Stephanie and Jimmy tie the knot!

I am so happy to be able to report this Mommy Tale -- Aunt Steph got married! Her and Jimmy Minier tied the not on Feb. 21, 2015 in Tampa. Ronnie, Drew and I were all part of the wedding party and it was a WONDERFUL wedding weekend.  

We got to spend time with Steph and Jimmy and get to meet Jimmy's side of the family.  They were great!  Also - the Weber's were invited to the wedding and made the trek to Florida (not a tough decision during a MN winter :-), so we had lots going on!  

The wedding festivities began on Friday with the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  Drew was a ring bearer and we all hoped and prayed that he would do better during the actual ceremony then he did during the rehearsal..........but we all learned very quickly that God doesn't answer ALL of our prayers ;-)  .....

The ceremony and reception were held at the Sheraton in downtown Tampa.  The rehearsal dinner, hosted by the Minier family was at Jackson's Bistro (also downtown).  It was a really fun night with a GREAT view of the water and the city!  

Here is our attempt at a family photo...

Drew wasn't exactly into getting his picture taken again... even Papa couldn't get this stinker to smile!

Keeping a toddler entertained at a restaurant for 3 hours is not an easy task (as most parents know), needless to say by the time the food came around Drew wasn't interested in eating, but instead building a beautiful masterpiece out of his food.... stacking his entire meal in a water glass.  I just had to sit there and laugh.... "food art", right?

It's wedding day!  We all got ready with Steph in the bridal suite - it was such a fun day!

Cathy helping Steph with her dress.. so precious.  Steph looked absolutely AMAZING!

Mommy and Drew selfie!  I had to keep him entertained so we took lots of pictures of each other then looked at them together....   He looks SO MUCH LIKE HIS DAD IN THIS PICTURE!!!

He thought it would be fun to crawl into the bed before we headed off for pre-wedding photos.  Here is where he found his blankie... which made it's way to the photo session. I just went with it.  

Drew and Great Grandma Merrill having a chat.  I just wish I knew what each of them were thinking.  This is one of my most favorite pictures ever.  Oh, and his blankie was hand made by Great Grandma Butcher.  What a beautiful moment to capture.

Takin' a little walk.... Mr. Busy body needed to go see everything.  The pictures were taken at the Universiy of Tampa campus which is so beautiful (and where Ronnie went to college).  Daddy had to show him around campus a bit...

CHEESE!  The three of us (plus the baby bump) were ready to head to the ceremony!

This is really where Drew's Wedding Performance began... instead of walking down the aisle like a nice little boy and handing off the pillow like he was supposed to, he threw the pillow down when he got through the door, dropped to his knees (I actually thought he was going to do a summersault), laid on his back for a second then got up and threw a small candle that he snuck in from the lobby.  Oh, it doesn't stop there.  Then he "stopped to smell the roses" and started throwing the rose petals that were so nicely spread in the aisle by the flower girl who walked ahead of her like a perfect princess.  Needless to say, mommy had to step in and escort him down the aisle.  THIS KID!!!!!

Wow, Titi you sure have a handsome date!  Titi Raquel was at the wedding so Drew had a great time hanging with her and the Webers while mommy was off with the bridal party before the reception. 

I love this picture -- Ethan and Drew look like BROTHERS!  Such cute smiles and such great buds - love it!

"Hey dad, what do you say you put me down and I go show you some of the new dance moves I have..."

Drew's Wedding Performance continued on the dance floor ... all. night. long.  Between bustin' a move here and jumping off the second step of the sweetheart table stage (which BTW - NONE of the other kids attempted this) he was on his feet from 6:45-10:45.  He stopped for gelato and milk, but that was about it!  

Grandma - put me down!  I want to DANCE!!!!!!!

Drew having a little chat with Steph  "Aunt Steph, you look beautiful tonight." 

Drew really loves Jimmy too.  All weekend long it was 'Jimmy' everything!

Look at this stunning family!  We were SO happy they were there to celebrate with us!  We love you guys so much!!!

