Love is Alive

On Saturday evening, we were lucky to attend an incredibly touching wedding. It was Brian's cousin, Kate, and her new hubby Dillon's wedding. It was a 7 p.m. wedding and very pretty with all the candles and Christmas decorations. Everything was red and white and festive for the Christmas season. But that's not what made this such a special affair. During the wedding, two people spoke on behalf of the bride and groom. And I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. Dillon's speaker was the mother of one of his buddies, while Kate's speaker was her grandmother. Each talked about how Dillon and Kate grew up and how they met, and the obstacles each overcame to get to this point in their lives.

The woman who spoke about Dillon talked of her 12-year-old son passing away from cancer, and how great Dillon was to her family and older son. After a couple years and much hesitation on Dillon's part, Kathy and her family were able to talk Dillon into becoming a counselor at a summer camp for siblings of kids with cancer. Which is where he met Kate, who is a cancer survivor herself.

And Dillon's father passed away a few years ago. So, just hearing the stories of what they've overcome, and that God was there to put them together, was just amazing. They truly are an inspiration and we're so honored to have been there to share in their special day. Personally, their wedding inspired me to count my blessings and not to take anything for granted. It also made me believe even more that God puts us in certain places for a reason.

Congrats, Kate & Dillon! We wish you all the happiness in the world. And all the red-headed children you can handle! :-)

Our Big Helper

Tonight, we had fresh bread and soup for supper -- and Sam was more than eager to help make the bread. He was such a good helper!

Then There Were Three

Sam was not too excited when he saw Mom and Dad getting all dressed up on Sunday night. He knew something was up, and he wasn't included. It was Brian's annual Christmas party for work, which means the sixth anniversary of our "official" first date*. My parents were here to watch Sam and take the obligatory photos in front of the tree. Of course, when Sam noticed the picture-taking, he didn't want us taking pictures by ourselves. But he got to have a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa after we left!! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa Edmondson!

* Our first date is always up for discussion. Some members of this marriage think it occurred in October (Brian), while others think it occurred in December (me). And I'm writing this, so I win! :-)

My Boys

On Saturday, I went to the Iowa State-Iowa men's basketball game with a friend. As we were leaving, I called Brian (who was at home watching Sam) to see if I could pick up anything on the way home. No answer. That was odd, as Sam had been sick and surely Brian hadn't taken him out into the cold.

My phone rang a few minutes later and it was Brian, telling me, "Sorry we missed your call. I was vacuuming and Sam was dust-busting."

Just picturing the two of them cleaning the house made me laugh out loud and my heart smile. And again I was reminded of just how lucky I am.

Lazy Weekend

Since the weather was so bad this weekend, we were able to put up our feet and veg out the whole time! It was awesome. We rented movies, watched football, ate chili and just hung out. What a wonderful way to spend the weekend!!

Where'd Our Baby Go?

Sam had his 18-month check up on Thursday. He had two shots and was mesmerized by the band-aids on each of his arms. (We learned our lesson last time he received shots, and brought his favorite blankie and a special treat -- juice!!) He was such a good boy and only cried when he got stuck but calmed down right away. I was very proud of him. The doc says Sam is a very active boy (no kidding) which is one reason he's in the 91st percentile for height but only 55% in weight. He is Brian's child, after all! He definitely takes after Grandpa Burchland in the height/weight ratio.