Flashback Friday

Twenty seven years ago today my best friend, Cristi, and her hubby, Todd, got married. I was honored to be a bridesmaid. :) Her maid of honor, also named Penny, is the one kneeling. I am the one standing next to the beautiful (and tiny) bride. Such a sweet day. No small feat to be married for that long now a days. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, CRISTI & TODD. Love y'all! :)

Five years ago today I was also honored to share in their daughter Casey's wedding day! She wanted to get married on her parents' anniversary. So sweet! That time, my daughter was the bridesmaid, but I got to serve the cake. :) HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY, CASEY & CHARLIE.

(Sorry, I could not put my hands on a picture of your wedding.)

There Came the Bride...

Leslie and Joseph got married July 7, 2006 in a park in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Believe it or not, the weather was nice. It was actually cool (for July) and there was even a breeze blowing!
This first picture is my favorite of Leslie in her dress. She looks SO beautiful, happy, and calm. Shouldn't all brides look like that?!

This is Larry having his "you don't have to do this talk" that I mentioned on Mallory's anniversary post. (Leslie was our 4th bride and got married only 13 days after Mallory! I KNEW that would happen when they both got engaged New Year's weekend that year. Talk about stress! LOL)

Here is Leslie with our newest son, Joseph. Joseph gave us one of our greatest gifts ever and I doubt he realized it! When he and Leslie came down for New Year's weekend, Leslie knew he was going to ask Larry for her hand, but she didn't know that he was going to propose in front of our whole family! We didn't either! Leslie's parents divorced when she was only three. Leslie and her mom and stepdad moved over 6 hours away from Larry when Les was four. Needless to say, Larry missed SO many "firsts" with Leslie. He missed her first day of Kindergarten. Even after they moved back to our town a couple of years later, he still missed her first date, getting ready for prom, getting her first car, etc. So that's why getting to see her expression when Joseph dropped to one knee, was such a gift... a wonderful, unforgettable gift! Thanks, Joseph! We owe you one!

There were two other bridesmaids, other than Leslie's FIVE sisters. It was a little confusing for the photographer when she asked that all of the bride's sisters step forward for a picture and only two girls stayed back! ;-)
Here are all of our girls and the oldest two grandchildren. L to R: Sarah, Debbie, Leslie, Mallory, Stephanie, and Shelbi. Rebecca (5) was the flower girl (and "perfect princess") and Noah (4 1/2) was the ring bearer (more like "wedding clown"). ;)

During the ceremony, Noah repeatedly called Becca's name (She ignored him. Good girl!), sat down and "chilled" on the steps, ate his shoestrings, talked to his grandmother, and proclaimed (rather loudly) that he needed to use the bathroom! Too bad the videographer got NONE of this on video--- we could have easily walked away with the grand prize on America's Funniest Videos. LOL
In spite of all of Noah's antics, and the wind blowing out the unity candle, it was a beautiful ceremony!

HAPPY THIRD ANNIVERSARY, LESLIE AND JOSEPH!!!

WE LOVE YOU BOTH!

DADDY, PENNY, AND SHELBI =)

A Daughter's a Daughter for the Rest of Her Life

June 24, 2006 was a really special day. Not only did I get to watch my first baby get married, I also got to welcome a new son into our family. Mallory and Daniel had dated for two years before getting married, so we already knew and loved him. This ceremony just made him officially "ours." We were so proud that Mallory made a wonderful choice and had NO qualms about trusting her to Daniel. I'm sure her Daddy still gave her the traditional (he'd been the FOB two times before) "Forget about the money, if this isn't 'right,' you don't have to do this," talk that he gave the others right before that walk down the aisle/stairs. However, we would have been totally devastated if Mallory had been a runaway bride that day! LOL All kidding aside, I hope Daniel knows how glad we are to have him and how much we love him as our own. I'm sure Mal will show him this and that will erase any doubts he better not have had. =)

Mallory made a lovely bride and I would say that even if she weren't my baby!

We went to David's Bridal for the "$99 Sale." What a trick! Mallory had already fallen in love with a $600 dress in the brochure, but when we looked through the racks of dresses in her size, she couldn't find it. And this store was packed with brides! She picked out two or three to try on and I added one I thought looked similar to the one she'd shown me online. She went to the dressing rooms, where we were met by one of the many sweet, helpful ladies working there. As the lady opened up a room for Mal and helped hang up the dresses we were holding, Mallory told her about "the dress" she wanted. The lady looked at what we had picked out and told her, "This is it right here." She was referring to the only one I had added to the pile. How cool is that?! Mallory tried on the other dresses before this one, but we knew the minute she zipped this one up--- it was it! Seeing her standing there in it literally took my breath. It also made the fact that my baby was actually getting married way too real. Man, they really do grow up quickly!

Here are the beautiful bride, handsome groom, and all the new in-laws.
Back row left to right: Daniel's parents, Dennis and Judy, and me and Larry.

Happy Anniversary Mallory and Daniel... and many more!

We love you both!

Mom, Dad, and Shelbi