Jackson and Garrett had a lunch date at North Park today with little Miss Abbey from The Baby Blog. Jackson hasn't really been in public since we began potty training, so I was a little worried about how our day would go. Not only were we leaving our home, but we were going to North Park which meant he may have to wait just a few minutes before we could get to the nearest restroom. I feared he would have an accident in the stroller....which would get the whole seat wet....which may go to floor....which may cause people to stare at us....which may cause me to get a little red in the face (Teacher friends: Does that remind you of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?)- so, I considered putting a Pull Up on him just in case, BUT I have heard Pull Ups only confuse the child, so I decided to take the risk. After all, it is "What's best for the child!" and not what is most convenient for me, right!? But, wouldn't it be bad for my child's self esteem to pee in his pants on the first date?! :)

To my surprise, Jackson did wonderful! He used the restroom at the mall and did not have any accidents. At one point Jackson and I (Garrett was at the table with Monica and Abbey) were waiting to go into the family restroom that has a small toilet for kids, but he said "Jackson go potty Mom," so I just took him into the women's restroom. I was proud of him for being able to wait until we were able to get to the restroom. However, I think he is learning that all restrooms look different and have different types of cool sinks which makes him want to see them all.

Tomorrow morning I get to go with Kristin, my best friend since 2nd grade, (Our Journey, can you tell I just figured out how to add links to my blog?) to her 3D sonogram. I can't wait to see little Payton in 3D! I am so excited about the fact that Kristin is going to have a baby. Once you have kids and your friends don't, you kind of drift apart because your lives are different. You still stay in touch, but it is different. So the fact that Kristin is having a baby makes me crazy happy!! I love it when she calls me to ask pregnancy and baby related questions. Most of my childhood friends don't have kids yet, so I am excited to be with Kristin through this exciting time in her life.

Boys....Much Different than Girls.

I didn't plan on blogging about this first story for the fact that it's probably one of those funny but nasty stories not everyone would like to hear about, but this story ended up leading to another story....so now it is a must. However, those who personally know Aaron and I, know that we don't really have a filter when it comes to talking about gross things. We find them funny. Therefore, the fact that I am telling this story shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. Hopefully since the story is about a 2 year old, it will be cute to you as well.

This morning I put Garrett down for his morning nap and I got in the shower. I always keep the bathroom door open so that Jackson can go in and out while I am taking a shower and I can keep an eye on him. As I was in the shower today, Jackson walks in with the stool from his bathroom. He puts the stool in front of our toilet, pulls down his pants, and hops on. (Now, let me inform you - he has been using his little training potty and "dropping the kids off at the pool" has been a challenge for him....feel free to google that if you are confused about the meaning) After a few moments, I looked over at him as he is sitting on the toilet and he is "reading" one of my parenting books. Then I hear, "Mom! Jackson poo pooed! Mom, turn that fan on!" So, apparently even though I was worried that Aaron isn't home enough to model male potty skills for Jackson, he is obviously still observing (Aaron of course) and doing as he sees.

This made me excited because he was REALLY successful sitting on the big potty. The big potty would be much easier to clean than his little potty and there are big pottys everywhere. I had planned on buying the little seat for preschoolers that can go on the toilet, but after talking with my mom she informed me that we (my sister and I) just sat on the normal toilet seat.

Before lunch today, Jackson went to use the restroom. He is currently into shutting the door while he is using the restroom, so I just let him have his privacy. I know 100% when he went into the restroom he was dry. I also know that he sat on the toilet (because I look at his feet under the door to see what he is doing....don't laugh at me!) However, when he came out of the restroom, his butt and underwear were wet. Normally if he has an accident, the front of his pants are wet, not the back. I was kind of confused, but I wondered if he didn't scoot back far enough on the seat which caused it to go on his pants.

To put an end to my confusion, the next time he needed to use the restroom I went in with him. I made sure he was scooted back on the seat and I sat close by (too close...). Once he began, I saw that it didn't matter how far back he was on the seat. The urine was squirting right under the toilet seat....where the seat and toilet meet. At first it was just getting his pants wet, but as the pressure increased, it started squirting me!

So, My Dear Mother of 2 Girls - I am glad that the normal toilet seat worked for Sis and I, however, I don't think it is a good option for our house of boys. HA HA!! But I still wonder, even with a little seat, won't it still squirt through the front? We did have to replace the seat on that toilet a few weeks ago, so maybe there isn't a seal like there should be. I don't know! Moms of Boys - HELP! What do I need to buy or do?? Let me know ASAP! I don't want to discourage the big potty, but we can't have urine squirting everywhere!!!

