Reception--June 5

These are all from the reception that night, and I LOVE so many of them--there are some pictures that are very indicative of my family's dynamic...personality just bursting through. Here's one, where my brother, the groom, is trying to hold a squirming Mac.



The girls all dolled up--no, I did not make their dresses, they were purchased. I did make their hair clips, Mimi's shrug, Mimi's headband, my jacket, and my mom's vest.



This looks a bit like it was posed, but it was candid.



My mom with the girls minus Mimi.



My father loves my girls. It is truly a marvel to watch him interact with them. He thinks they hung the moon.




My all time favorite picture of the whole day. Here we have Leiden, sitting primly, looking at someone's camera, my dad is belly laughing, probably at Mac, who is about to squirm right off my mom's lap, while my mom is resting her weary (probably because of Mac) head on my dad's shoulder. Like I said, totally indicative.




When I first saw this picture I burst out laughing. This is my grandfather, my mother's father, who has his weary head resting on the table. It was such a comical picture, until I found out that he was in grave pain that night, and the pictures were taking FOREVER. I guess it's still kind of funny.



Miriam 6/5/10: What a little sweetie, and her headband turned out gorgeous, if I do say so myself!




Another sweet pea.




Mimi really didn't know what to think of the evening.



They love this face.




Mac was wandering around doing it to strangers and friends alike.




Including my grandfather, who thought it was pretty funny. I really like my mom's face in this one, but I think the effect is heightened in the following picture.



What do you think? As a side note, on a Sunday we were at my grandfather's and Mac pulled that face to him again, and drat it all, I didn't have my camera out, because what did he do? He pulled the same face back to her! (This was very out of character for my grandpa!)



We girls have a lot of fun together, and we can't seem to all be looking at the camera at the same time. This was the best of the bunch.




Brad really likes the black and whites.



Thanks to my Uncle Mark, who snapped this one and the one that follows. Gotta love the fan in the background! It was SO hot in this greenhouse, I'll take fans in pictures any day.




POTD 6/5/10: Our new family.



My little family.



Joni and Madison dancing at the end of the evening. Very sweet. It's still a little weird to think that someone is in love with my brother. I'm sure he thought the same thing about Brad when we got married!



Mad and my mom dancing. Mad got a bit emotional.

There were more pictures taken, but none of them worked out right. At any rate, it was a wonderful evening and day for all. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Wilding! (And congrats to my parents, who are now empty nesters--they couldn't be more excited!)

The Temple--June 5

My new sister in law, Joni Wilding! Isn't her hair a gorgeous color!?



Family pics

Brad took this--I'm evidently having WAY too much fun!

New sisters

My mom's best defense when she's not able to actually physically hide from the camera is to pull a silly face. This was made particularly funny because my dad looks like he's falling over.

Wilding/Williams Wedding Dinner --June 4

The wedding dinner was beautiful. The colors were very nice together, and I must say my mom did a wonderful job with decorating! These were the finished centerpieces with the table settings. Very striking.



The favor boxes...



This was Brad's and my gift to the happy couple. Very cool letter art--if you're interested in getting your own custom name or other word, visit http://www.javajanedesigns.etsy.com/ --it's super cool stuff.



Brad snapped this one of me...



POTD 6/4/10: The happy couple--one day away from wedded bliss!




Madison plays rugby for the University of Utah team, so Joni made him this great groom's cake in honor of rugby.




Brad and Madison also pitched in with the preparations--they filled the favor boxes with all manner of chocolatey goodness.




I'm sure my mom was thrilled to know that her centerpiece wreaths were put to good use even after the party.

Salt Lake City--June, Pre-Wedding

Here begins the SLC saga...this is POTD 6/1/10. We went through the temple with Madison's bride-to-be, Joni, that day, and went to lunch afterwards. Totally blurry picture, but notable in that we are sans kids!



The next day we headed up to Park City to play there, and met Grandma there.

POTD 6/2/10: Leiden was so excited to go on the jumpy thing. Luckily she was big enough, and I had to go distract Mac, who was not big enough, with another alpine slide ride.

She went SO high because she doesn't weigh a lot!

Of course, Grandma got us all ice cream after playing.

Mimi 6/2/10: She was a little less than impressed by the whole thing. She actually got her first bit of sun up there. Her cheeks were really pink and then peeled a bit after a few days. I also got sun on my legs--not good all around.

