Mr. And Mrs. Nathan Patterson

Last February I revived a phone call from my cousin telling us that she'd just gotten engaged and asking if the kids and I would be in her wedding. Without hesitation I told her that we'd be honored and last weekend was the big event.

The wedding was at Edwards Mansion in Redlands, California. Knowing what the weather in this area can be like, we were DREADING the heat of an outdoor wedding and tent reception, but boy did we all luck out! The weather was hot, but not too hot and it cooled off nicely come evening.

The wedding was at 5:00 in the evening and we had to be at the mansion before 3:00 to dress and take pictures so there were no naps to be had that day. The kids had a difficult time with the waiting, got tired of posing for pictures and the ceremony was long for a busy five year old, but all in all we had a wonderful day.

Big A spent his time before the ceremony playing with his new tractor but couldn't understand why we wouldn't let him have it with him during the ceremony. Perhaps we should have, as it would have kept him occupied but he did SO well. He came over to me in the middle of it and complained a bit, but I'm REALLY proud of him.
Little A spent her time before the ceremony playing with Sarah, the other flower girl, and hanging out with the 'girls'. She likes to get right in there and be part of everything. I LOVE this picture of her looking out the window right before we lined up outside to start the bridal procession.

Kevin, Julianna's oldest brother, moved home from Kentucky just in time to be in the wedding. Seeing him from afar he looks like a clean-cut, handsome guy, huh? He had the honor of walking our grandma down the aisle and I had the honor of being paired with Kevin for walking out and for photos. That could be dangerous, huh Kev?

Here's Julianna's youngest brother, Christian. He had the honor of walking his mom down the aisle.

And here I am. While all of the bridesmaids loved the color, we were all a bit hesitant about the strapless dresses. We all pulled and tugged at them all day, but we looked good.

And here is the most handsome ring bearer you've ever seen! I LOVE THIS BOY!!

Enter the flower girls... See all those nice petals they were throwing out? Little A, my little recycler, stood in the front and picked them all up during the ceremony so her basket wouldn't be empty.

Here comes the bride....

Exchanging vows...

First dance...

Remember those two handsome boys walking their mother and grandmother down the aisle?I know Kevin and remember him as cute little two year old so I know what's really behind all that metal but I must say... If you saw him walking toward you on the street, you'd probably walk the other way. No offense, Kev, I LOVE YOU!

And here's Big A pretending to be chugging beer... I have NO idea where his obsession with beer comes from lately, but I think we need to find new camping buddies. (Kidding, Kennadys and Koenigs, kidding!)

Dance lessons have paid off! Little A was a dancing machine! She was out on the floor during EVERY song. She moved right along with everyone while they line danced to Boot Scootin' Boogie, she slow danced, she rocked out, etc. She had a BLAST!

When the cake was served Little A had a minor meltdown. I found her wandering around the center of the tent crying. When I asked her what was wrong she told me she wanted some cake. We got some cake and went to sit down but she asked to use the bathroom first. While we were doing that she looked at me and said, "I'm tired, Mommy. Can we go home?"

We left about 9:00, changed clothes in the parking lot, and headed back to our hotel EXHAUSTED! Thanks, Julianna and Nate, for a great day, and CONGRATULATIONS Mr. and Mrs. Patterson!