Steph’s Blog

She did it. My baby sister has gone and done it. Sara went and got married! We couldn’t be happier for her and Ryan.
For some reason watching her walk down the aisle was a bit if a tear jerker for me. I am not much of a crier at weddings but watching her walk down the aisle on the arm of our father really hit home for me…all of my siblings and I are all really truly grown up now. I think it kind of scared me a little bit to be able to remember Sara at the age Abigail is now and yet see her get married at the same time. How must my parents feel if I feel this way? Do my brother and other sister feel the same way about our baby sister getting hitched? Maybe it’s just the hormones again…that’s it…we will chalk it up to pregnancy hormones!

In all seriousness it was a completely gorgeous event. The church was filled with their closest family and friends eager to share their warmest wishes with the happy couple on a chilly October day. I am also quite certain that I have never had the pleasure of seeing my sister as beautiful as she was that day, on the arm of her new husband. They make a good solid team…they really do. Sara and Ryan balance each other out in every way and you can see by watching him how much he loves my sister and how much she loves him. I should also add that Ryan fits our family to a T in all the ways that matter most. He is just so easy to love and to be around, and he doesn’t get scared off by girls crying either! For a guy who comes from a family of four brothers this is a big deal when he just married into a family with a lot of girls! Yup, we love Ryan and he can stick around for the next fifty years or so.
I hope they know how lucky they are. Some people wait a life time and never find the treasure that they have just found. I hope they live everyday making each other happy, even through the squabbles and the bumpy times, and that they always…always kiss each other good night.

Wedding Blessing

May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your future
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped in friendship
And your hearts joined forever in love.
Your lives are very special,
God has touched you in many ways.
May his blessings rest upon you
And fill all your coming days.

We are going to be adding a new addition to our extended family! My brother inlaw and my new sister inlaw are expecting their first little bundle, how exciting!!!
Scott and I are overjoyed for them! Obviously we have had the pleasure to go through all the excitement, planning and all the nervous waiting not just once but twice. It was such an amazing experience for both of us. Bringing a new life into this world was the most wondrous thing I have ever done and probably will ever do in my entire life.

This new chapter in your lives is going to change so many things–all in such wonderful amazing ways. You are going to learn the strength of what a woman can do. You are going to learn that the same strong woman has the most gentle husband the first time he holds that little being in his arms. This baby takes you from a newly married couple of two, to your very own little family of three. You are both going to learn how to make tough decisions for this little person and even though there are some people who are bound to disagree with you, just remember, this is your baby and you do know what is best. You will also learn how to slow down and how to see life through the eyes of your child. You will learn what the most important gifts in life are and you will be amazed at how full your lives have become.

Babies are wonderful gifts. For such small little beings they sure do add so much. Not only are you going to be husband and wife, you are now a father and a mother. Babies make our parents, grandparents and our siblings, aunts and uncles. They add a whole new dynamic to our lives. Christmas’s and Birthday’s have new meanings and sentiments now. Not a birthday goes by that I don’t think back to the day my babies were born, it is all so bittersweet for me. Those were two of the happiest days in my entire life. The happiest days of your lives have only just begun! Congratulations! We are so excited and happy for you!

I know that you guys are not Irish but Auntie Steph is, so here is my blessing for you!

May you always walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings beside your nursery door.
And for the proud parents:
May God grant you a wee bit of heaven
to cradle in your arms -
a sweet bonny baby
to hold close to your heart.
A newborn babe
brings light to the house
warmth to the hearth
and joy to the soul
for wealth is family
family is wealth.