The "That's My Kid' Afterglow

I should first start this post by apologizing for the lack of high quality pictures. They will be coming down the road and they WILL be adorable and awesome, but honestly we were so busy at Jessie's wedding that I didn't whip out my camera very often. That and my giant purse got so full and heavy that I got tired of digging for it. Next time my kids are in a wedding party and I'm catering to my own dietary needs...I'll bring along a red wagon.

If you're wondering whether Jess already got married in the past year, you are correct. It was beautiful and awesome, but the bride and groom wanted the big traditional wedding and party that everyone dreams of. And man did they get it! Definitely the most 'high-end' wedding that I've ever been to.

I've been to a lot of wedding receptions in church basements that include pink punch. Not knocking that, I love pink punch! This was a little fancier though.

I even had a fascinator in my hair.

Better fascinator pictures will be forthcoming. 

The whole weekend the kids were an absolute joy. They were old enough to not cause trouble on the plane, talkative and charming to family that they barely knew, dutifully performed their tasks as flower girl and ring bearer, and enjoyed much of the same grown up fancy food that we did without complaint.

In short, I was pretty proud.

It's a weird feeling when people keep coming up to you and complimenting your kids. All weekend, I fielded comments about what a funny storyteller Tessa was, how Charley was so studly in his cowboy boots, and how great it was that they both like to eat Sushi.

I say that it's weird only because I feel pretty biased in knowing that they are great kids. I mean I am with them basically 24/7, so I also know that they can be whiny, rude and disgusting just like every other kid in the world. And sometimes that part clouds over the rest. The stress of parenting outweighs the joy.

Of course it shouldn't be that way....in parenting or in any other endeavor. So when I forget how cool and smart they are, it's nice to be reminded by a bunch of adults that I barely know. The outside world sees that they are good kids, and that our parenting efforts haven't been in vain.

Whew. That's good to know.

And yet there's still so little that I can take credit for. We do have a specific way of parenting, I guess, but also they just are who they are. Their personalities are just as God made them. When Tessa busted a move for a half an hour on the dance floor and created a crowd of fans...that is ALL HER.

So all I can do is nurture who they are while staying within our rule and guidelines for behavior. Is that parenting in a nutshell?...perhaps I've finally just figured that out after all these years

When it was all said and done, we came home tired and so happy for Jess, and with a refreshed feeling of pride in our kids.