Stephens' Stories: My little sister got married!

On Saturday, May 16th 2015, my little sister got married!!! To Will! Yay! It was a wonderful wedding in the Texas Hill Country and the weather cooperated. Thank you God - No rain the day of the wedding or during the ceremony/reception so they were able to have it outside.

Starting with Thursday, Aunt Ricki rode with me and the boys to the lake house. She kindly sat in the middle of the boys in the backseat and entertained, handed out snacks, sang songs, and whatever else could be done to prevent a meltdown until we got there. We got there just in time for Campbell's nap and for Austin to snuggle up with Ricki and watch Toy Story. I went over to our condo near the Horseshoe Bay hotel to check in and unload our car full of stuff. My mom, Lauren, Will and his parents, and Stacy had already arrived earlier in the week. David and Stephen road together and arrived just in time for dinner Thursday night, conveniently. :) We had dinner at the lake house on Thursday with Will's parents and a few other friends and family members that had already arrived.

On Friday morning, we woke up to a huge rain storm which seemed like it might rain out David's golf game with Will, Stacy, and some of the other groomsmen. It passed through quickly and they were able to play. That left me to grocery shop, 711 donut and coffee stop, and shower/hair/makeup myself with both boys in a two story, non-baby proofed condo, which was not easy but we managed. Pop came over to stay with Austin while Campbell napped and I went to the bridesmaids luncheon. It was in a pretty room at the HSB resort. All of Lauren's bridesmaids and house party were included and it was given by Cecile and Carolyn. The orchids in the center of the table were so pretty!! Pop survived with Austin and Campbell slept the whole time. After the luncheon and golf were over, we headed down to the HSB hotel pool for a bit. Pop swam with Austin and MiMi arrived just in time to splash in the fountains/splashpad with Campbell. I was trying to prevent showering, etc again before the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner that night so I avoided the pool. They mostly stayed in the hot tub since it was a little cloudy and windy.

The rehearsal started at 5pm so David, Austin and I left for that and left Campbell with MiMi and Big Deal. The minute we arrived at Escondido, Austin walked straight down the rock steps to the golf course to watch the golfers play. Obsessed.... We had to bribe him with M&Ms to participate in the rehearsal. Austin was really shy and nervous at the rehearsal. It helped that Annabelle was more outgoing and encouraged him to practice. We decided that the little kids would not walk the double flight of stairs, but would come in on the lower level and just walk down one flight. He even got to hold his white ring pillow (in a ziploc to prevent dirt stains). He was super cute when David told him to go give Aunt LaLa a hug, then I took a quick picture. After rehearsing, David took Austin back to the condo to stay with MiMi and Big Deal for the evening. I rode the wedding party bus with the youngsters (ha!).

The rehearsal dinner was at Spicewood Vineyards. They served the vineyard's wine and had passed appetizers. They served chicken, brisket, veggies, and salad buffet style. There was a band and dancing too! The toasts started and Mr. Weeks went first. I prepared a toast and, of course, was super nervous about talking in front of the large group of 130+. I talked about how Lauren is the "third forgotten child". I mentioned how she fell out of the Target shopping cart at 9 months and got a black eye the day before mothers' day out pictures. Then I told the story about when we went to Chesters hamburgers in San Antonio for dinner and my parents were in 2 cars. We finished eating and drove home only to find that Lauren was not there. Each parent thought the other had Lauren but she was still sitting at the counter watching the chef flip burgers. The restaurant worker asked what her parents names were and she said "mommy and daddy". She was about 5 years old and this was before cell phones. She may be the forgotten third child who has WAY less photo albums than me - the first child and grandchild, but she is the most kind-hearted, easy-going, fun little sister. At least she has photo albums. My kids have this blog so let's hope and pray the internet doesn't go black. Ah! After the toasts, the band played and everyone danced. Fun night!!

On Saturday morning, we got up early (too early) with the kids, and went to explore the 18-hole miniature golf course. Austin played pretty much the whole thing while Campbell tried to jump off every step, walk in every rose bush, eat the sand from the sand traps, get hit in the head with the clubs, etc, etc. Annabelle and Allison played with us for part of the course, and MiMi joined too. I headed back to the condo to shower while they finished up. David dropped me off at Escondido at 11:30 for hair and makeup appointments. The bride arrived, along with the other bridesmaids, a little bit later and we all enjoyed hanging out in the womens' locker room, eating lunch, sipping wine, doing hair and makeup, and then getting our dresses on. My mom and I helped Lauren with her dress and all of the pretty buttons up the back. The photographer arrived around 4pm to start shooting us before dresses, and then after. So fun and pretty!

Austin arrived with David to be in some of the pre-ceremony pictures. He looked so handsome in his little tux! When it was time to start, Austin went with the wedding planner and other kids to wait in their "holding room", i.e. the fitness center. We lined up ready to walk down the aisle, or should I say, steps. Since I walked down before Austin, I had a great view of him and Annabelle. He walked with his pillow, dangling in one hand, haha. He didn't smile, but didn't cry. I will be curious to see if any photographer got any pictures of him smiling. Oh well, it was still cute. He sat with David on the front row and watched the ceremony. MiMi had Campbell walking around to the side of the guests' chairs. Since it was outside, when he made noises, they weren't that noticeable, I hope! It was all so pretty and the weather was great!! Lauren was beautiful! After the ceremony, we took pictures - bridal party and some immediate family shots. Campbell even got to be in a few before MiMi took him back to the condo with the babysitter to go to sleep. The Escondido event planner's daughter, Bre, stayed with him so that MiMi could come back and enjoy the reception. After Will and Lauren shared a private dinner together, I helped my mom and the wedding planner bustle Lauren's dress so that she could dance and walk around easily (MOH duty - ha!). Dinner was buffet - chicken, salad, prime rib, rolls, etc. Austin had a blast at the reception - he loved watching Aunt LaLa and Uncle Will dance their first dance. After he had a chance to warm up to the music and dance floor and after he had eaten, he was ready to dance. He danced with me, daddy, LaLa, Will, cousin Mary, MiMi, Carrie, etc, etc. Of course, we took a break from dancing for wedding cake - both chocolate and vanilla. Yummy! Austin was so lucky that he got to stay until 10:15! MiMi, David, and Big Deal took him back to the condo for bed and took the babysitter home. They missed the passed chicken biscuits as a "midnight snack"- yum! I was able to stay until the end and ride the bus back to the condo. There were sparklers to send Lauren and Will off and they got into a horse-drawn chariot - just like a fairy tale! So pretty! It was such a special and beautiful night. The boys are excited to have a new uncle!!! Yay! We are again so thankful that the weather cooperated. A huge thunderstorm rolled through HSB around 4am that night - we are God held it off until then. And it rained all the way back to Houston. I am sure I left something out but tried to capture it all. Here are some pictures of the wonderful weekend in the Texas Hill Country.