back in business

Sorry for such a dry spell of posts. So much has happened. The biggest news is that I started my job 2 weeks ago and it is going well. I am babysitting Iris, a 3 month old baby, 4 days a week. The first week I only did it two days, last week and next week are 3 days, and then I start the regular 4 day work week. It has been a rather interesting job. Hannah, for the most part, has adapted pretty well...however, she always wants something while I"m feeding Iris. This, of course, is the only time when I can't get her things. For the most part, Hannah is gentle. I have also started calling her, "mommy's little helper." I ask her to help me with things like finding Iris's paci, or holding the lid to the bottle. She responds to this very well. She even helps me change Iris's diaper...this consists or her running down the hall in front of me and pointing to the changing table. I find that if I involve Hannah in whatever it is I need to do for Iris, she is very cooperative.

Iris (and her parents Dawn & Matt) live in a nice neighborhood. There are tons of parks in the area. We have walked to 5 different parks, 3 of which have some sort of water shooting device that allows Hannah and I to cool off (Iris isn't a huge fan of the water...yet). Dawn and Matt also have a fenced in backyard, which we have played in (both Iris and Hannah like to be outside).

The only thing that is challenging is that if one baby cries, the other decides to cry as well. I'm not quite sure what the deal is there, but it can be alittle stressful at times...two babies crying, one upset, and the other just cry for the heck of it or something.

All in all, I think it's a good fit. There are several reasons why I think God placed this job in my path. And when things get tough, it's a comfort to know this is part of God's plan for my year. He knows I can handle it, and that it will help build my character...and Hannah's.

The Wedding Activities

Weddings are so much fun...especially when it's your own family. My family has a tendency to have a really fun time when we are all together...and this was no exception. Caleb and I returned from La Grande just in time for a traditional Fry family meal out on the deck with the new in-laws (the Brents). We had a tasty meal of Salmon, potatoes and goop, and blackberry frozen yogurt.

The next evening (wed night) was the bachelorette party. All the gals were instructed to wear black and Colleen was dressed up in a white wedding dress found at Value Village (quality!).

We decided that her sash should say "bride-chilla" since she has been a laid back bride. After a tasty dinner, we went out kareokeing. It was a great time. Colleen and Abby were the stars of the night, but Kim, Rebekka, and I did a stunning performance of Wannabe. And in great tradition Benny and I did a duet. Unfortunately they didn't have Aladdin, so we settled for Summer Nights from Grease. We were really good (in my humble opinion).

On Thursday night, Caleb, Hannah, and I opted out of the Mariner's baseball game (which they won!) to have some chill Hug family time. Hannah gets really excited and hyper when alot of people are around, so it was nice to have a night with just the three of us, where she could go to bed early and just chill.

Friday my parents hosted a BBQ for all the out of town guests (which was about half the wedding). It was a beautiful, sunny day and we spent most of it in the water.

Here's my dad grilling up the hamburgers and salmon burgers.

Here's most of the group chillin by the water

Here's Caleb and Hannah hanging out on the deck

We had to drag ourselves away to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Here I am remembering to stop and smell the roses...which I just so happen to match perfectly!

Here's a picture of the cousin's table (+ Abby) at the rehersal dinner.

The waiter brought out a special plate of cheese for Hannah, which really enjoyed.

Unfortunately I don't have very many pictures from the wedding, but let me assure you it was really nice. Here are some pictures from before the wedding:

Here’s Colleen and crew getting ready at the house:

Here are some pictures of the flowers, etc.. Aren’t they beautiful? I love all the bright colors!

Here's the original family picture

And here's our New family picture:

Here's Hannah running down the aisle with her flowers. She almost stole the show with her flawless performance as a flower girl. She saw everyone looking at her and ran down the aisle, while flower pedals hopped out of her basket. I was surprised when I saw pictures afterwards at what good coverage she got.

Colleen and Matt had a really fun and creative reception. Each table was labeled by a different place that Colleen and Matt had traveled together and had a picture of them together at that place. And to start things off, they arrived in style on the speed boat. The reception, of course, was a blast. Here’s a picture of the cousin’s doing a song for Colleen and Matt:

And here are the Aunts and Uncle perfroming their song:

And the newly weds:

oopps, wrong picture. :-D

Their first dance

More Dancing

What a fun week and wedding. Yay Colleen and Matt (and Mom & Dad) for planning such a fun week!