Wedding Weekend of Firsts

This weekend Wade's cousin, "Baby" Jay, got married! Jay and Ashley have dated for many years and, on Saturday, finally became Mr. & Mrs. Ylda. We couldn't be happier that sweet Ashley is now an official member of the family!

Jay and Ashley are both very fun people that keep everyone laughing nonstop. They are so much fun to be around! Also, Ashley is the youngest of 5 children (4 of which are girls). So, we knew that this would be a really fun wedding. Jay & Si (Ashley's mom's name is Jay too - isn't that interesting?) did not disappoint and threw a great party!

I hadn't really thought too much about how the kids would do during the ceremony. I was so focused on getting there and packing all of our stuff to entertain/feed/contain our little monkeys. Once we got there and were seated on the third row my mind started to race. What if
Drew cries/has a blow out diaper/projectile vomits/does something else embarrassing that takes the attention off of the happy couple? It was like a wave of anxiety came over me. I was in full blown panic mode - heart racing, feeling sick to my stomach, and starting to sweat glow! So, I chickened out and decided to stand in the back of the room with Drew. He sucked on his pacifier and played with my hair the whole time. He never even made a peep! Crisis averted. :)

We got to see lots of extended family and friends that we don't get to see very often. Every single person commented on how much Drew looks like Clayton did as a baby. Wade's aunt said that Drew was just a "fluffier" version of Clayton. I thought that was both hysterical and spot on!

I love weddings and couldn't stop myself from taking tons of pictures. :)

Aren't they a stunning couple?!?!?!


I couldn't get over Ashley's dress! She was a gorgeous bride!

This is a picture of the couple that had been married the shortest amount of time (Jay & Ashley had been married for less than 3 hours) and the couple that had been married the longest amount of time (Grandmother and Granddaddy have been married for 59 years!).

Wade & his Grandmother


This was also a wedding of many, many firsts...

* It was the first wedding that Baby Drew had ever been to. He did so much better than I thought that he would! He was so good, in fact, that we ended up staying at the reception until 10:30! I was having such a good time that I totally lost track of time. Ooops!

It was the first time that there were 5 Carpenter "men" in attendance at a wedding. We just had to get a 4 generation picture with them all gussied up. Don't they all look so much alike??? They all act alike too!

* It was the first wedding that I had ever been to where there was a belly dancer at the reception. She is dancing with the bride's father, Si, who is such a funny guy. He cracks me up!

* It was the first time that Clayton had ever seen anyone dance with a sword on their head. He watched her in amazement. Can you see him in the background? He kept saying, "Whoa!"

* It was the first time that Drew had eaten wedding cake! Papaw snuck him a dab of icing when his Mama wasn't looking. There was a little evidence in the corner of his mouth, though. ;)

* It was the first time that I've seen a chandelier catch the bouquet. So funny...

* It was the first time that Wanda Shirley/"Nana" got to snuggle with Drew. She is Wade's cousin's husband's grandmother (did you get all that???), and she is always so sweet to tell me that she loves our blog. I am honored that she takes the time to read about our family!

There you have it! It was a fun wedding weekend! We are so excited for Jay & Ashley and can't wait to see what the Lord has for them in the future.