Miriam 6/3/10:

POTD 6/3/10: My mother refuses to have her picture taken, so I had to settle for this. She made these beautiful wreaths out of fresh greenery to put on the tables at the wedding dinner. She worked for hours and burned her hands like crazy, but they turned out awesome.

Miriam 6/4/10: Brad is always doing funny things with the kids--he is much more imaginative than I!

The Rest of May

Here is a SERIOUS post. There are probably 50+ pictures here, in one giant post, so I can be only 3 weeks behind instead of 6!


Miriam 5/10/10. Still had tons of hair, and a little smile.





Miriam 5/11/10: Hands are in the mouth a LOT more than they were even just a little while ago.





POTD 5/11/10: Leiden is very helpful when I allow her to be. It's the age old problem that the kids helping is usually more difficult than doing it yourself. She is always asking to change Mimi's diaper, and she did it!

Leiden lined up her animals, dinosaurs, and bugs, and had them set up on the table so they looked like they would be engaging in war at any second. Love the creativity.

One of the combatants:





POTD 5/12/10: Finished the pleating for my wedding jacket today. That's by far the most arduous part of the whole thing!





Sweet Meems:




She reached out and touched a toy today, so that's good. She's been eyeing them for a while now.




Miriam 5/13/10:






POTD 5/13/10: At the store I got the most garish color combo of eyeshadow I could find, knowing that Leiden would think it was awesome. She does not understand the rudiments of makeup application, however, insisting it go on our foreheads, down our noses, and under our eyes like football players. But, it's something we can do together. I just have to remember to wash my face before I go anywhere!






POTD 5/14/10: This is the house we saw today. We really liked it and felt like it would be a good fit for us. We still have more to see, so we'll have to keep it in mind.






Miriam 5/14/10: Her little tongue comes right out when she's playing these days.




And the hands go in!

POTD 5/15/10: We officially moved everything out of our house today. The buyers want to move in a bit early, so this is the last weekend before their requested date. Kind of nostalgic.

Miriam 5/15/10:

POTD 5/16/10: We are offering on that house! Hopefully it will work out.

Miriam 5/16/10: Out comes the tongue once again!

She's a funny one. She really likes her little play gym--particularly when she can look at herself in the mirror.

POTD 5/17/10: The girls love to run around outside at every opportunity. The weather has been lovely, so we try to make it outside whenever we can.

Mac does great action shots--look at that hair!

Miriam 5/17/10: No guile. None at all.

Finally got to go out to the pool in our apartment complex--both girls are doing great in the water. Mac is a fish, and the most common thing you hear from her while in the pool is "Let go!" and "I do it!" She is entirely capable of zooming around with no help from us as long as she has her swim pack on.

She'll even jump in the water without prodding--in fact you have to remind her NOT to do it without us there to help her.

Leiden is also doing GREAT. She has long had some issues with water in her face and eyes, so we are pleased she is doing so well.

POTD 5/18/10: Leiden happy in the water without help--truly an astounding event.

Miriam 5/18/10: Mimi loves her bath--it's more calm relaxed fun than the circus it turns into in later years.

POTD 5/19/10: I simply cannot take the girls to the pool by myself--Mac is scary and has to be watched very carefully, Mimi does not get in, and Leiden needs reassurance. So...I borrowed an idea from my sister in law and filled a big bin with water and let them go to town on our balcony. Not quite the same, but they were occupied for a while!

Miriam 5/19/10:

POTD 5/20/10: After pool trips, the girls need baths, and that's usually when I'm trying to get Mimi down, so Brad took it upon himself to get them cleaned up.

Miriam 5/20/10: She loves to look at the baby in the mirror. It's super cute, and she often makes more noise there than anywhere else.

POTD 5/21/10: I've been working on Mimi's headband for the wedding, and it's so cute! Of course Brad thinks it's too big and gaudy for her, but that's kind of the point.

Miriam 5/21/10:

Miriam 5/22/10: See? Super cute. I think my favorite part is the French netting--or maybe the feathers.

Kids coming home from the pool all bundled up.

POTD 5/22/10: The girls sure love their daddy!

We took a walk today--on the hottest, most humid day of thee year so far--to see the Millennium Gardens, which are right by our apartment. They are nice--if we still live here when the girls get married, they would be an ideal spot.