There isn't enough time in the day....

Give me some credit, I blogged A LOT last week. I feel like there are a 1,000 things to do in a day and I can't get caught up, which results in less blogging.

I have been working on websites for my parent's company www.rosenelectric.net and our irrigation company www.hydrogreenirrigation.com Don't judge Hydro Green's website yet. I am about to redo the whole format. I don't like the links to the side, because some people (my husband....) don't see them over there. It's pretty plain and simple right now....but I am working on it. We bought the domain name and I didn't have a clue what to do next. So, at least there is something.

Garrett is getting into everything so chores that used to take me 5 minutes now take me....well....pretty much all day. The potty training is time consuming just because it is an added task on my part. It was much more convenient when he could just pee in a diaper. He is doing well. He DOES NOT want to even wear a Pull Up for bedtime. He only wants underwear. He stays dry all night, but last night I had to explain to him that he has to go to the bathroom FIRST in the mornings BEFORE coming to Mommy and Daddy's room. When he comes to our room first, he has an accident before making it to the restroom. So, this morning I woke up to his little voice saying "LOOK MOM! JACKSON PEE PEE!" while he was holding the little bucket of pee. Nice huh!? He has his good days and he sometimes has bad moments. It basically depends on his mood. If he is hyper or in a grumpy mood, he tends to have an accident. Other than that, he does great!

The boys got a bubble machine for Christmas from Randy and Dianne, so last night we decided to try it out. We need to get new batteries for it, so it wasn't as powerful and bubbly as I think it is supposed to be. The boys didn't mind though....they loved it!
Before turning it on, Jackson wanted to be at the back of the bathtub since he didn't know what to expect. When I turned it on, he stayed back for a bit, but his tough little brother couldn't get to it fast enough. Look at Jackson holding Garrett's leg back in this picture. He wasn't sure it was safe for Garrett yet....

Getting closer, but using Garrett as his protection -

This probably isn't too safe to have the boys this close to the fire.....Aaron's shirt isn't too appropriate....Jackson doesn't have pants on - BUT, I still thought it was a cute picture of them helping their Daddy.

Mr. Garrett - this little guy cracks me up! He has a new face that has become his favorite. He wrinkles up his whole face and starts blowing out of his nose. He normally does it when he is being silly. He thinks it is hilarious when he does it to the kitchen light while we are eating. However, the other day Jackson took a toy from him and he quickly started to crawl after him with his wrinkled little face. He was mad and he was huffing and puffing! It was so funny!!!! I need to try to get it on video or get a good picture of him doing it. In the picture below, his face is KIND OF wrinkled up....but it is gets MUCH better!

PERFECT!

Couldn't have been better! Jackson did not have ANY accidents today. He wore big boy underwear all day, so for his nap I was unsure if I should put him in a Pull Up or keep him in underwear. I decided to use a Pull Up just in case he went to the restroom in his sleep, I didn't want him to be discouraged. I think it is too soon for that. However, while he was trying to go to sleep, he got off of the couch (remember...he takes his naps on the couch) and went to use the potty. I am so proud of that little stinker!!!

I know we still have a lot more tasks to accomplish(like leaving the house....) and I know at times he is going to regress, but 30 hours (and counting) without an accident is something to be proud of. At least I know he is "ready." When I talked to my mom today I told her that NOW I can see why people say potty training is easy. Now that he wants to do it, it is easy! The first 2 days however, I was literally going insane. I won't lie....I HATED it. I don't know if it is the sticker chart or if it has just started to click, but he's getting it. Today I would find him in the restroom admiring his stickers. :)

Here are a few pictures from today:

Garrett and Jackson having a drink break after their naps -

Outside enjoying the beautiful day - I thought Jackson would for sure have an accident running around outside, but nope.....

PS. I forgot to put in my last blog another word that Garrett knows -

When we talk about my Dad (PawPaw) he starts going /P/ - /P/ - /P/!

FANTASTIC!

