November highlights {California wedding, Cece is 8, music & sports, Greta is 11}

still playing catch up from the craziness of the fall! 

1) California wedding. my cousin and her now husband married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in the mountains of California on November 1. it was so much fun to celebrate with them, and to visit with my extended family ... sans kids! from the time the save-the-dates arrived, we knew that Nick wouldn't be able to come to the wedding as it's written into his job contract to plan and direct the music for holy days such as All Saints and All Souls Day. we debated for a while about the older girls coming with me, but with just an extended weekend trip across the country and back, we ultimately decided it would be best for me to go solo and it was so good to spend uninterrupted adult time with my parents, siblings, and extended family!

making a grand entrance into the reception

my Auntie Kris generously booked a huge AirBnb for all of us to stay together just a few minutes away from the resort where all the wedding festivities would take place. I flew in on Thursday and my brother John picked me up at the airport. we had a lovely time catching up on the 90 minute drive up winding mountain roads to Big Bear. almost all of the rest of the family had already arrived and settled in to the house -- well, mansion is more like it. truly, it was like something out of the Real Housewives!

Krista and I shared this doll house bed. surprisingly comfortable and no injuries were sustained in clambering in or out

getting ready for the rehearsal dinner on Halloween night -- the theme was Western glam

we had to do a photo shoot on this epic staircase. four of six siblings: Kelli was VERY pregnant with twins and wisely opted not to travel, and James was nowhere to be found during our short window of time for photo-taking before leaving for dinner

adding in Patrick and Brooke; still no James

the beautiful bride-to-be and mother of the bride!

my cousin is a designer and you could see her vision in every detail of the rehearsal dinner and ceremony! 

spooky elegance was the vibe

cousins!

had to document Dad's chamois shirt -- suitable for the theme, and also near and dear to our hearts as he wears it to visit every new baby (it's so soft and snuggly)

Kira and I definitely skewed more to the glam side of the theme. so many cute photo ops at this resort!

this photo reminds me of something out of an old timey saloon

Friday morning dawned crisp and clear. the temperatures were in the upper 30s but the sun was so warm! I enjoyed a quiet breakfast on the deck reading my book (Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano -- a five-star read).

then Dad rustled up a group to go running together. I hadn't brought running shoes but Kira came to my rescue with an extra pair and we set off around Big Bear Lake. the views were spectacular, but unfortunately, I only made it a mile in before having to switch to walking. at the high altitude, I felt like a fish out of water gasping for air, and plus I hadn't run *at all* in a month. I could feel a migraine threatening to come on. Dad and Kira were so gracious and slowed down with me and Kira once again came to my rescue by giving me her hat (the bright sun reflecting off the water was definitely contributing to the headache). we picked up Patrick who had been doing a jump rope workout by the lake, stopped by a grocery store for some electrolytes and food, and within an hour I was feeling better.

 

after all that, it was time to get ready for the wedding! the ceremony was absolutely beautiful and, true to form, my cousin had thoughtfully planned every detail. I was so grateful to be there for their special day. after a delicious dinner, we staked out a claim on one corner of the dance floor and just had fun! 

bride's side

James making up for lost photo opportunities. I was missing my forever wedding date but so happy to be with family!

beautiful Kerryn!!

the officiant announced a 2-minute photo break and then asked us to put the phones down and be fully present in the moment. so smart!

love these two!

had to send a photo to Nick with a few of his favourite things (old trucks, cocktails, and me!)

as the sun set, the temperatures dropped... but they had stashed blankets and hand warmers all around

melt my heart ... James giving a pep talk to Karrah before giving her maid of honor speech. these two have always had a special bond

dancing queens

a sweet moment on the dance floor...

