The Big Day!

As I said in my toast the day of the wedding, I have been waiting long and patiently for the perfect woman to come along and fall madly in love with my big brother. I just wasn't expecting that we'd all fall so fast for her, as well!

Jason and Sarah are meant for each other, and the love, respect and devotion they have for one another was readily evident on the day of their wedding. A simple, intimate wedding ceremony (officiated by the bride's fabulous Aunt Sarah) was followed by an elegant reception at the Frederick Meijer Gardens. Although Kaitlyn was deeply disappointed not to catch a butterfly during the couple's grand entrance through the butterfly pavilion, her night was saved when the pink spotlights came on, the glow sticks came out, and the live band got everyone out on the dance floor. Our kids rocked hard, and though it took every ounce of their energy, they all made it through to the encore.

Congratulations Jason and Sarah! We love you and the family you have formed with Alex (and Ollie the dog, too). Thank you for making us a part of this special celebration...and for putting up with us all weekend!

Practice Makes Perfect

We were all excited to play a part in Jason and Sarah's wedding day: Kaitlyn and Claire as flower girls, Erika as reader, Matt as usher, and Jack as ceremonial jester (we'd rather laugh than cry over his disruptions in church!) The Fountain Street Church was a gorgeous setting for the happy couple's vows, and we were all glad to have an opportunity to explore and take a little direction the day before the big event.

Following the rehearsal, we headed to San Chez for a fabulous tapas feast and much merrymaking. Jason is truly fortunate in his in-laws (keepers, every one of them), and for their part, the extended Burpee clan seemed happy to call us family, too! I also finally got to meet Jason's godmother Patty, my mom's dearest friend, and her daughter Annie. It was a lovely evening.

Call the Zoo!

Just to prove how truly "together" they are, Jason and Sarah planned a series of outings and activities for the kids during their fabulous wedding weekend in Grand Rapids, MI. Since having extended family in town for several days can get a little zoo-y, they kicked off the weekend with a trip to the John Ball Zoo.

Travis accompanied us on our wild adventure to the zoo, where highlights were a playful otter, cuddly chimpanzees, awesome snakes, diving penguins and an aquarium full of sea creatures from the California shoreline. Admittedly, the high point of the morning for me was being sought out as "Aunt Erika" by a snuggly Alex!

Happy Easter!

We had a quiet, blessed Easter weekend in Maryland this year. Though we missed being with our extended families, we were warmly welcomed for brunch on Saturday by our friends, the Leurigs, who made the kids bunny baskets and treated them to an outdoor egg hunt. The kids all received Slinkys in their baskets, and they haven't put them down since! Who knew?!

The kids barely contained their excitement through 8 a.m. Mass, but they were good enough to be treated to a basket full of goodies from the Easter Bunny (who nibbled on all three of the carrots they set out!) and an egg hunt in the basement. That tricky rabbit knew better them to hide them upstairs, where the kids were peeking everywhere on their way out the door to church.

Happy Easter, and we look forward to seeing many of you whom we missed this weekend at Jason and Sarah's wedding. Hooray!!

Aunt Cupcake is Having a Baby!

For those who don't yet know, Johanna is having a baby girl this summer! This is cause for much excitement around here. What could be more fun than shopping for cute, frilly baby girl clothes and rooting through our old favorites to find a few special hand-me-downs?! Not much...except for going to see Aunt Jo in Ohio this past weekend for her baby shower. How she managed to keep up with our tireless kids while carrying around one of her own, I cannot imagine, but she did. Thanks for a great weekend, Jo (and Mom and Dad Hartings, too)!

Claire Turns Three!

Claire's third birthday opened with a sleepy-eyed, bed-headed big girl requesting pancakes for breakfast. Pancakes with a candle and a sweet rendition of "Happy Birthday" made for a great start to the day. Then, for dinner, she asked to drive to the city to eat at her favorite pizza joint. You won't hear any complaints from us!

It may seem like dozens of doughnuts, a Curious George cake, and two dozen cupcakes make for enough sugar for one week....but no. Not for us! Claire requested a "mean dinosaur" cake for her third birthday. She's obviously been spending too much time listening to her big sister, because she had all the details worked out: a white cake with purple frosting and a blue dinosaur. A blue dinosaur with big, sharp teeth! We aim to please around here. Happy birthday to our sweet, ornery three-year-old girl!