Our morning started off great.......got a little rough around 10:00, gave up and decided the boys and I needed to leave the house since we have been stuck here since Sunday evening dealing with potty training. We needed to see sunlight. We didn't do anything extravagant, just drove through Chick-Fil-A....but I needed it! After lunch it was nap time and when Jackson got up from his nap we sat down together and made a potty chart to hang up in the bathroom. This was around 3:30 and from this point on he had ZERO accidents and earned SEVEN stickers. I was shocked! He wore ONE pair of big boy underwear from 3:30 to 7:15, which was when he got in the bath.

This picture is him with his chart (before the stickers) and all of his big boy underwear. He loves them, which is a good thing. He doesn't want me to put them away in his drawer, so as of right now he has them in the little basket on the back of his tricycle. He gets very mad at Garrett when Garrett decides to have a underwear party and throw them all around the room.

One thing I did differently today was I didn't fill him up on fluids. I was giving him all the water, juice, and milk that he wanted so that he would need to use the restroom more. However, more opportunities to use the restroom means more opportunities to have an accident. Tonight was more scheduled and I think the feeling of needing to go came on slower, which allowed him to notice it more. He was good about just going on his own. I am not a fan of TV, but I had his favorite shows on in the background so he was more calm and aware of when he needed to go.

Here is Jackson counting his stickers. This was during dinner (which explains the food on his face). When he gets to the top of this column, he gets to go outside to play. I knew tomorrow was supposed to be a nice day, but I had predicted that he would reach the top around noon tomorrow. Well.....he only has to earn one more sticker before reaching the top. So...I hope it isn't too cold tomorrow morning. YIKES!

In the middle of all this, I didn't remember until around 4:00 that Garrett turned 10 months today!!!! Garrett has a new interest in "breaking it down," so here is a video (turn up the volume) of Garrett and Jackson dancing to Britney Spears. (Gosh....TV for Jackson, forgetting my child turned 10 months today, AND Britney Spears....what kind of parent am I?!?! It WASN'T the music video, just the song if that helps at all! Hey, we were excited about the potty!)

I also have to mention Garrett's expanding vocabulary. I am listing them in the order in which they came, so pay close attention to number one! (it wasn't this way for Jackson...Daddy was first....and ball....and doggie.....way later came Bobby, which later turned to Mom)

1. MaMa (this is his most used word and has been for awhile :) When he is mad he just crawls around saying Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma. He also says it at happy times. He basically says it all day. It reminds me of when I was teaching and heard "Mrs. Jordan" all day long. MaMa is much better though. ;)

2. /D/ while quickly making his chin hit his chest (hard to explain) means Dog. Perhaps he is trying to bark with the whole chin thing. ???

3. /D/ without the chin to chest means Daddy

4. Bay-Bay for baby! He said this last night for the first time. He has been interested in our gallery of baby pictures around our house.

He also knows sign language for milk if that counts as vocabulary! (That's the only sign I taught him....)

Wednesday Morning.

He is in a great mood and doing well. He wanted to wear his big boy Elmo underwear when he woke up. He even decided on his own to get up from breakfast to go to the potty.

So far, so good....but it is only 9:06am.

Update to previous blog.

Now that I am reading some websites, I think I am going to take Jackson's lead in the morning. If he wants to stay in underwear, then we will continue; if he doesn't, then we won't. I just don't want to pressure it anymore. Maybe we just had a bad day......I can't give up on him.

Kandice, thanks for the timer advice. I think that is a great idea so that Jackson doesn't feel pressure from me asking him to go to the restroom a thousand times. It will be the timer telling him to go, not me. If he doesn't want to wear underwear tomorrow, then I may put him in Pull Ups and do the timer and see where that gets us.

Dear Diary, I need to vent.

Potty Training - these are 2 words I wish would magically disappear.

Monday morning started off great. Jackson was excited about using the potty. He thought it was neat that his "yellow pee" came with an imaginary key that unlocked the container of M&Ms. Mommy didn't have the power to open the container without the pee pee key. He had a few accidents, but didn't show any signs of frustration. Things were going overall well.

He had only been wearing underwear, but for his afternoon nap I put him in Pull Ups which are still supposed to allow kids to feel the wetness. When he woke up from his nap, he could have cared less that the Pull Ups were wet. To him, it was like a diaper. He is always grouchy after his afternoon nap and this day wasn't any different. He didn't want anything to do with the potty which caused several accidents. After about two (LONG) hours passed, he was back to doing well. He would even occasionally stop playing to use the potty. Going to bed Monday night I still had hope that this may work.

