What a Wonderful World

I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful September 27th was for our family! First, we welcomed Steph officially into our family!! My brother and Steph were dating for a long time, so she has always fit right in and felt like family, but now it is official!! I could not be happier to have gained another sister!! Second, we were all together! That, in and of itself, was something to be truly thankful for!! Third, it was a beautiful day - you never know what the weather holds, but on this day - it was perfect - 75 and sunny! God was surely smiling down on us as we came together and witnessed the joy of true love!

The wedding ceremony was beautiful at Steph's church. Steph looked gorgeous - she was a very calm bride!! Ellie and Grace walked down the aisle flawlessly! When Robby started to say his vows, my emotions got the best of me and I cried because I heard the quiver in his voice. I think because he is my only brother I am very protective and proud of him. To watch him and Steph filled with happiness and love - filled my heart with joy! The ceremony was short and sweet!

After the ceremony we checked into the hotel up the street and got settled before the reception began! Almost all of my family stayed at the hotel, including aunts, uncles, and cousins, so we had a great time visiting and catching up before the night began!! Once we arrived into the banquet hall, it was evident that Steph and Rob (we'll give him a little credit, I'm sure he muttered yes or no occasionally!!) had remembered every little detail, including keeping the kids busy and occupied! All of the table numbers were photos that Steph had taken of the University of Illinois where her and my brother started dating! Also, in front of all of the kids' seats were little boxes of activities for them to do! I'm pretty sure Eens colored the entire time before dinner was served! During the cake cutting, my cousin Jessica sang and honestly, people thought it was a recording. It amazed me that such a big voice could come out of such a petite girl!! It was beautiful! After cake cutting and dinner, the "dancing" began!! The first dance belonged to my brother and Steph - they started out slow and sweet, but then they busted out all of these moves I thought had been prepared from their dance class! It turns out that Steph had told the DJ to cancel that part of the reception, but he forgot, so they made up an entire choreographed dance!! They fooled me!! With the wine and beer flowing freely (thanks dad!) and hotel rooms waiting, we all "let loose" for the night!! It was such a fun, special place to be! I will have many memories of this night stored in my heart for a long time to come, as I'm sure my whole family will! At one point, there was the 6 of us (mom, dad, me, T, Rob, and Steph) dancing together - it was a moment that I will freeze in my mind to help get me through the tough days!! I have to admit that I may have "let loose" a little too much by the end- my dad prompted me to do the worm - yes, I did a little breakdancing in my dress!! But, it was all in good fun and my muscles really didn't hurt too bad the next day!! It was a fun night with lots of crazy stories to tell that we will all giggle at when we are together!

Thank you Steph and Rob for letting us all join in to watch you celebrate your love for one another!! We love you dearly and already miss you so much!

Please be patient with the slideshow, it takes a little bit of time to load!!! If it does not work, click on "view all images" and it will open in a seperate box!! Enjoy!!