Weekend: Weddings and a New Trick

      This weekend we had one wedding and one wedding reception to attend.  We took the girls to both, so basically, they were dressed like this all weekend.

As you may imagine, attending weddings with two kiddos presents more of a challenge than going with just adults.  The wedding on Saturday was at 2 in the afternoon, and we knew many other kiddos would be there, so we went ahead and took the girls.  We sat on a back row with an exit-strategy and with other children.  During the course of the beautiful, (mercifully short) ceremony, the kids ate through an entire tube of Puffs.  Like they had never seen a snack before.  One my my favorite moments was when Lily looked at a very quiet Bella and said, "Bella!  Shhh!  You need to be quiet!"  Also, eating cake at a reception never looked like this before kids.  At least, I hope not.



On the way out of the parking lot, we discovered a great little trick for the car.  Bubbles through the air-conditioner.  You may or may not have tried this - do it.  It is fun and a definite hit for the back-seat peanut gallery.




And, in news of our on-going war with Lily over picking up toys, this is where things stand in her room currently.



My latest strategy is to set a timer and take away anything that hasn't been picked up in the allotted time. She certainly understands it, but over the course of the last three days, every item in her room that she used to play with is on top of something, out of her reach.  Including her rug, which she rolls up every day.  I am curious as to how "nap time" will go today, with nothing to arrange.  We shall see.

      I think it is easy on a blog to look like our life is great and easy all the time.  Let me assure you, it is not.  We spent Sunday afternoon having deep, hard conversations about life, God, truth, ect.  You know - all the things with simple answers.  How frustrating it is to realize all the things we don't know and will never know on this side of heaven.  We struggle - a lot.  And yesterday, some of those conversations came to a head with some hard realizations.  We need prayers, and we need the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts and lives.  Brokenness and messiness are not fun, but they are real, and that is where we are. Broken and messy.  I look forward in hope, knowing that God loves us more than we can imagine, and that He wants to reveal Himself to us more and more.  I am so thankful for that hope.