Brian & Jessica's wedding week

Time is moving right along...at record speed might I add, and I still haven't posted about the week of Brian and Jessica's wedding. I had imagined I would do a separate post for each the bridesmaid luncheon, rehearsal dinner and wedding. But now that it's already almost been an entire month; I think it might be best to put them all together. Otherwise, it might not get done at all, and that would just be sad.

The weekend started off with a beautiful bridesmaid luncheon at Cafe 615. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Funny that I have another post with a picture of dessert and not my actual entree. I chose pizza for lunch and it was very tasty.

Amazing chocolate gateaux! I was very happy with my choice of dessert; I always tend to choose chocolate. But, everyone that ordered the creme brulee, said it was the best they had ever tasted.

An add a pearl necklace as a bridesmaid gift. So pretty and so thoughtful. Jess also gave us each a monogrammed bag with goodies to use on the day of the wedding. Forgot to get a picture of that, but it is super cute too.

The bride with all of the bridesmaids.

Sisters and best friends.

Jess with her little flower girls.

Later that night we had rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner at Felix's Fish Camp.

Soon to be Mr. and Mrs.

Favors and seating arrangement

Grooms cake

Gold letters on the petit fours!

I love this scripture verse my mom chose for the theme. So fitting for a husband and wife and for my brother, since he's in the metal business.

Malted milk balls for the favor...my brothers favorite!

Poor mr. crab, from Kim's big bateau platter. I think this was a popular choice for dinner. I ordered the fresh catch almondine and chose grouper. It was so good! I don't think I will ever order anything different from the menu.

Gracie joined us for dinner while Ella Claire stayed home with a babysitter.

I could kick myself for not taking more pictures any pictures at the wedding!! It was beautiful! There were pretty things everywhere. In my defense, I was a bridesmaid, Jeremy was best man, EC was a flower girl and Gracie was 2, almost 3 weeks old! We were a little busy.

Here are a few I took before the wedding.

Jess was a beautiful bride! She was literally glowing.

And that's it! I wish I had pictures from the ceremony and reception. But after the wedding, I was too busy feeding a hungry infant and chasing a crazy 2 year old. So sad all the Cooper/Dean wedding fun is over! However, the Dean/Manley wedding fun is just beginning!

fall 2011 headers

terrific two's!

Oh my! Are we having fun these days! Two year olds are very picky people. Good thing they are just so irresistibly cute!

Sometimes, even the simplest things turn out to be not so simple. Such as smiling for a family photo.

After we successfully made it to church with 2 tots in tow, Jeremy and I, well, really just me, wanted a picture to document the special day. It took just a few tries. :)

It also takes a steady photographer to get a good picture. ;)

Sitting still and smiling for 30 seconds for a picture is just too hard for a two year old.

And she's done!

Finally, after we bribed her with (gasp) CHOCOLATE! We got a nice, pretty family picture.

They also like to do silly things, such as wear sunglasses in the car, when it's dark outside.

And they can create a great big mess when mommy is changing baby sisters diaper!

Sometimes they like to climb in mommy and daddy's bed in the middle of the night. And then wiggle themselves completely sideways...

This picture was taken at 2am. :)

But a big smile like this makes it all worth it!

         

birthdays galore!

Jeremy's birthday was the Friday before Gracie was born. I made a special dinner just for us, I even pulled out the fine china. At the last minute Ella Claire ended up joining us. :) So much for a romantic dinner at home, but still very special, and fun memories were made.

On the menu: filet mignon, baked potatoes, and salad.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good picture of our food, but I used a marinade on the filet's that my family has been using for a long time. It makes the best steaks ever; melt in your mouth steaks. If you need a good marinade or plan on having steaks anytime soon, give this marinade a try.

1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1 stick melted butter
juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 minced garlic cloves

*melt butter and add all other ingredients. pour over steaks in a ziplock bag. marinate over night. grill until like doneness.

For dessert, we had chocolate molten cake. I took a chance and just randomly chose a recipe online (it was recommended by the pioneer woman, so I wasn't too worried), and it definitely turned out a winner. I didn' know what a breeze these would be to make either.  You can literally throw them together in no time at all.

Okay, I know this next picture is not that pretty, but I wanted to show the inside of the cake and how perfectly they bake. Just like you would find in a restaurant; nice and firm on the outside and ooey gooey on the inside.

So even though this post is almost 1 month late, Happy Birthday, Jeremy! I love you with all my heart!

Ella Claire turned 2 on October 6th which was the Thursday before the wedding and 2 1/2 weeks after Gracie was born. I didn't plan a big party for her and planned to have one towards the end of October. However, I did want to make the day special for her. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she said, "birthday hat, birthday balloons, and CAKE!" I so wish I had videoed her saying this because the way she said it was too cute! If I get a chance in the near future, I'll try to post it. Anyway, I figured if she wasn't having a party, then I could definitely handle a birthday hat, balloons and a cake.

Earlier in the week we went to party city (that's a whole other story, just fyi, don't take your baby to party city during halloween. Sweet, innocent eyes will see too much. Honestly, it was too much for my eyes.) Anyway, we ran with our eyes covered to the birthday theme aisle and picked out some fun minnie balloons and minnie party supplies.

I planned to pick up the balloons on Thursday, make her a small birthday cake and have pizza for dinner; just the 4 of us, since the wedding was just 2 days away. Steph ended up spending the night (and the rest of the week) because of my parents having house guests for the wedding. Andrew came over to help with rehearsal dinner favors that Steph and I were working on, and Brian, Jess, Jon Jon and Su Su (J's parents) just happened to stop by to see the birthday girl. So, we ended up having quite a few people join our party. It was so fun and i'm so glad everyone was able to join us, wish the rest of our families could have stopped by too! :)

This is the look I sometimes get from my big, strong willed, independent and determined 2 year old. :) The terrific two's are just TERRIFIC, and all my friends tell me 3 is even more fun! oh my!

Our family photo. We haven't quite figured out how to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time yet.

This next picture of EC turns my heart into a puddle. She is a very serious girl and I just love this great big smile on her face! It's pure delight.

Steph laughed at my DIY in 5 minutes, minnie mouse birthday hat. They didn't have any minnie hats at party city. So I bought and cover a princess one in pink and white polka dotted fabric that I already had at home and put a black fluff on top. Looks minnie enough for me, and EC loved it!

Ella Claire got lots of phone calls on her big day and she was loving that!

Can't believe this little girl is two! Life with her is so much fun and she truly is a blessing! Happy Birthday, Ella Claire! I love you to the moon and back!