Tuesday morning - he didn't really have an interest in the potty. He wanted to play with his toys and Garrett instead of using the potty. He would avoid me when I asked him if he need to go. He used the potty about 50% of the time, but the other 50% of the time were accidents. With his warning sign/sensation normally comes a little squirt of pee pee (sorry, I don't know a proper way to put that). It got to the point that even when he would hold it long enough to get to the potty, he was still frustrated about his wet underwear from the squirt. Ugh!

After today's nap, it all kind of continue going down hill. As much as I put on a smile for him, I know the both of us are frustrated. For me, it is emotionally draining and from what I hear it shouldn't be like that.

When I look online for tips, I don't find much. From what I have read and heard from others is potty training isn't bad if the child is ready. Well, there isn't anything that is "not to bad" here. Those are definitely not the words I would use. This just tells me that Jackson is not ready. I have read and heard from the pediatrician that most kids are potty trained between the ages of two and three with boys being towards the end of that range. Jackson is only 2 years and almost 4 months. I think I get down because it seems like kids used to be trained earlier, so they say. I wonder though, were they 100% trained? I find that hard to believe, but if it is true, please tell me the secret. When Aaron went to Wal-Mart to buy the Pull Ups, the check out lady asked if we were potty training and how old out child was. When Aaron said 2 1/2 (which he is actually younger than that) she repeated 2 1/2 in a strange voice. Aaron didn't know if she said it that was because she thought it was old or young. I am sure she thought it was old...

One readiness sign that they say to look for that now makes sense to me is that the child needs to be able to sit still for a few minutes. Although I used to think Jackson could do that, I now see what they really mean by that. It should say "Can your child sit still for several minutes doing a BORING activity?" To be successful at the potty, you have to stop, focus, and concentrate on what you are doing. Jackson will do this, but for a BRIEF period of time before he is off running around with his underwear around his ankles. I don't think he is mature enough yet and I feel weird saying that. He is 2, I don't expect him to be mature. But, I think he is still a little too much of a crazy toddler for this.

To put a stop to a long story, we are taking a break. I am okay with Jackson being in the same timeline as the other boys. In the meantime, I am going to buy some books (any good recommendations???) and pack my brain with tips. March 27 is my goal date to start. I think I am going to keep him in the Pull Up though so he can learn to hate feeling wet.

We have a playgroup on Thursday and I am very excited to be around other moms that have 1 and 2 year olds that pee and poop in their diapers. And now that I think about it, all the 2 year olds I know are still in diapers....so maybe I should crawl out of my little dark hole and put a smile on my face. My child is normal.

Pampers you win - The Jordan household is still buying double, but this mom comes with coupons!

Milestones.

Jackson goes through phases with wanting to use the big boy potty and not wanting to use the big boy potty. His pediatrician says to never put pressure on the issue. If he wants to - great; if not - back off. When he is two and a half (end of March) we are supposed to put a little more pressure on it, but still even then we are supposed to back off if he is becoming frustrated.

Even when he has shown an interest in the past, he wasn't physically ready to be without a diaper. I don't think he physically felt the "warning feeling" and it would just sneak up on him. :)

Right now he is currently in the phase of wanting to use the potty. Although I didn't plan on it, tonight after dinner I put him in big boy underwear and moved his potty in the living room for "fast access" whenever he felt the urge. From 6:00 - 7:15, he used the potty THREE times and didn't have ANY accidents. He was so funny - I asked him about 1,000 times if he needed to go potty just so he would remember to "watch for signs." He would smile and say "Not yet, Mom!"

It really seemed to me as if the whole concept was making sense to him tonight. So, although I wasn't prepared for this, tomorrow morning we will continue the training. If it works, great....but if not, that is okay too since I wasn't expecting anything until Spring (and that was being hopeful).

The toddler bed is working out great. We haven't had any problems....knock on wood!

Garrett easily adjusted to getting rid of his bottle. I think Garrett gets attached to things more than Jackson ever did, so taking the bottle away worried me. The best advice our pediatrician ever told us was that "Everything is easier to do when they are younger." Taking the bottle away, sleep training, dealing with behavior issues, learning to be respectful, etc. With that in mind, when Garrett started screaming the first time I wouldn't give him his milk in a bottle, that just told me that now is the time to give up the bottle. And so I wouldn't give into the temptation, the bottles went in the trash and he has been fine!

Just like Garrett's weird crawling techniques, I think he is going to show us some weird walking techniques as well. He will occasionally hold on to something and pull up, but what I have seen him do the most of is walk like a bear.