...with a photobomb. I wouldn't trade our goofy family for the world!

after coming back to the AirBnb, we piled into the hot tub and continued the party. finally, around midnight, we came back inside. it was such a bizarre mental switch to feel almost like a teenager again and set my parenting hat aside for a few days. and also, I had to keep in mind that I am almost forty and needed to sleep in the next day ;) 

Kira and Patrick drove me back to Ontario on Saturday afternoon, where I checked into an airport hotel and then took an Uber to a vigil mass as I'd be traveling all day Sunday. the hotel was more of a motel but very clean and updated. I had a 3:30 alarm to get up and get the hotel shuttle to the airport for my 6 AM flight back across the country to my real life! 

not too shabby for a view at a $60/night hotel

2) Cece is 8! she was thrilled to have school on her birthday and requested her own culinary creation for dinner, famozzmeat (farfalle / fresh mozzarella / meat sauce). she designed her birthday cake from our local grocery store and selected her favourite photo for the center. disaster struck as Elizabeth helped herself to fingerfuls of frosting while I was setting the table... but Greta came to the rescue and used a spatula and food-safe markers to repair the damage as best as possible. it still tasted delicious and as Cece ultimately concluded, "at least she didn't ruin my face!"

a whole set of alcohol markers. these have been used almost daily since her birthday!

I tried to get creative with the mozzarella (can you see what it spells?)

after the repairs

we are taking a break from big birthday parties this year, and told the girls instead that they could each invite a few friends to do something fun. Cece invited a few of her best buddies from school to the mall and they had an absolute blast. Cece picked five stores to go to and each of them had a $5 budget for each store ... although we ended up going way over budget with the bulk bins at the candy store, and bumped up the budget to $10 for Claire's because you really can't get much for less there. ;) they were all so sweet and spent a lot of time deliberating over their options. neither Cece or her friends really ever get to go to the mall just to peruse things so the excitement was at a level 15 the entire time. they all picked matching hand sanitizers and holders at Bath and Body Works and got friendship necklaces at Claire's. the whole "party" took zero prep and cost far less than a traditional party -- it was a win win! 

8 going on 18

world's largest gummy worm

all decaf, of course!

3) music & sports. Greta continues to play viola in the school orchestra. they meet once a week for group practice and will put on a concert in the spring. one day, the kindergarten class came to visit and Greta got to demonstrate her viola to the little ones. so stinking cute! 

Greta is now officially part of the JV basketball team (5th & 6th grade) and Cece joined the developmental team (3rd & 4th grade but they allow 2nd graders to join, and she's gotten to play a bit in every game). yes, our schedule is a bit crazy now with 6 hours of practice and an average of 2-3 games per week between both girls, but they love it and I truly see the fruit in their discipline, work ethic, and sportsmanship. 

making a foul shot during the Thanksgiving championship game against a big local public high school

an unexpected surprise to see Greta's BFF from daycare days -- #3 on the other team! we hadn't seen her for years. this was a hard fought game and we lost, 30-31, but still very proud of how hard the girls played. 

Cece throwing the ball in for a scrimmage game against another school

4) Greta is 11! I remember loving eleven. you're old enough to do some things independently but still young enough to play and have less responsibility than a full-fledged teen. she requested her favourite meal of pesto pasta for dinner and hopped on the face-on-cake bandwagon too. fortunately, this time there was no toddler destruction. she also wants to do a mall get-together with friends, but we haven't been able to find a time that aligns with all the family schedules yet. poor thing has been waiting two months! but she is taking it all in stride and was overjoyed at receiving her very own Stanley cup among other hot ticket items in the tween crowd (hair and body care products for the most part). 

blurry but you get the idea!

the babies demonstrating her skincare headbands

bonus round: 

we enjoyed some unseasonably warm days at the beginning of the month and took full advantage! 

this is why I pretty much exclusively order grocery pickup or delivery. she grumped, "Mommy, I have too much things on me!"

bedtime stories with Daddy... the frame was his anniversary gift to me this year, holding a photo from each year of our marriage from 2010 and counting!

a very happy announcement -- Kira's boyfriend Patrick proposed to her in California just a few days after the wedding! we are so excited for him to be officially part of the family. 

when Kira messaged the family group chat to see if we would be available for a call, I KNEW something was up!

and a very sad announcement: Blair's mother died only a few months after being diagnosed with cancer. our college friends came to the viewing and then the next day, we heeded the call of tradition and went bowling. this started actually in college after going to the viewing for Amy's grandfather and it's become our tradition ever since. it was bittersweet -- such heartache and loss, and yet, such love and support. I will never take for granted having friends who are family, too. 

they ordered one of every appetizer to share with the group

Your turn: What's the furthest you've traveled for a wedding? Is there anything memorable about your 8th or 11th birthday? Did you play any sports in elementary school?