The Adventure of The Bridal Photos

Meagan scheduled her bridal photos only to find out that she had conjunctivitis and that they would have to be postponed. Once her eye healed they were scheduled again, until it rained. Finally the day came to get her bridals done. It was a beautiful day. As Meagan and I were getting out of the car at Thanksgiving Point I said, "I wonder what will happen today. Life always seems to be an adventure." Little did I know how much of an adventure it would be.

Her bridals were taken at the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. It was so gorgeous with all the beautiful tulips in bloom. There were acres and acres of beautiful grounds and flowers. The photographers took hundred's of pictures. They were so creative, and Meagan looked gorgeous. After taking a few pictures Meagan started looking pale, and said she might pass out. I was worried I had tied the back corset part of her dress too tight , and that we might have an episode similar to Keira Knightley on Pirates of the Carribean if I didn't loosen it. I quickly loosed the back ties, and we got her some water to drink. She said she felt better so we continued on.

For quite awhile things were going great. All of a sudden in the middle of a photo Meagan said, "I really don't feel well," and started throwing up. We told her to lean forward to miss her dress, and we held her hair back. Needless to say, the flowers got extra nutrition that day. We thought that would be the end of the bridal photos, but Meagan felt so much better and wanted to continue.

Life may be an adventure sometimes, but if you stick with it, the outcome is beautiful!

Engagment Pictures

The Cutest Couple

The Wedding Planner

What a privilege it is as a mom, to be able to plan your daughter's wedding with her. It was a little overwhelming at first, but with help from our "Wedding Planner" we were able to keep on track. We were so fortunate to have Michelle as our "Wedding Planner". Michelle not only has exquisite taste, but has gone through this process before with her own daughter. How grateful we were to have her help with the decision making. She was so sweet. She went to every appointment with us. She was able to discuss all the varieties of flowers with the florist, coordinate colors, liens, and details at the Lion House, and help us sample and choose the wedding cake. Every little detail was attended to by Michelle.

The Perfect Dress

Sarah, Katelyn, and Lizzy, and I went with Meagan to choose the perfect wedding dress. We found out that to order a wedding dress takes 9 weeks. Since we didn't have 9 weeks, we got to choose from racks of dresses that were already at the store.

What a delight it was to shop for Meagan's dress. She is so sweet and easy to please. I thought she looked beautiful in all of them, but one dress inparticular stood out from the rest. The sales clerk recommended that Sarah wear the favorite dress and Meagan model the others so she could compare them. There was no comparison, Meagan had found the perfect dress. Alterations were made to make it temple ready for her big day. What a gorgeous dress!

Brothers

Ben was our bonus baby. I had to wheel and deal with Steve to convince him that there was one more child for us. I knew in my heart Ben was a boy, so I told Steve that I was sure there was another little boy for us. I had to promise it was a boy before he would consent.

Ben wants to be just like his big brother. I can't think of a better person to have as a mentor. Michael is one of the nicest boys you will ever find. He is wise beyond his years, always looking for ways to help others, and make things easier for me. I don't know of a boy his age that will open the car door for his mother. I love it!

Ben likes to follow Michael wherever he goes. Michael is a good sport about. He is so kind to his little brother. Ben likes to wear the same things as Michael too. When Michael got a new suit Ben BEGGED me to get him a suit. I justified it by saying it was for Easter and Meagan's wedding. Sometimes Michael gets a little annoyed when Ben tries to dress like him every day.

Sisters

I love watching my girl's support one another, love each other, share confidences, help each other, and share tender moments together. Their friendships will last a life time. How wonderful it is to have sisters.

Machine Pitch - Ben 2009

This baseball season Ben played machine pitch. He is a little young for machine pitch, but T-Ball is a little too much to endure. He was so excited to be on the Giants team. When he got his uniform it layed it out on the floor with his hat, glove, jersey, pants, and belt, ready to play in his game the next day. It broke my heart when the game came along and he wouldn't go. It was heart wrenching to watch him miss two games, as he tried to come to terms with his new situation.

With help from a kind Dad and his team mates cheering him on, he played in the third game. He absolutely loved it. He never missed another game. His team was undefeated, and lost in the semi-finals.

Katelyn's First Prom

Katelyn went on her first date with Britton Lopez to Senior Prom. She looked gorgeous! Her date was pretty handsome as well.

Dance Impressions 2009

Lizzy and Ashlyn

Ashlyn and Lizzy are on the same dance competition team at Dance Impressions. This year's dance was Doctor, Doctor. The girls were adorable! Their team took 1st place.

Katelyn's Dance Impressions competition dance was I Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You. It was a lyrical dance. She danced beautifully! Their team took first place as well.

Easter 2009

Grandma and Grandpa Brown have a fun Easter Egg Hunt for all their grandchildren. Even the older kids have a great time looking for eggs in the orchard. All eggs have a number on them, you can only find the eggs with your number on them. The eggs for the older kids are a lot more challenging to find. We have dinner, and share a great time together.

My kids still love to decorate Easter eggs. Michael was the Easter Bunny this year and hid all the Easter baskets. It was so funny to watch the older girls try to find their baskets. They were quite frustrated. We finally had to play the hot, cold, game with them, as they become more and more frustrated because he had hid them in the heating vents.

Something In Common

Today I went to my first funeral since the passing of my husband. It was the funeral of my brother-in-law Scott Brown's brother. Scott is the husband of Jen Brown, who is Steve's sister. His brother died tragically in an automobile accident on Saturday. He was only 42, and left behind his wife and 4 children.

I'm not sure it was a good idea for me to go, but I wanted to support Scott, Jen, their family, and Julie's family. It brought to surface many feelings, memories, and hard moments, that I have suppressed in some way.

There are several things that Julie and I have in common. Believe it or not our husband's have the same name. They are both Steve Brown's. What is the possibility of Jen and Scott loosing both of their brothers within a 9 month period, and their names are even the same. Julie and I also share the tragic sudden loss of our husbands at a relatively young age leaving behind several young children.

My heart breaks for her. I know her pain. At the viewing we hugged, cried, and she asked me if it would get easier. The first week is always the worst. I'm not sure if it gets easier, or maybe you just learn to manage your circumstances You learn everything there is about your family's finances. Like it or not, the bills are all yours. You learn to take out the garbage, and when you forget and the garbage man is coming chase him through the neighborhood with your trash can. You learn to text, talk on the phone, and check your e-mail all at the same time. You learn when the last piece of bread in the house is eaten, or the last cup of milk drunk, you get to go to the store. You learn lots about sports. You learn that in baseball a pickle isn't something to purchase at the snack shack. You learn how to celebrate your daughter's wedding without the physical presence of her father. You learn to make room in your bed for not one, but many.

Your life takes on a completely different routine. The simple routines that you once took for granted, you miss. You miss kissing your husband good-bye, watching late night movies with him, laughing over the funny things your kids did during the day, and enjoying one another's company. Life is different.

I was so impressed with Julie's strength at the funeral. What an amazing women she is. She was even brave enough to talk at her husband's funeral. I am sure we will be sharing more moments together leaning on each other's experiences and finding strength from each other. I am so sorry for Julie that we have something in common that we would rather not have at all.