night of the week given the rain. The night could not have been more perfect!

It Runs in the Family

Jason has been spending lots of time painting some pictures for the baby's room. In fact, his paintings were the inspiration for the room's "theme". Amelia watched him working on the pictures one time too many and decided that she wanted to do one too. Luckily we had some canvas leftover and I had an idea up my sleeve. Stay tuned--with a little luck, at some point they may both finish their masterpieces!

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

I will keep the commentary short on this post. We ventured out to two pumpkin patches this year and that seemed like MORE than enough! (I think last year we did three). October was such a busy month with two weddings, an out of town trip, and Halloween. But we survived...somehow!

I think Amelia's favorite part was the hay throwing!

We ventured to Pumpkin Patch #2 with our friends, Natalie and Emma.

No Bones About It

After seeing this printout available HERE, I decided to give it a go with Amelia. She thought it was great! I cut it out, laminated it (with contact paper, of course) and we put it together like a puzzle.

After we were finished, she wanted her picture taken with "Bones".

Later in the week, after she had lost interest, we decided to put our skeleton together one last time and tape him to the window. We've really enjoyed having him around!

Right, so even though these pictures were taken on two different days, she is wearing the same outfit. Actually, on any given day, you may find her in that outfit!