Oh, here's a shot of all the boys (all the cousins/kids of my siblings and mine) while we were getting ready and taking pictures. It's a good thing we had Matty there that day to help entertain the boys. He also served Mass and did a great job (rang the bells for the first time!), considering it was only his THIRD MASS EVER!
Shoot, I just realized that Johnny isn't in that picture! He's the same age as Mari and has really red hair. He's such a cutie...I'll have to find a pic that includes him.
THERE he is! Over there on the far left.
L to R:
John, Thomas, Wyatt, Matthew (holding Vincent), Roman, Niklaus
Tommy, Matthew and Niklaus are mine
John is my brother, Nick's
Vincent and Roman belong to my brother, Peter
Wyatt is my sister, Katrina's
(I stole this one from Megan Norman's blog post to show all the girls in the wedding. She is a fabulous, professional photographer and she did a great job that day with our huge family and the young age of the wedding party! She had tremendous amounts of patience, which should serve her well when she has her new little one very soon!)
Top row: Gabriella, Anna (holding Madeline), Anabella, Lucia, Analise
Mid row: Alexis, Paulina, Mariela
Bottom: Sofia, Anika
Gabriella, Anabella, and Paulina are my sister, Katrina's
Alexis and Anika are my brother, Nick's
Lucia and Sofia are my brother, Pete's
Madeline is my brother, Rudy's
Mariela and Analise are mine!
The only one missing is Katrina (mine) because she was a jr. bridesmaid and I don't have a picture of her, yet. I'll get one on here as soon as I see all of the professional pics!
Here's the toast I wrote and gave at Anna and Matt's wedding feast:
The kids instantly loved him. That day, in the garage when we all first met Matt, all the kids were in awe. They stared up at him and just grinned. Even my Matty and BUTCH all had sneaky smiles on their faces, as if they JUST KNEW the hyjinx they’d be getting up to in future years together. It really was a magical, mysterious day. Here’s what happened: After church, Matt and Anna stopped by to meet everyone at our house. My family met him first. I got my first impressions, asked all my nosey questions, and went into the house to get some snacks ready. Trine’s family came next and SHE got to do the same thing I did but I hadn’t talked to her yet, by the time that Nellie and Pete’s family made it over to meet him. Nellie came into the house and asked me what I thought. I took about two seconds to say, “He’s goofy, sweet, and really…I just think he’s really HUMBLE!” She laughed and said that she ran into Trine outside and that she had said the exact same thing! I look at our family like an old, beloved family puzzle. Sometimes we get it out and put it together even though the box is falling apart and we know that it’s missing a few pieces. Matt was one of those “missing pieces” and, of course, because he was made to by God, he fits perfectly.
Attention! (a sorta poem)
When sweet baby Anna was born, we all sighed with joy
Us two oldest girls didn’t think we could TAKE another boy!
We cuddled and loved her and treated her with care,
We fussed over and dressed her and groomed her curly blond hair
We treated her like a princess, and maybe that is why
When she grew into a toddler, she would often cry.
Did I say cry? I mean she would scream!...and flop on the ground, and dramatically say that everyone was being MEAN!
Around about the time she started grade school, she tried to fit in and be really cool.
But us two older girls were teens now and in our boycrazy years, we missed a lot of the angst and insecurities and tears.
Thank goodness she had friends like Lydia, to help carry her through, keep her honest, accountable and always true.
Along came Butchie, Anna’s new big brother. They picked on, teased and generally bugged each other.
But, they also shared their First Holy communion day, and many days of joy.
And big brother Butchie dreaded the day he’d have to approve of a boy…that would take away his baby sister and live up to his high expectations, someone who’d side with him in fights on family vacations. (pause for uncomfortable laughter from the family).
Then one day, Anna said she’d met her “match”, some dude in a uniform and a somewhat creepy ‘stach.
Well the ‘stach is gone, but the uniform’s still there, so Trine and I drooled and couldn’t wait to stare. And STARE we did when he walked up the drive. We thought “that dude is HUGE, at LEAST 6 foot five (turns out it’s only 6’ 3”)!
…and HOW could it BE that when Anna and he grins, they have identical teeth, dimples and chins?
I’m at the end of my lame rhyme so I won’t take anymore time and bore you with inside jokes and jeers. So pick up your glasses, hold them up high and simply just say “CHEERS!”
