Normally, we probably wouldn't make such a big trip for a wedding, but Ashley is very dear to me and has been waiting a good while to find the perfect man God designed for her. Both of us have prayed for God to grant her the desires of her heart and waited in anticipation of what He had in store for her. I know it has been a long journey of patience for her, so when she told me about this new guy she'd been dating last summer I was excited. When a few months later I saw her Facebook status update that read "He stole my heart and now I'm stealing his last name" I was one weepy woman. All choked up, I immediately called my mom to tell her how excited I was about this news. And, when the invitation came, I was so looking forward to seeing her again on such an anticipated occasion.
Next came planning out the logistics. Let's face it, dragging three kids on a four hour drive to the beach plus figuring out childcare is not the easiest task. At first, I thought maybe my mom could go with us and keep them in the hotel room, but then there was Reid, who would need to be nursed. to think about. The more we talked it just seemed a lot easier to leave Hadley and Caleb behind for one night while our youngest child made the trip with us. I hated that the older two had to miss out on the beach, but there just wasn't a better way.
My friend Melanie kept Hadley and Caleb Friday during the day while Mom worked and then my mother picked them up for a fun sleepover with her. They got to go out for dinner at a local favorite pizza joint called The Melting Pot, stay up past their bed times, watch a some movies, and hang out with one of their favorite all time people, so in the end they got a good deal too.
Meanwhile, Reid was strapped into his carseat and on the road with us. Though he did well for the most part, there were a few times in the trip, especially towards the end, when he was just DONE and ready to get out of that car. Usually we take our Honda Pilot which is more spacious so he can recline more and it has tinted windows which keeps the sun at a minimum for better napping, but this time we left our SUV behind for NaNa to use with the other kids. Poor Reid got jostled about in the little Corolla that doesn't take the imperfections in the road nearly as smoothly as the Pilot and vibrates a bit too much since Daddy hasn't found time to get the alignment looked at like we need to.
When we finally arrived all was right with the world again and Reid was happy to be out of that vehicle.
It took us a little longer than expected to get there, so there wasn't much time before we needed to head to the wedding. Nonetheless, we just had to walk over to the beach to get our feet in the sand, even if it was only for a few minutes. We were eager to see Reid's reaction to this new experience!
After enjoying Reid's excitement about the beach and smiling about those plump little feet in the sand, we hurried to the hotel to get dressed for the wedding. Then, we headed to the naval base for the main event.
Reid and Dave stayed outside while I went in to watch because we didn't want any baby noises interrupting the flow of the ceremony. The boys didn't mind though and just took a walk while they waited for "mama" to return.
Just like the bride, the wedding was beautiful. The pastor did one of the best marriage sermons I've heard as he talked about the miracle of how God knits two hearts together as one and also weaves Himself into that union. I wish I could remember all the details of how he charged them to serve each other in love selflessly. He had such an eloquent way with words and it touched the hearts of even those in attendance who had been married for years. I saw the older couple in front of me keep turning to give each other a kiss throughout the whole service. While the wedding was really for Taylor and Ashley, it was meaningful in a variety of ways to the guests about as well.
The pastor's comments weren't the only thing that touched my heart that day. I was so overwhelmed with joy for Ashley that I could hardly make it through the ceremony without tears. I am not usually super mushy at weddings, but I kept having to hold back as I saw the reality of her hopes and dreams being fulfilled. I know how she has longed for a man like Taylor, and I was finally getting to witness the fulfillment of so many of God's promises - two being: that He knows the desires of our hearts and that He works all things together for good.
Afterwards, I was reunited with my boys as we watched the newly married couple exit through a naval salute. You're in the navy now, Mrs. South.
Then, it was time to celebrate at the reception. I had two pretty dapper looking dates.
While the majority of the guests stayed inside the beach club, we went out on the patio for a bit to enjoy the scenery while we had our appetizers. What a beautiful view it was!
Soon it was time to head back in to watch the entrance of the newly married couple, and then the party heated up with some dancing. Dave and I didn't get much of a chance to hit the dance floor for those slow songs, but we did get one short one at the end of the night with Reid in tote. We also enjoyed a great dinner and watching everyone else's moves. My favorite part was watching Ashley dance with her father. It was the cutest, sweetest daughter/daddy dance I've ever seen. You could see the bubbly little girl side of her emerge as she clung to him and he held her in his arms. While I managed to hold it together through the wedding, I lost it at this point, eyes brimming as I both rejoiced for her and missed my own daddy so deeply.
It made for a late night by the time it was over, and though Reid took a nap during the reception, he was pooped by the time we left. "Mama, mama, mama," he called from the backseat as he cried on our way back to the hotel to tuck him in.
The next morning though, he was all smiles again and ready for another go at beach.
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| Oceans 2700 - Reid's first hotel |
The morning started out good. Little Man played on his blanket with a few toys while we watched. The weather was somewhat cool, which made it comfortable for him to play without getting overheated and there was no need to brave the frigid May ocean water.
Sitting around didn't last long, of course; soon Reid was up and moving.
Then came the real fun - getting his hands in the sand! He was so mesmerized my the whole process, reaching forward to grab and scoop handful after handful. I was worried that he might try to eat it, but Reid was on his best behavior and just raked his fingers through it instead or clenched it in his small fist.
It was so much fun to watch him until...we had a major mishap. Dave had jumped out of the pictures for a second so I could get a few of Reid by himself in the sand, and though he was still standing pretty close, he was not quick enough to catch our roly poly boy when Reid lost his balance and tumbled face first into the sand! I'm not sure which of the three of us was more upset as we tried to clean the sand from his mouth, nose, and eyes. Poor baby :( Thankfully I had a fresh bottle of water and my nursing cover to help get him cleaned up. I think he was more upset that I was trying to get it off than he was that he had sand on him.
We tried taking a stroll down the beach to get his mind off his problems, but eventually ended up going back to the hotel to finish the clean up and grab a stroller. As we rolled down the board walk, Little Britches fell asleep and then took a long nap on the beach while we took in the peacefulness of the scene.
Things went much better after he woke up, and we stayed until around 11 when it was time to check out. Not a long time with the sand and the ocean, but at least it was better than nothing.
No trip to the beach seems quite complete without a trip to a seafood restaurant, but we didn't want to stay in VA Beach until dinner time. Instead, we decided to try to beat the traffic and headed towards Williamsburg to shop at a few outlet stores until Captian George's opened for supper. It was the best of both worlds for me. I found some adorable vintage bathing suits for Hadley at one of my favorite kid stores as well as some new summer apparel for myself now that that baby weight has fallen off. Plus, we got a delicious smorgasbord of crab legs, mussels, clams, etc. What more could we ask for? (I'm sure glad Ashley had that wedding...wink wink.)
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| Future crab leg lover? |
Again we ended up running behind and didn't get back until late so our older two spent the night with NaNa a second night, but like usual, I don't think they minded some extra time with her.
More about the rest of our holiday weekend in the next post...
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