Weddings are so joyful  and seeing Jimmy and Stephanie say their vows and commit their love to one another was truly a beautiful thing.  We couldn't be happier for the couple and so thankful to be a part of such an amazing day in their lives.  

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Minier!

Ethan's 5th and Hilton Magic - what a great combo!

I'm a little late posting this (what else is new) but excited to write about this fun January trip Drew and I took a couple weeks ago!

 

History to this trip..... last summer I decided it was time to give back to a great program that taught me so many life skills, including leadership, teamwork and the meaning of goal setting.  This great program is called 4-H!   We attended the 4-H Foundation Golf Tournament (which my dad organized and was an awesome event).  After the tournament, there was an auction to help raise additional money for the foundation. So.... we bought two tickets to an Iowa State Men's Basketball Game of our choice - in some great seats at Hilton!

 

Fast forward... the second week of January Ronnie landed a new scouting job with the Yankees (YAY!) and all of a sudden this trip to Iowa in January, with Drew by myself didn't sound so great :-)   However... when we realized that the game we picked fell on the weekend of Ethan Weber's birthday it was a no brainer!

 

Off to MN and IA we went!

 

 

Drew and I had an early flight so we crashed the night before at the hotel attached to the airport.  This was the kick-off to the weekend with Drew sleeping with mommy :-)  I never let him do that at home so it was a treat for both of us!

 

 

Good thing 'Sir Drew' ordered a king size bed!

Yup - Jammies to the airport and ready to rock this place at 6am!

I learned that the good thing about flying on a Saturday (from Florida to MN) is that none of the flights are full!  We had our own row on both flights up and both flights back.

 

I am so proud of him.  He is such an amazing little traveler - such a trooper.

 

"Hey mom - are they gonna bring us some apple juice?"

 

Aunt Wendy picked us up and we headed straight back to the Weber's for Ethan's 5th birthday party!  So we got to see Grandpa Butcher, Connie, Grandma Lori, Frank and ALL the cousins!  He knows everyone's names and it make me so happy and worth all the time and effort getting there!!!

 

While we were waiting for everyone to arrive - Drew decided to try on a few things.  He loved the football helmet -- but was MORE in love with Kelby's cowboy boots!  He wore them for the entire party (this is from a kid he won't keep his shoes on in the car for more than 10 minutes).

 

I love my cousin's house.  They have the BEST toys!

Had to get a selfie with this little guy!  Love you Lukey!

It's not a trip to see the family if we don't line up these little guys and get a pic!  This was AFTER they all had birthday cake.. getting them to sit still was NOT going to happen!

Happy Birthday Ethan!  So happy we could celebrate it with you!  Cowabunga!!

Grandma Lori and Frank spent the night so grandma was able to steal some extra snuggles with the boys! 

 

Off to Ames in our Cyclone gear!  It was a Monday night game (starting at 8pm) so I was a little worried how this was going to go.... BUT......

 

 

 

We got lots of tickles from Grandpa after eating before heading to Hilton!  He loves his Grandpa Butcher and the two of them are quite the pair...

 

 

 

My worries about him "not making it" for an 8pm game were quickly removed after he felt the excitement of Hilton Magic!  This place was rockin' (we played Texas) and he was feeling the energy!!  We were in the 6th row - awesome seats!

 

 

 

Grandma Lori has great seats too!  She was just a few rows up from us!  Of course we had to go see her and Beau during halftime!

 

 

 

Thanks Aunt Wendy.... this is soooooooooooooooo good.  First ever Clone Cone!

Devouring his favorite... POPCORN!

 

We talked about Cy all the way to the game so he was ready to find that crazy bird!  It kept him busy during the game... and then finally Cy made it around to us!

 

 

We were in a bit of Cy-Shock :-)

 

Aunt Wendy is such an awesome Aunt.  We love you!

'Where did Cy go???'

HERE HE IS! 

Drew's first trip to Hilton Coliseum was a huge success and double bonus that we were there to celebrate Ethan's 5th birthday! 

We are so blessed to have such a great family back in Iowa to visit - love you all so much!