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   Ahh, the lovely couple.  There is just something magical about royalty, and maybe we're all so fascinated by it all because it's a shadow of THE wedding yet to come, between Christ and His bride.

   Kate, of course, was radiant in a lacy gown (that I predicted, by the way) and a flowing, sheer veil.  She looked natural and beautiful and not even the teeniest bit pretentious.  Prince William was dashing as well, but I must confess, I have always found Prince Harry to be more handsome.  Maybe because he looks like Randy.

Pippa's (Kate's sister) dress was lovely as well! 

   The day wouldn't have been complete without (dare I?) the "ugly stepsisters".   O.k. so they're not ugly, just their dresses and awful hats.  I mean, you have one chance to go to the wedding of the century, and THAT'S what you wear?!

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    And when this man was talking/preaching, I couldn't help but envision him breaking out into, "Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam.."  Hahaha.  And since that put me in the mood for some Princess Bride quotes, shall we?


Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right... and who is dead.
Vizzini: But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You've made your decision then?
Vizzini: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.
Vizzini: Wait till I get going! Now, where was I?
Man in Black: Australia.
Vizzini: Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You're just stalling now.
Vizzini: You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong, so you could've put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You're trying to trick me into giving away something. It won't work.
Vizzini: IT HAS WORKED! YOU'VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! I KNOW WHERE THE POISON IS!
Man in Black: Then make your choice.
Vizzini: I will, and I choose - What in the world can that be?
Man in Black: [Vizzini gestures up and away from the table. Roberts looks. Vizzini swaps the goblets]
Man in Black: What? Where? I don't see anything.
Vizzini: Well, I- I could have sworn I saw something. No matter. First, let's drink. Me from my glass, and you from yours.
Man in Black, Vizzini: [Vizzini and the Man in Black drink]
Man in Black: You guessed wrong.
Vizzini: You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line"! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...
Vizzini: [Vizzini stops suddenly, his smile frozen on his face and falls to the ground dead]
Buttercup: And to think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned.
Man in Black: They were both poisoned. I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.

 [Buttercup and Westley have just entered the Fire Swamp]
Westley: [looking around] It's not that bad.
[Buttercup stares unbelievingly at him]
Westley: Well, I'm not saying I'd like to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely.
Buttercup: We'll never survive.
Westley: Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has.



Inigo Montoya: Are you the Miracle Max who worked for the king all those years?
Miracle Max: The King's stinking son fired me, and thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? We're closed.


   O.k. so that was alot of them, but hey, no one made you read them.  All in all, it was a lovely wedding.   Several of us went over to Jessi's and Dorcas Smucker brought tea and scones, and we sat there feeling very British as we sipped our tea, and perhaps a little wistful that we didn't get married at Westminster Abbey with all those lovely bells tolling.  It was worth the missed sleep, although I will be stealing naps throughout the day whenever possible. 

    And to all the unmarried girls out there, it's like I told Jocelyn yesterday...

   "We don't all get the chance to be a princess, at least not in the eyes of the world.   But if you marry the right man, then you will be treated like a princess for the rest of your life, and who's the real winner then?"

   This morning as I was sipping the latte and eating the egg and sausage sandwich that my husband lovingly made for me, I couldn't help but wonder if William makes Kate breakfast.

I think I just might have a royal life after all.

   Jocelyn here, posting for Mommy because she never does anymore.  Hmmm, what to write about.  Well, I'm four months old and I'm changing really fast.  I'm still trying valiantly to roll over, but haven't quite mastered that yet, without the help of a downward slope, or a push from Daddy.  Mommy put pigtails in my hair for the first time the other day, which I didn't care for at all.   Something I DO enjoy, on the other hand, is.....


 ...grabbing my toes.  Feet are so fascinating!  I never even knew they existed until a week or two ago, but boy are they fun!  They don't do anything and aren't really useful as far as I can tell, but they are fun toys, so that was nice of God to attach them to the bottom of my legs for entertainment purposes!

 I like playing with Daddy because he makes funny expressions and noises and has this pretty red hair that is fun to look at.  His voice is louder and deeper than mommy's, and so I always know when he comes home, and then we get to play.  One of the best times of my day. 

 I LOVE eating my hands.  They're a little more useful than feet because I can grab my toys now, but their primary function is still a chew-toy, and I'm quite pleased with the arrangement. 

 I like kisses from Mommy, although they're a little confusing to me.  I'm not sure why she kisses me all the time, and I don't really get the point of it, but I endure it because it seems to make her really happy.
 See what I mean?
 Ahh, here we go, something that I really enjoy.  My swing is one of my happy places.  It goes back and forth, back and forth, and classical music plays while little teddy bears dangle above my head.  Best invention EVER!  I don't know why Mommy and Daddy don't have one, they're really missing out.  Grandma Smucker found this swing for me, and boy am I glad she did.   It's so relaxing, I can just lay back, watch the world around me, and think about theology and psychology and stuff like that while Mommy putters around the house.  What DOES she do all day anyway?

