Laura & Mike's Wedding - Reception

Here are the reception pictures.  Congratulations to Laura & Mike!!

My mom and dad, a.k.a. "we paid for this party"

getting ready to leave Sunday morning

Laura & Mike's Wedding - Getting Ready

If you have ever been a bride or a bridesmaid you know it takes a lot of time to get ready for a wedding.  For my sister, it took 3 hair stylists, breakfast, 5 Starbucks coffees, mimosas, one US Weekly, one Cosmopolitan (magazine, not the drink), 5 bridesmaid dresses, and 1 wedding dress.

I do not have any ceremony pictures since I was the matron of honor but up next are the reception pictures!

Laura & Mike's Wedding - Rehearsal Day

As many of you know, my sister was married this past Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky.  We had a great weekend and I wanted to share some of the pictures.

On Friday, also known as Rehearsal Day, typically the bride and bridal party get together to get our nails done.  Not wanting to break tradition, we went out for manicures and pedicures.

my mom, looking like she is about to start playing the piano

I don't have any good pictures of the rehearsal, because I was rehearsing.  But I do have plenty from the rehearsal dinner.  The dinner was at the Monarch Pavilion at Talon Winery.  It was a beautiful evening and it was a great way to start the weekend!

Laura and her bridesmaids

Mom and Laura at the bar

Me and my Grandma

Me and my Grandpa

Up next, getting ready for the wedding day and reception pictures!

What I've Learned About Being a Step-mom

As a list lover, I feel it is appropriate I share with you what I have learned so far about being a step-mom in list format.

1. You have officially become the keeper of "stuff".  You will carry and be responsible for stuff that doesn't belong to you.  You will not be surprised to find Batman, gum wrappers, and used tissues in your purse.  And you will stop cleaning out your purse because you don't want to know what else you will find in there. 
    
2. Your nice clean car is now a thing of the past.  Crumbs will mysteriously appear in your car, even though no food is present, and footprints will be everywhere.  Fingerprints are not just for windows anymore.  You are not surprised to find fingerprints on the ceiling of your car.  Invest in Magic Erasers and Awesome, trust me.
    
3. You care more about another person's bodily functions more than your own.  After a while, asking "did you poop today?" and "do you need a tissue?" 50 times a day does not feel weird or intrusive to the other person's privacy.  
    
4. Farts happen.  Especially in the car, just crack the windows for a second and hope your mouth was not open at the time of the fart.
    
5. Nudity does not bother you anymore.  Neither does peeing outside.  You just hope they go to the backyard instead of the front.  (We have neighbors you know!)     
    
6. Kids will call you out.  If you are being grouchy and mean, they will tell you.  Most likely, you are being grouchy and mean so apologize, admit they are right, and stop being Captain Grouchypants.
    
7. Kids are sponges and will repeat everything you say.  This includes swear words and phrases like "here's the deal".  "Here's the deal" is my personal favorite...until I am the recipient of the phrase, especially when I am not in a negotiating mood.  So don't say anything unless you are prepared to have it repeated back to you.
    
8. Your personal space perimeter gets adjusted.  Before you enjoyed a nice healthy distance between you and others.  But now, having someone in your face, constantly stepping on your feet, or stealing the covers doesn't bother you very much anymore.  However, you may never adjust to having someone outside the bathroom door while you are trying to do your business.
    
9. You start to use parental phrases you swore you would never say.  You now find yourself saying "because I said so" and threatening to "turn this car around right now".  You can give a lecture on any topic at the drop of a hat.
    
10. You realize you are going to make mistakes.  You are going to forget things, you are going to hit them in a head with a softball (it was an accident!), you won't always say the right thing, and sometimes you may get into disagreements about how many Silly Bandz are acceptable to wear to school.  Being a step-mom does not come with an instruction manual and you have to figure it out as you go.  Cut yourself some slack, learn from your mistakes, and pat yourself on the back for being an important person in their lives. 

It is incredibly amazing and fun to shape this little or big person and watch them grow.  Just because you don't share DNA doesn't mean you aren't a family and an integral person in their life.  And when you are lucky to have a kid like this, it makes it all the farts, lack of personal space, and mistakes worth it.

Cornhole Boards

Some of you may know that Matt is a carpenter by trade.  But what you may not know is that Matt is a very talented carpenter and recently has put his talents to use to make cornhole boards.  If you don't know what cornhole is, read this and this first.  I wanted to show off some of his work.

The Red Sox set is Matt's personal set.  I love the colors and the images are in the middle are decals (neither of us are artists, so decals are a good solution for us).  You can't tell very well in the picture but we keep them hung up on the wall.  The boards are light enough that I "No Upper Body Strength Whatsoever" can lift them off the wall and put them back up if necessary.  

The Cubs boards were made for a friend and he also included lights around the hole.  We played on these boards down by the track at dusk and the lights were exactly what we needed to keep playing.

These boards were made for a DePauw University alum but would also work for Purdue.

Cornhole boards would make a great Christmas present and can be customized any way you like.  Its also a game that everyone can play, regardless of your age and fitness level.  If you are interested in a set, let me know or email Matt at Matt101779 (at) msn (dot) com.

Sweetest. Kid. Ever.

Yes, I am biased.  But I really think Daulton is the sweetest kid ever.  He has an uncanny ability to know when you need a little extra loving.  A few weeks ago he wrote these notes for Matt and I.  He even personalized our notes to what we liked the most.  I received my note as I came home from a crappy day at work and it was just what I needed.  (He didn't add the white numbers, I did.  Just to be clear.)

#1 - Is a picture of Daulton.

#2 - Is a baseball bat with Red Sox written on it.  The Red Sox are Matt and Daulton's favorite team.

#3 - This is a picture of me and my Nook. 

#4 - Another picture of Daulton to go with my note.


He loves to color pictures for people and write them notes.  Now that he knows where the envelopes and stamps are kept, we have been mailing a lot more pictures and notes out to people.  I have pretty much given up keeping him out of the printer paper.  And, since all he wants to do is draw, color and write notes to the people he loves, going through printer paper a little faster than usual really isn't that big of a deal.