He doesn't like to be behind his little walker thing. When I try to make him stand behind it, he screams and quickly crawls around to the front of the walker to play with the toys. Even though he knows how to stand (holding onto something) for some reason when I put him behind his walker his legs turn into noodles.

I will keep you all posted on the potty training situation. He may wake up in the morning and not want any part of it. We will see....
If you have any potty training secrets, feel free to send them my way. :)

Our Dear 2 Year Old -

Jackson had a GREAT night in his new bed! I am a night owl and late last night as I was sitting in the living room, I heard a little strange noise come from his room. I waited a bit before going to his room only because I didn't want him to see me. When I did go into his room, he had one foot on the floor, but his bottom was sitting on his bed. He looked confused and said "Tuck Jackson back in." I laid him down and he went right back to sleep. Before going to bed myself, I was the paranoid mom....I made sure all the child safety locks on the doors that lead to outside were attached well, the security system was set, and left a little light on in the living room in case he did any roaming. We didn't hear from him or see him all night. About 7:30 this morning, Aaron and I woke up to his sweet little voice standing at our bedroom doorway holding his blankets. He looked as if he didn't know if he was allowed to wake us up, get in our bed, start making breakfast, or what the rules were.

Here are some pictures that were taken of Jackson on Tuesday. I don't think these pictures need words, other than pointing out that he is Our Dear TWO YEAR OLD...

Mommy, WOW! I'm a Big Boy NOW!

I am planning on March to be "THE MONTH....", the month we start pushing POTTY TRAINING. Jackson will be 2 and a half in March, and his doctor said to start being more aggressive at 2 and a half. So, while laying in bed last night I started thinking - If he is going to be potty trained, he would need to be allowed to get out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the restroom. How could he get out of bed if he is still in a crib?! I then decided it is time to convert his crib into a toddler bed. I don't want to deal with TWO new things at one time, so I figured we would tackle the big boy (toddler) bed now.

When I get a thought it my head, I do it...right then. I am not one to wait for my husband to get home to help me. I got out the drill and did my thing. It was going great until I had to drill into metal that didn't have pre-cut holes. Thinking that Aaron wouldn't be home until after the boys went to bed tonight, I called my Dad and luckily he was in Dallas and would be passing our house on his way home. He came over to help me and as it turned out, Pottery Barn Kids sent us the wrong conversion kit. It works for now, but the front bar is a little short as you can see in one of the pictures below. They are sending us a new one....

So far, So good! He is very excited about his "new" bed. When I put him to bed tonight, he acted as if nothing had changed. I never heard from him and he never tried to get out of bed.

He loves having the quilt on his bed. I tried giving him his blanket tonight and he said "No, Mom." Garrett gave up the bottle this week and Jackson moved out of his crib, I am not ready for Jackson to give up his little green blanket. The little green blanket was made by my Aunt Ruth and I had a little green blanket too made by Aunt Ruth. Me and the boys have a "blanket connection." If it were up to me, they would continue using their blankets when they are married. Tonight I just laid it at the foot of his bed in case he wanted it, and sure enough he had it on when I went to check on him. That a boy!!

Hopefully he will stay in his bed all night and we will not see 2 big brown eyes looking at us in the middle of the night. :)

This is not the best picture, but I had to take a picture of his first night "out of jail."

On a different note, Aaron and I both got new cell phones and they were delivered to our house tonight. Aaron gets very excited about new cell phones. He is on the phone with Sprint right now and I just heard him say "I know it says that it is recommended that the phones be charged for 24 hours before using, but 6 hours should be enough....right?" Oh goodness, he makes me laugh!

Dear Mr. Bottle,

This may come as a shock to you, but I wanted to inform you that my Mommy is throwing you in the trash because I am too old to put you in my mouth. I have moved on to these neat cups to drink from with cool handles, also known as sippy cups. I am really good at using them since I have been observing my brother for so long. I have to work harder to get my milk out of a sippy cup, but I am okay with that. Just touching the handles makes me dance in my high chair!

Mr. Bottle, you and your whole bottle family have given me satisfaction for the past 9 months of my life, but it is time I say goodbye. If you are still interested in comforting a baby, try calling Suri Cruise (who is older than my big brother)....I think her Mommy will still let you comfort her.