   Well I have to go now.  I get to go over to Grandma Smucker's house soon because Mommy is going to the doctor.  I love Grandma's house, it has more windows than ours and always smells nice.  But I sure hope Mommy doesn't stay away too long because I do need to eat, after all.  And I would kinda miss her too.  After all, she IS my mommy, and she's pretty crazy over me, so it's hard not to love her back. 

Oops, here she comes now! Don't want her to catch me doing this, or she'll just make me take over her blog, and I'm far too busy for that.  Toes to grab, fingers to chew, diapers to fill...busy, busy, busy.

This is Jocelyn Kate, over and out.

   Let's see if I can crank out a new post before baby's next feeding...because honestly, this poor blog has been so neglected I'm afraid it's going to take some making up for it to forgive me.

    April 8th-11th found us out at the coast, for 3 very special occasions.  Randy's birthday, our 2nd anniversary, and baby's First Vacation!  :)  Hopefully many more to come on all three counts.  It was a little windy and cold, which is to be expected at the Oregon coast in the spring, but it was still beautiful, and we had a lovely time. 

 The beach was within walking distance from our motel, so we enjoyed walking along this boardwalk and looking out over the ocean.


I'll have to show a picture of the end product later, you can't see it very well here. 

The coast.  Always rugged, always beautiful.




   Some other things that have kept me busy lately:

• Bible study
• Basketball games
• Trip to the coast with friends
• Surgery

   You heard me right, surgery.  No worries, it wasn't anything major.  I've just learned a few things through this whole "having-a-baby" adventure, and what I know now, is that if they stitch you up and send you home without ever checking up on you, they're doing something wrong.  Moving on.

   The surgery was on Monday, and I was pretty nervous, but honestly I was most worried about Jocelyn.  Usually she refuses a bottle, and I was just really hoping it wouldn't be an awful day for her.  Turns out, the anesthesiologist assured me that I could nurse her immediately afterwards, and so I only missed one feeding, and she drank her bottle down for Grandma Bonnie without blinking an eye.  I was SO relieved.

   Surgery itself was a breeze.  Honestly, I can say it was actually kind of fun!  As they hooked me up to an IV and monitors, they made small talk and were all super friendly and nice.  Then they wheeled me into the operating room, and we were all chatting and laughing like we were at a high tea, rather than, well....in an operating room.  I thought I dozed off for a minute or two because of the drugs kicking in, and I asked if it was ok if I had a drink before surgery and the nurse said, "Didn't I tell you? You're all done.  You're in the recovery room."  What?! Best feeling EVER!

   Later they told me that while I was coming to, (and still quite out of it, as I don't remember ANY of this) the doctor mentioned my baby being born on December 10, and I corrected him, saying she was born on the 20th, and then went on to lament how badly I felt for having her so close to Christmas, and how that's not a fun birthday for a kid to have.  Then I gushed about how FUN surgery was, saying it was "more like a spa!"  And then the nurse offered me apple juice or water, and I said, "Yes, I'd like an apple and water. "  I do actually remember saying that.  It was the craziest feeling, being all loopy and woozy and frankly, euphoric.  I was flying high the rest of the day.  I can see why people get addicted to the stuff.

   The next day I think I experienced a downer from it all, and I was moody and slightly depressed, in spite of the sunshine and gorgeous weather.  I'm just glad it's all behind me, and we can work on getting Jocelyn back onto schedule.  To those I asked to pray, thanks so much!  I felt the prayers, and I'm convinced it's what made the difference for Jocelyn, and the reason she drank her bottle so well.


In other news, I am grateful:
   But then that makes sense when one has so much to be grateful for.  Grateful for two, splendid years with my best friend, confidante and lover.  There are so many different ways that he enriches my life and makes my future one to look forward to.  And even if today was my last day, I would have lived such a rich, full life.   Oh, and we make sweet babies.  

    Not one of my more clever titles, I will admit.  The cheesiness is probably due to the cabin fever.  Or the spring-teases-us-with-a-nice-day-and-then-goes-away-again fever.  Or SCCM syndrome.  (sick child = crazy mommy)  Blame it on whatever you want, that's the title of this post, because after all, there is a lot of yellow in it.

   So the other day, it was an unusually beautiful spring day, so I tapped into my inner Sydney and decided to go on a walk to the park and take outfit pictures.  Little girls love dressing up and parading around, and I guess it's something you never really grow out of.  I hope Jocelyn enjoys it, because I'm already dragging her into it with me, poor thing.  Pictures coming sometime in the near future of my new Downeast Basics dress!