POTD 5/23/10: I really just chose this one because I'm in it--being behind the camera most of the time means no pictures of me.

Miriam 5/23/10: I don't know how she did it in the heat and humidity, but she fell asleep in the stroller for most of the walk.

I always seem to catch Brad performing feats of derring-do, and usually with the children.

Where there is water, my children will need to touch it.

Mac occasionally shows somewhat surprising bouts of motherliness. This was such a one. Although in this case, I think she just really likes that the dolly has a binkie.

Those heavy cheeks.

I usually just snap and snap and snap pictures, so I'm almost always guaranteed to get some strange/funny/less than attractive/addicted to illegal substance/half asleep pictures. Generally I'm torn between putting them on the blog because they make me laugh, and not wanting ANYONE to see them. This one isn't so bad.

Love the upset pictures. "Here, Mimi, cry until I can remember where I put the camera, run and grab it, and then take some shots." It really is unfortunate.

POTD 5/24/10: Wrapped presents tonight for Leiden's birthday. Can't believe she's five tomorrow.

Another one of the questionable inclusions on the blog.

Hanging out at the Barringers'.

Miriam 5/25/10: Evie thought it would be totally cool to put her sunglasses on Meems. She was right. Meems looks so chic.

Leiden enjoying some of the candy Grandma sent for her birthday.

The girl has got eyes.

One of the little things Leiden got yesterday at her birthday. Miss pink poodle is attending a tea party.

This cute little tea set got a lot of use in the day or two before we went to SLC. I also discovered that my super glue has dried out, thanks to Mac's propensity to mischief. The tea cups will have to be glued back together another day.

Water tastes so much better drunk out of a cup barely big enough for a sip!

Miriam 5/26/10:

POTD 5/26/10: We closed on our old house--we are officially homeless and have lots of money in the bank. Go figure. By the way, we have a signed purchase agreement for the house we liked--we'll move in July 9!

POTD 5/27/10: We leave for Utah tomorrow, and the packing list just keeps growing. Good thing we're driving or we'd pay a fortune in baggage fees!

Miriam 5/27/10: Mimi still has trouble falling asleep and staying that way, but she has found her thumb on several occasions, now, which I hope will continue. Not taking a binky is a foreign concept around our house!

We picked Brad up straight from work to leave for SLC, so here we are finally making our way out to the car to leave.

POTD 5/28/10: Here we are, eating dinner on the road. We needed to stretch our legs, and the girls thought tailgating was fun.

POTD 5/29/10: Mt. Rushmore was the stop we made today. It really is remarkable.

Miriam 5/29/10:

Poor girls stuck in the car for hours on end!

At some random rest stop in Wyoming, there was a giant colony of prairie dogs--totally tame and expecting to be fed by the people stopping. We even saw one guy laying down on the ground with a cracker in his mouth and a prairie dog going up to him and eating the cracker out of the guy's mouth. Gross.

The day after we got to SLC, we celebrated Leiden's birthday with my family, and it was also my aunt Leigh's birthday. You know the song...

Happy Birthday to you,

You live in a zoo!

You look like a monkey,

And you smell like one, too!

My mom was pretty excited that she found these masks in honor of Leigh. (This was the runner up for the POTD!)

POTD 5/30/10: Leiden got a cheerleading dress up from Grandmere, as well as a ballerina ball gown and some little trinkets. I already knew this was what my mom was doing, and Leiden had seen a cheerleading outfit in Target, and said the following: "Look, Mommy, a cheerleader outfit! I wish I had gotten that for my birthday. Maybe next year." She's spot on with the cheerleading moves, too!

Blowing out the candles on her purple and pink flowered cake.

Miriam 5/30/10: Mimi liked the balloons from the party, and Brad managed to get her to hold on to one.

For the first time in a long time we were here to do the Macdonald Memorial Day rounds.

POTD 5/31/10: We almost never see Grandma Mac, so this was what marked this day.

Miriam 5/31/10: Mimi pretty much just slept on my shoulder in the hot sun, covered with a blanket. Fine by me!

Whew! If you're still awake, I'm amazed! Now I'm only 3 weeks behind instead of 6. Super. I"ll get back in the swing of things. There were tons of pics taken during the rest of our trip in SLC.