wedding weekend

we took all the kids to fort worth this past weekend for a good college friend's wedding. we got in friday for the rehearsal dinner and the girls stayed with my dear friend cindy and her precious little girl eloise. she is adorable.

the rest of the weekend we stayed with another friend and his wife. they were so thoughtful. when we came in they had little twin mattresses on the ground with a small stuffed animal, coloring books, and crayons waiting. very exciting. saturday we took the girls to the rainforest cafe for the first time. so we are walking in the mall, have been talking it up all day, and abby sees some of the fake animals and hears the growling and starts jumping up and down, pulling on my hand in the opposite direction, screaming, yelling, "no! i want to go home! i want to go home!" hysterical crying and screaming. and emma is like, "it's okay abby. it's okay." so i sit with abby, rock sam to sleep in the car seat, and hold my screaming girl in my lap and very calmly explain that we will not be going home, that the animals are not real, that i cannot talk to her when she is yelling, and on and on. i pray through the screaming, and get to the root that she is scared the animals are going to bite her.

emma runs in with russell and comes back out saying, "abby. it's okay. there is a rainbow butterfly necklace!" (because she knows the combination of rainbow and butterfly is abby's most favorite thing)

to which abby tearfully replies, "can you get it for me?" now we know she is serious. she will not even go in for a rainbow butterfly ploy.

so we pull out the camera and emma and russell go through and video the inside of the rainforest cafe, with emma doing a really cute narration with excitement the whole time. then i go in and she can see me talk to the stuffed animals. somehow she goes in voluntarily, russell carries her all around, and she gets over it and is soooo excited. ends up being a great lunch.

later...

abby: "emma, thank you for telling me about the rainbow butterfly necklace."

they hug

they kiss

abby: "you're the best sister."

emma: "you're the best sister."

the wedding came and emma and abby were all, "where's lindsey, where's the bride?" they waited like little ladies and beamed with excitement when the bridesmaids and lindsey came down the aisle. they are done with being toddlers. they are girls now. 

and after all of the weeks of waiting with anticipation of dancing at the wedding, when we get to that part it is past nine at night. they got to dance with the bride and bridesmaids. they make it through maybe 6 songs or so before emma is in my arms ready to go to sleep. we get out for a dance with emma in my arms, and abby in russells, and i looked over and saw sweet sam asleep in his car seat, and my heart was overwhelmed with love and joy and complete gratitude for all that He has given to us. i am so unworthy, but so very thankful.