   It really was a lovely day.  I like to call it the first day of spring, even though it wasn't, technically.  But it was the first day I went for a walk and got hot, so that's the first day of spring in my book.  The rest of you can call it as you like.





(Cardigan and shorts-thrifted; tank top-Forever 21; shoes-DSW; watch-American Eagle, headband-can't remember.

 "I'll just taste my fingers here while mommy makes me sit through pictures."

 *Nom-nom-nom* "Mmmm, tastes like chicken!"
 
"Are we almost done yet?  I'm kinda catching a cold here that you won't know about for a few days and then you'll feel like a terrible mommy so it's probably best we go home soon."

 "I hate pictures!  I hate dresses!  I hate spring!"  (Dress-Children's Place; headband-made by Jessi)



 "Now THIS is my happy place.  Warm in bed with two fingers in my mouth."

 "SEE, now I'm sick. And it's probably your fault Mom."

"But you're just so hard to stay mad at!"

 Sick or well, rain or shine, we love going on walks, although in this picture it looks like I enjoy it a considerable amount more than she does....

   In other news, I think Jocelyn is giving me her cold.  So we're even.  Blech.  I just hope we get over these colds soon, and it doesn't hinder us from enjoying our weekend at the coast!!  A little mini vaca for Randy's birthday/our anniversary.  Can't wait.  


   Here's hoping spring comes to STAY soon, and summer comes even faster. 

   My apologies.  I realize that I have been slacking terribly on blogging as of late, but I fear I'm beginning to start off every post saying that, so I'll move right along.


   A couple of weeks ago we threw a surprise birthday tea party for Randy's mom.  I must say, it was a lot of fun.  We actually pulled it off without her finding out ahead of time, too!  Kudos to us. 

(Clockwise from left) Jocelyn, Bonnie, Jessi, Madison, me.







   I had a lot of fun rounding up all these old pictures.:)  It was also fascinating to see how Randy looked more like his dad than I had realized, and some of the old clothes they wore have totally come back in style!



  

      It was so fun to do this for Bonnie, because she has done so much for me (and everyone else she knows for that matter).  She is such a generous, giving person, and has helped me feel so much more at home here. It was high time that she get treated to some pampering!  Jessi and I decorated, Rachel and Rita served the tea, and all of the guests brought delightful plates of food and so the whole thing came together fairly easily.  Now, if only every Monday held a tea party and fancy dresses.....

    In other news...I am falling in love.  A love affair with online shopping.  Throughout the day, I think about the items I'm hoping to buy, and wishing desperately that they would go on sale.  I go about my daily duties, gravitating back to the computer time and time again to check out different sites, new arrivals, clearance items, daily deals...you name it, I look at it. 

   This would be quite the unhealthy habit if I was an impulsive buyer.  Fortunately, I am not.   If anything I err on the side of mulling over something way too long, trying to decide between colors or styles, second-guessing my decisions and re-examining my need for it over and over.   The trouble with that is that by the time I finally decide to buy it, it is no longer available in my size.  This was the case with the Downeast Basics Spring Retreat dress  which I wanted immediately upon sighting, but took too long to decide, and lo, it was gone.  Tragedy.

   It was because of my obsessive/compulsive site checking that I happened to see they restocked the dress, and I quickly nabbed one up in my size.  The very next day they were sold out again.  So I guess sometimes it pays to be impulsive.  How do I love thee, online shopping? Let me count the ways.....

    But there are several reasons why online shopping is so appealing.  There's the obvious:  You don't have to leave your house.  You can do it in your pajamas, bathrobe, or nothing at all, if for some strange reason the fancy strikes you.  No searching for a parking spot, no crowds, no lines, no person in front of you whose credit card isn't working.  No carting your baby in and out, trying to rush to town and back in between feedings, or dealing with a diaper blow-out in the middle of it all. 

   All of these reasons are obvious, but one of the less obvious that further endears online shopping to my heart is the fact that it comes in the mail.  When you buy something in the store, you walk out with the bag, and sometimes you're thrilled about what you just purchased, but sometimes all you can think about is the money you just parted with.  But when it comes in the MAIL...first of all, when ISN'T getting mail delightful?  I just love finding that little package in the mailbox, or seeing that delivery truck pull up in our drive.  Cheap thrills. 

   Also, by the time the product arrives, the money you spent on it is but a faint memory, and it almost feels like getting a present.  Among other recent purchases, I found a bag on sale over at Spool no. 72 that's big enough to double as a diaper bag, and will function nicely as a carry-on when traveling.  Coupling the sale with a $10 gift card, it came to a steal of a deal.:) Lovin' it. 

   Oh, and the best part of it all?  I have a husband who encourages me to shop.  You heard me right, encourages.  And sometimes he's the one telling me I need to buy new things, and not second-hand shop all the time.  Every woman's dream, right there. 

Well folks, that's all for now!  Time for bed.