Princess Evelyn

Evelyn had the ultimate honor last week, to be a flower girl for my cousin(s) Luke (and now Stacy).

Evie and I drove to Chicago first thing in the morning so she could practice her walk and to get her hair done. She never lets us put anything in her hair so we had to bribe and threaten her to make sure her fancy hair stayed that way. Bribe #1: don't touch you hair. Reward #1: sucker.

I often call Evie "Evarrelli," joking that she's a princess just like Cindarelli. With her white dress on she looked like a princess and got along great with Stacy.

Bribe #2: Smile and look at the camera during pictures. Reward #2...and 3...and 4: Sucker(s)


Evie and Max practiced many times to walk together, slowly, down the aisle.
Bribe #3: Walk properly down the aisle. Reward #5: another sucker
Well when it came time to perform they pulled an audible. Evie decided to hold Max's hand instead of throw flowers. It was still really cute and they did well. They walked slowly and stayed together. They both veered right almost forcing Evie into the pews and they didn't quite make it to the front. But it was great!
After the wedding Evie enjoyed bubbles, dancing, and pop. It was an awesome day for her, one that she'll remember for a long time.

The Soper Wedding

We enjoyed another fun wedding last weekend. Evie was invited so I was looking forward to some good father daughter dancing. Evie had other ideas.

The wedding was at a beautiful golf course so we snagged some family pictures.

Evie was itching to dance. After patiently waiting with Sam through the bride and groom dances she burst out onto the floor and was a crazy girl.
She danced nicely with Max, Lydia, Sam, Elizabeth, and Grandma. Finally it was my time so I went out there and tried to dance with her. She ran away from me twice but I thought that was just part of her dancing. Finally when I tried to dance with her a third time she walked me over to a chair on the side of the dance floor, pointed, and said "daddy sit." Wow, that was some cruel rejection. Barely 2 and she's already turning me down :(

The Vyn Wedding

I was a groomsman for the 4th time last weekend. My good college friend Reuben tied the knot in Lacrosse Wisconsin.

It was an excellent few days and I was surprised by the scenery in western Wisconsin.

The rehearsal dinner was a river cruise.

The groomsmen played 9 holes on the morning of the wedding.
The wedding went off without incident...

and the after party was a blast! Eric, Rob, and I enjoyed midnight runs to Perkins every night to get our fill of eggs and bacon.

Calvin reunion.

Welcome to the gang Amanda!

Wedding Season

Three weddings in the last month...and it is early March?! It has been an abnormal wedding spree lately, but still very fun. This weekend our friends Nate and Sarah got married. Our whole Kelloggsville group was invited and we had a great time hanging out. The dancing was good, the food was good, and we met a few crazy relatives.

A nightcap at Applebees topped off the evening.

Broken Family

Erin's college friend Josh bought a house on the north side of GR after graduating. Erin lived with other friends for a year and then she and Jenny moved into Josh's house in 2003. Almost immediately the family roles developed. Somehow, Erin convinced Josh that she needed the big bedroom and forced him into the small bedroom. Jenny was pushed into a make-shift room in the semi-finished basement. Josh and Erin were the unhappy parents, living in separate rooms. Jenny was the step-daughter, forced to live in the cold basement. And I was the home wrecker, taking "mom" away from "dad."

To this day, Jenny regularly calls Josh 'grandma,' but I'm not sure how that started. After about a year together, the family separated for good.

This weekend our broken family added a new member. Josh married Audrey, so now there is a step mom...and another home wrecker. Sorry step-daughter Jenny, the hits just keep coming.

The reception brought our family back together again. It was an excellent time with dancing, Wii and Karaoke.