Love,
Garrett

My Sister and Ricky's Wedding Pictures

Click the link (or copy and paste the link) below to see pictures from my sister's wedding -

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AYsnDFy5cMmEL

What's in a name...

http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2008

Click on link above to see the top baby names of 2008. Looks like Jackson will probably have a lot of classmates with the same name since "Jackson" is climbing up on the list, but I think Garrett is safe!

I don't miss looking at those darn name lists. I remember spending hours, night after night, searching for names. Looking at the list now, reminds me of what "Jackson and Garrett" almost were:

Jackson Reece - before knowing if it was twins or not (due to fertility) we like Reece and Reed for 2 boys. After knowing it was one baby, but not knowing the gender we liked Ava or Kinsley for a girl...both agreed on Kinsley...and Jackson for a boy. "Jackson" was Aaron's grandfather's name and my Great Grandfather's last name - so it was perfect.

Garrett Ryan - Garrett was going to be Jenna if he was a girl. Jackson and Jenna, sounds perfect huh!?

Well....as we know now, It's a BOY! (which I am thankful for now!). And when they said "It's a boy" we didn't have any names in mind. Boy names are hard to come up with.....we think. We thought of many, many, many - Kason, Luke, Grayson Paul (wow, even had a "multiple"family middle name...Paul is Aaron's middle name, Aaron's Step-Dad's first name, and it was my Grandfather's name), Hudson, Anderson, Ryder - and now I forget the rest because the list went on..... and on..... and on.

Aaron and I have ALWAYS agreed on Garrett. When trying to get pregnant with Jackson we both liked the name "Garrett Jackson" but the little boy who lived next door was named Garrett, so we tossed that name out the window. The neighbors moved before I was pregnant with Garrett, so when picking a name we knew that could be an option once again......but it took me awhile to say YES to it because I felt I was giving up because I was tired of being creative. I actually remember the night we found out it was a boy and went to dinner with our family. Everyone (even Aaron) wanted the name Luke. I didn't give into the pressure because I however, wanted the name to be longer and stronger like Jackson. So, after Aaron and I kept going back to the name "Garrett," and we became set on that. We didn't tell anyone for a little while (keep in mind - "a little while" is not long in our family. I am the one that calls people at 5AM to say I am pregnant) because we wanted to be sure on it before hearing the opinions of others.

"Garrett" and "Jackson" both have 7 letters in their names & their middle names both start with a 'R' like my maiden name (okay...so maybe we didn't plan the whole 'R' thing because of my maiden name, but I like to think we did), so that is their connection.

By the length of Garrett's paragraph, can you tell it took us longer to come up with his name?

So, now that our children are born, can you see Jackson as a Kinsley or Garrett as a Jenna or Luke? I really hope you can't see them as a Kinsley or Jenna....we may have issues if you do.

Shelly and Justin's Mexico Wedding!

We're back and had a fabulous time! Everything was GREAT! The resort was amazing and it was a perfect place for a wedding. It was good for Aaron and I to have a break together, but by Sunday we were ready to get home and see the boys. My parents must have done a great job with Jackson and Garrett while we were gone, because they are still in their routine and being just as sweet as ever.

Arriving to the resort and checking out the place -

Heading to the Rehearsal Dinner -

The Family -

Aaron dancing like he knows how! Ugggh, the cigar! The resort had a cigar bar....

Shelly doing what she does best!

Video of Shelly dancing. Sorry it is dark -

The Pina Colada's must have been getting to me by this point -

Superman Crystal -

Getting pampered at the spa the day of the wedding -

The Wedding - (Thanks Aunt Susan and Uncle Steve for taking these pictures for me!)

SOME of the onlookers...they were coming out of everywhere -

The guys waiting for the wedding to start -

Here comes the bride -

Notice the lady in the "unnecessary" bikini in the background near the water. The best man fianlly had to ask her to move so that she wouldn't be in the pictures.

Mr. & Mrs. -

Justin, Shelly, and Uncle Steve -

The Siblings -

The band for cocktail hour on the beach -

The Reception -

Randy's giving his toast -

Crystal TRYING to START her toast. The tears were already coming -

Justin and Shelly's first dance -

Daddy and Daughter Dance - (they started singing to all of us during their dance..haha)

Blair breaking it down -

Blair and Nana -

Aaron and Shelly (Don't worry - it's a virgin Pina Colada!)

The last night - I forgot to bring my camera to the beach on this day. I wish I would have. I really only have pictures from the "night life."