Wedding Weekend

A dear friend of mine got married yesterday.  Jamie and Corey were blessed with a wonderful wedding day filled with friends and family, laughter and love, fun and champagne (it was delicious!)!

It was a honor to be a bridesmaid in her wedding.  Brides could take lessons for years to come from this girl in being UN-bridezilla-like.

Since Mustang was playing and singing during the wedding - he did so good! - my sister Kim and her family were kind enough to take Buttercup and get her ready for the wedding and have her with them during the ceremony.  Thanks Kim!

We worked hard to get a family picture with us all dressed up, but I think my favorites are from the dance floor.



Daddy and Buttercup danced their very first slow song together at a wedding.  I think that I will have to save those pictures for a day down the road!

As Jamie's family and mine go way back, my whole family was invited and most were able to make it for the wedding.  It was so nice to see them!

Getting 'sugar' from Aunty Danielle

"What's this hair on your chin, Uncle Rod?"

My beautiful niece D ~ I had such fun dancing with her!

Grand-pops and Lynn - thank you for my packer tee!

According to my cousin Craiger, I've only got eyes for him.  Hmmm, he might be right!

Therefore, tonight a great weekend comes to a close.  Thanks Jamie and Corey for getting married and giving us all a reason to celebrate.  Love you guys!

~ The Woman With 4 First Names

Macaroni & Cheese and Wine

Saturday...doesn't that word in and of itself bring a smile to your face.  Saturday.  Sat-ur-day.  SATURDAY!!!

As I sit here in my living room listening to the noise machine in Buttercup's room through the baby monitor and enjoying my last few bites of Macaroni & Cheese and my last few sips of my glass of $3/bottle wine I can't help but to revel in happiness.  Today has been utterly delightful and only has promise to get better.

There are toys scattered on the ground and dishes to be done and laundry to put away...but it will all have to wait because right now I'm just enjoying being here and writing!

This morning I spent some time listening to a Beth Moore bible study on oneplace.com.  Beth Moore - you may never know me but you have already impacted my life.  Thank you for making laughter and tears a part of every study I have had the pleasure of doing.

While I was locked away in our office listening to Beth Moore, Mustang was feeding Buttercup and making us a delightful breakfast of french toast, apple topping and bacon.  Don't you worry - I know I have the world's best hubby.

After Buttercup's nap her and I made a trip to Target where I indulged in a Salted Caramel Mocha while we perused the aisles.  The genius that decided to open Starbucks IN Target's is a genius - I know that's redundant, but GENIUS...that's what that person is.

And now we are home...hubby is off playing a wedding and I am sitting here reveling in happiness.  Tonight we shall enjoy an apple dessert of some kind with some dear friends.  Saturday - a day filled with so many smiles!

Last, I leave you with a posed shot.  I could pretend that this strolling shot was not posed, but it was...and you know what it doesn't make it any less of a perfect representation of my immediate family.



Apple Picking October 2011

Much love folks!
~ The Woman With 4 First Names

Monthly Mugging

Buttercup had her "8 Month Birthday" on October 6th!  As close to each months birthday as we can (thank to Amy S's great baby gift) we stick a number sticker to Buttercup's onesie or shirt and try to capture a cute shot.

As I stated in my previous Monthly Muggings recap post...these photo shoots are getting harder and harder each month.  Buttercup has the dexterity now to take the stickers off and then she tries to eat them.  Also, she's little miss mobile these days so I have approximately .2 seconds to capture the perfect shot...being an amateur photographer and having a camera that processes so S-L-O-W are another two of my photo shoot hardships.

However, no matter what the pictures look like we've got that moment in time captured.  So, without further ado, Buttercup's 8 Month Birthday photo shoot...

~ The standard shot with Pooh Bear
to give a size reference to how Buttercup is growing ~

~ I call this shot "So Ladylike" ~

~ To try to keep her from picking at the sticker I

gave Buttercup a different paper to play with...

however she wasn't fooled ~

~ I call this shot "Yum pape...Momma are you taking a picture of me?" ~

~ I call this shot "Wave that Sock!" ~

~ And...we're done... ~



No matter how good/bad my photography skills may be we have fun!  Thanks for joining us for Buttercup's 8 Month Monthly Mugging!

~ The Woman With 4 First Names

Daily Highlights

Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty sort of a person?  I would think that most people would describe me as a glass half full sort of a gal (most people would also probably comment on the fact that I am quite an exuberant talk with my hands sort of a gal as well).

In that spirit my top 5 highlights from today...

1. Stopping to get coffee this morning may have made the list in and of itself, but when that stop led to a run-in with a friend whose schedule and mine haven't aligned in far too long it became an absolute SOUL LIFTER of a morning.  I couldn't be more thankful for my dependency on Salted Caramel Mocha's!  Karen, girl, it was SO good to catch-up briefly!
2. I had a productive day at work and I was able to help a co-worker with a very small task.  Yeah for productivity!
3. Going in to get Buttercup when she woke up from her late afternoon nap.  Her smile just melts my heart.
4. I signed up for a yoga class tomorrow morning at 6 am...and I'm determined to make it and NOT oversleep like I did for my workout this morning. 
5. Mustang, Buttercup and I went to the first half of a football game for our good friend's The Kenley's son Scottie.  Scottie did so good...and it was fun to listen to Mustang 'voice' his displeasure at some of the calls the refs made.  "There were still 2 seconds on the clock!"  (I guess you had to be there.)

Today was a good day.  Thank you Lord for the day you gave to me!

~ The Woman with 4 First Names

Change

Change...some people see it as a good thing, some people see it as a scary thing, some people are probably immune to any feelings of anxiety associated with change and others are probably frightened stiff by the idea of change.

I fall somewhere in the middle of all that. 

There is change coming in the Sally household.  Mustang and I are changing up how our work/family balance looks.  Mustang is going to try out being a part-time stay-at-home dad...and I am going to go back to working full-time.  We still have a lot of details to work out, but as of November 7th I will be a full-time emplyee again.

Change.

Lots of Change.

So many questions run through my head...

• Am I going to hate it?
• Am I going to miss Buttercup an unbearable amount?
• Am I going to be jealous of Mustang's relationship with our daughter?
• Am I going to be jealous that Mustang 'succeeded' and I 'failed'?
• Why do I look at it as I 'failed'?
• What if it works out GREAT?
• What if Mustang is really good at being a part-time stay-at-home dad?
• What if being full-time doesn't help me feel 'caught up' at work?
• What if I never feel 'caught up' at work?
• What if I make mistakes and choose work over family too often?
• What if I never have any further opportunities to advance in my career?
• What if, what if, what if, am I, am I, am I...

There's a whole lot of "I" in that list above.  My big prayer right now is to take the focus off of ME and put it back on God's PLAN for our family!

So, here's to CHANGE!  Here's to things not working out the way YOU PLAN...but maybe HOPEFULLY working out in God's PLAN!
~The Woman With 4 First Names

Milestone

A few weekends ago Mustang and I installed the next 'stage' car seat in our cars.  Buttercup is in the 99th and 100th percentiles for height and weight and she is cruising through clothes sizes and now car seat stages.

We are all set on the car seat side.  However, I want to know who gave my daughter permission to sprout from this...

to this...

in 8 SHORT months!!!  Oh, how I know that I'm going to be that mom...the one that says "If you don't stop growing I'm going to put a book on your head."  I feel like I barely blinked and already this little lady is sprouting up before my eyes.

Happy Sunday!
~The Woman With 4 First Names