Just Because

It seemed like a take-photos-just-because day; so I grabbed the camera as we headed out the door.

Rehearsal

We'll start with rehearsal pictures. I can't promise when I'll have wedding pictures up because I don't have them all yet. The lights in our church are not conducive to taking pictures with less than a professional grade camera; so I take no responsibility for the lighting of these photos. Also, there are no pictures of the kids coming down the aisle because it's just too hard to get a good photo when one of the ring bearers (Elijah) is running down the aisle.
The bride and mother of the bride:

Giving Papa kisses:

Getting started on the rehearsal:

The groomsmen waiting in the wings:

Rehearsing the processional:



Practicing getting married:

Rehearsing the recessional:

"Mom, this is a beautiful necklace; may I eat it?":

The boys using the pulpit to occupy themselves:

Rehearsals can be exhausting!:

Four Generations

As we drove home the night the ultrasound techinician had told us we would be having our first girl, a multitude of different exciting thoughts came to mind. Steven and I kept saying, "When we have a girl, we'll be able to..." And for me, one of the those things was to get a four generation female picture. I tend to place a lot of importance on pictures. Therefore, I had hoped that one day I would have my own daughter and be able to pose with her and two of the women I respect the most for a picture. It is so neat when a photograph can capture the past and the future of a family. I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am that my daughter has two selfless, godly women like my mother and grandmother to look to as part of her heritage.

Last Thursday, my grandmother finally got to meet Adriana; and the photo that will always be so special to me was finally taken.

A Thief

We had a full, fun weekend from which I'll be sharing photos at a later date. I'm still trying to sift through literally hundreds of photos from the rehearsal and big day.
During this weekend, a dear friend of mine, Julie, came to stay with us so that she and her family could attend Christine's wedding. Julie and I have been friends since we were four years old. Our friendship has weathered fights over paper dolls, a couple of moves, the teenage years, married life, and having our own children. Our kids think that they are cousins and were absolutely thrilled to spend a couple days together. I wish I could have tape recorded some conversations between her oldest, Ali, and my Isaiah. Before they left, we had to get a picture of the six kids that we now have between the two of us. I was reminded again just how hard group kid pictures are to photograph. But after repositioning crawling babies, dealing with a some tears, and lots of "look at Mommy!"; we got a decent one.


Just before posting this, I went onto my camera to get the pictures and found photos on my camera that I'd never seen. They were dated 6:47 this morning.
This is one of the underneath side of the top bunk...my suspicious begin about who the culprit might be...


This is an ear and arm of the mystery photographer:


Ah-ha, I only know one three-year-old who has these Lighting McQueen pajamas.


I think I have a son to confront. Secretly, I'm looking forward to his shock at how I knew that he swiped my camera...

Wedding Apparel

Right now we're all immersed in the craziness of wedding preparations, but I had to stop and share a great Elijah quote. We've been talking a lot about "Aunt Christine and Uncle Matt's" wedding this Saturday. Today, I saw my little guy looking my pink bridesmaid dress hanging up on a closet door. To further conversation, I asked him, "Elijah, whose is that?"
His answer: "Matt's!"

Prayer

One of the pastor's at our church and his family are experiencing a significant trial; and it occurred to me that by posting about it on the blog, I could solicit the prayers of my friends in other states. This pastor and his wife (Lou and Lisa) have been near and dear to Steven and myself. God used them to help us in some past trials in our life, and they are a couple we really look up to. Last week their 10 year-old-daughter, also named Alyssa, was diagnosed with cancer in the form of lymphoma. Their oldest son has started a blog on her progress: alyssagallo.com. Reading their blog, it is quickly evident that their trust is in a sovereign God; and their joy is in the fact that their biggest problem, separation from God because of sin, has been solved by our Savior. Please be praying; for we know that "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer." ~ I Peter 3:12

Pardon?

This afternoon Isaiah looked a me and cheerfully said, "Mom, your tummy's big! It's because we were in it."
We better work this out sometime in the next twenty years or so before he gets married; or this boy may find himself sleeping on the couch a night or two.

I'm Dreaming of a White Easter

This past weekend we made our annual Easter trip to Michigan. Easter weekend is always full of Sieb Family activities. This year was no different, except that it felt like CHRISTMAS outside. Our Easter egg hunt had wind chill digits in the teens, and the weekend was peppered with snow flurries. The kids still had lots of fun and remained on a four day sugar high!

Miss Pigtails with her Grandpa Sieb:

Isaiah and Grandma Sieb playing cowboy on Uncle Eric's dog:

Adriana adored her uncle's lab and added "dog" to the list of words she can say:

Adriana and I got out the van at the egg hunt just long enough to get a picture. It was just too cold!:

The boys braved the cold. Grandpa held Elijah while they waited for the egg hunt to start and would blow warm air on his neck. When he stopped, Elijah said, "Grandpa, blow me up!"

Isaiah bundled:

A golden egg:

Great Grandma Sieb, Daddy, and Adriana:

Great Grandma teaching Elijah how to play euchre:

Dipping into the candy:

Adriana and her Uncle Eric (who she took quite a shine to):

Caught not sleeping at bedtime:

Our trip ended on a crazy note. We made it to the airport in time for our 9:30 a.m. flight, checked in, and went through security (no small feat with three little people). When we arrived at our gate, we found out that I had made an error when booking the tickets. Our flight wasn't 9:30 a.m.- it was at 9:30 p.m. My husband was so kind about it all and reminded me that God's sovereignty included my own mistakes! So 12 hours later we boarded our flight home. After being an angel all weekend, Adriana had had it and spent a majority of the flight screaming. When she finally calmed down, she tried giving peace offerings of half eaten Cheerios to the poor 10-year-old boy seated next to us. We arrived home after midnight, and the boys casually asked if they could "stay up for a little while".

On the phone

My honey, Steven, calls me everyday after lunchtime to catch up on my morning. Recently, we began putting him on the cell's speaker phone so that he could talk to Adriana (the boys are already down for a nap at this point). Adriana gets excited and often begins kissing the phone but not saying much. A couple days ago, after I had finished talking to Steven and letting Adriana to listen to him, I press the "off" button and allowed her to play with the phone. She picked it up, looked at it for a second, and shouted at the phone "DA?"