Thursday, April 18, 2013

Sweet Little Flower Girl

Dear Bereket,
I am writing you today as a very proud mother! On Saturday, April 13th, you had the incredible honor of being a flower girl in your godmother Jolene's wedding. You did such an incredible job! I am still beaming with pride!

The wedding was held at Lutsen Resort on Lake Superior. It is a little further north of where we went camping last summer. After watching a lot of movies on the drive up there, you were so excited to explore our lake-front room where we would be staying for the next 3 nights!
We then went for hike around the resort. Since the wedding was in April, it should have been spring outside, but we arrived just after a big snow storm! The snow was beautiful though and you and Daddy enjoyed making some snowballs and exploring!
 

After our little outdoor adventure, you put on a pretty dress and then we all went down to the beach for the rehearsal.  You must have paid close attention because you knew exactly what to do the next day for the real thing!
Then came the big rehearsal dinner. You had so much fun playing with John's niece Delia, your co-flower girl!
"Auntie Jolene" loves you so much and after we ate, she gave you some special gifts including some fun toys and a beautiful silver bracelet!
The next day was Jolene and John's wedding day!  You enjoyed swimming with Daddy in the morning before it was time for pictures with the wedding photographer. You smiled in all your photos just like a little model!
 
After you tried on the special dress John's mother, Karen, made for you, you proudly proclaimed you were a princess! And you certainly looked like one! Karen also made beautiful coats for you and Delia to keep you warm during the ceremony. The lace on the coat was from her own wedding gown! You both did wonderful walking down the outdoor aisle!
The service was beautiful!
After the vows, we enjoyed some family time on the beach!
We went inside for a little socializing and then dinner. All the activity was a bit much for you though and you fell asleep in my arms on the way to our table. You slept sweetly through the entire meal!
But you were re-charged and ready for action just in time for the dance! And "Auntie Jolene" made sure she got in a few dances with you on the dance floor! You both looked like princesses!
The wedding was so much fun and the great memories continued the next day with more swimming at the hotel, a trip to Grand Marais, and more family hikes in the snow! This time the sun was out!
On Monday, we sadly made our way home. What a great weekend it was! Bereket, you were such an important part of my dear friend's special day. Thank you for being you...such a sweet, beautiful little girl and an amazing flower girl! I love you and so does "Auntie Jolene"!




Monday, April 1, 2013

An Egg-stra Special Easter

Easter, like so many things I am experiencing through a new Mommy perspective, has become so much richer and more beautiful than I remember it being before.  And it is all thanks to my little "Ethiopian Easter Bunny" and the amazing love our incredible families have shown her.  Love shown in so many ways like the pretty pink Easter dress Grandma LuAnn gave Bereket. She was so proud to wear it to Elstad Church Sunday morning! Just look at that smile!
Isabelle, Daniel and Nils also had beautiful, new Easter outfits. It was so much fun to watch Isabelle and Bereket gush over seeing each other in their gorgeous dresses for the first time! It made for my very favorite picture from the entire weekend!
And could Nils have been any cuter in his little bow tie holding his glazed donut in the church basement?!
They were all very, very well behaved in the church service. I think because they were all focused on the egg hunt to be held at Grannie's house afterward.  But before the egg-hunting could begin, they had a very special surprise for us! In school, Isabelle and Daniel have been learning about personality traits.  They composed a special "personality poem" for each member of the family! They read each one aloud, before giving us our own personal copy.
Here's what they wrote about Bereket: Strong, sweet, curly hair, happy smile, dancing, Angelina (Ballerina), cousins, dresses, daycare, Ethiopia.
For Uncle they wrote: Kind, quiet, short hair, brown eyes, sports, hunting, grilling, computers, travel, Loved.

And for Auntie, they wrote: Adventurous, thoughtful, awesome laugh, happy greetings, travel, muffins (yes, they love my blueberry muffins from a box almost as much as Granny's apple muffins from scratch!), camping, family, love, sweet.

No, kids You are the sweet ones and your personality poems made my day! I will treasure them always!!!

So finally it was time for the children to begin their egg hunt around Grannie's house.  It had to be inside this year because of the cold, wet weather. But the kids were super excited to get busy looking for those eggs and the coins inside!

Let the games begin!
 

They made such a great team hunting for eggs and making sure that everyone got their fare share!
It was such a joy to watch them all!  And speaking of Easter joy, I think my mom's Easter egg tree is something more than Pinterest worthy!
And for me, the sweetest treat of all...that incredible green bean hotdish at lunch! Also photo worthy!
As we were preparing to pack up our weekend bags and head for home, I lingered in the rooms my sister and I called "home" as children.  Today they are filled with the laughter of a new generation and it is beautiful.  I pray our family has many more of these special times together.