The Wedding Part 2

The medium Heikoop family.

Taken at the photography studio while waiting for the Heikoop clan's group picture. :)

Visiting with each other.

Two cousins - rather adorable in pink and ivory. :)

Katelyn: "am I tilting just right?"

The day Katelyn learned to sniff flowers...so sweet.

Rachel and Kate - the nieces were such a big help during that weekend - always ready to help and hold.

My place setting... I'm Mrs. Elizabeth Heikoop - fun! :)

The decor was gorgeous - chandeliers, tall vases with hydrangeas, white tablecloths and chair covers, candles, sparkling juice etc.

The candy bar buffet - which was the favors - you filled up a bag of what you wanted. Neat idea.

Announcing the married couple

Nelly getting ready for us all to sing the song she wrote for Ben and Deanna: "What Love Did to Me". It was a really pretty song, and I put the lyrics down below so you could see. :)

What Love Did To Me
(You Chose Me)

I look into your eyes today
And think the thoughts that words can’t say
If everyone would disappear
I’d just be glad that you are near….
That’s what love did to me

Chorus:
With Grateful heart I praise the Lord,
But most of all I thank Him for:
The day that I discovered-
You chose me

You could have chosen someone who
Wouldn’t take the risks I often do
I don’t deserve to feel this way
So I’ll just smile and simply say:
It’s what the Lord did for me

A river could not quench this flame;
Strong as death and wide as fame
How did I strangely come to be
Completely bound yet fully free….
That’s what love did for me

-by Nelly Heikoop

Bride and Groom

This was in the wedding program at the back - a beautiful memorial to Bonnie, written by Ben. A bunch of us cried when we saw that... :) A special letter to a special sister of theirs...

Doing our Heikoop skit - depicting a courtroom scene. (Deanna's dad is a Judge) Ben was on trial. :) We had fun telling stories on Ben (William was against Ben - Heather was his lawyer) and showing pictures of all the crazy stuff that has happened in Ben's life. :)

One of the events of the evening was a durian fruit tasting time - :) One of Deanna's sisters, (she has four married sisters) is from Indonesia and brought the fruit. Sarah did the best of the contestants there, as she has had a bunch of durian in the Philippines. Cutting the cake. :)

Nelly did the most gorgeous job on the flowers. :) Sigh...I love fresh flowers. I was telling her: I would love to get married again - same guy, same colors, same bridal party, same flowers.... weddings can be so much fun! One of the bridesmaids gave me her bouquet which I have been enjoying so much.

Dad Heikoop continued on his tradition of making something special for the wedding reception. This time it was a "Carr Carrier" (Carr is Deanna's maiden name :) Very well done.

This video is taken at the tail end of a game at the reception. Five chosen couples were running around the round, collecting monopoly money based on their kiss they had demonstrated earlier. You gave the money to the most deserving couple...and the bride and groom won. :)

The Wedding Part 1

The wedding program of Ben and Deanna Heikoop

The trip to Timmins is 9 1/2 hours north away from us, so we left real early (4 am) on Thursday morning so that we would be there for the rehearsal and other prep work that James needed to do. The wedding was on a Friday which worked out quite well.

The trip was nice, and we enjoyed a breakfast at Zellers, and laughed and just were us - together - which is super wonderful after a busy time getting ready for this event.

My wonderful man who drove us there. :) I got to sleep for a few hours which was lovely, and Katelyn did real well on the trip. When we got there, we met the great Carr family. (some of the family had already met a bunch of them, but not us)

We enjoyed getting to know Deanna's family and her friends a bit- had a fun rehearsal, and then off to the hotel where pretty much everyone was staying. It was fun, cause all the relatives that came stayed there, as well as people from our church etc., so we visited and enjoyed each other's company. Then exhausted, we went to sleep.

The morning of the wedding began slowly, but quickly picked up the pace to a stressful run. After all the groomsmen came back from their breakfast out together, we went to the reception hall where James, Mark and I were working on getting all the desserts arranged and decorated - quite frantically actually, as we didn't have a lot of time.

Mark, the creative guy, arranges the different platters of squares so they have a "B" and "D" on them.

Katelyn amused herself walking around the basement kitchen of the hall. Then we dashed back to the hotel, everyone trying to get ready fast, but that's a rather crazy story. Let's just say that the girls/moms left the hotel, after finishing niece's hair, each others hair etc. 5 minutes before the wedding was to start...and I still hadn't done makeup, necklace, my shoes, barely dressed etc...it was a bit stressful...but we made it...just.... My car keys were in a diaper bag that was taken for me by someone else, so I would have been stranded without Henry and Heather's ride!

We dashed to the church, and because we were late, the corsages/bouts. weren't on the right people yet. So a few of us grabbed the flowers, and started sticking the pins on them, hopefully not in them. :) We walked in, and the wedding ceremony began.

All the handsome groomsmen. My favorite is James. :)

From where I was sitting, I couldn't get a picture of Deanna and her dad coming down the aisle, but it was lovely.

I smiled at this - cause I had the same problem as Deanna had: trying to put James' ring on his large hand/finger. :) The great thing is, once it's on, it's on to stay. :)

First kiss... :) At first, after being asked if he would like to kiss the bride, he says's "sure" grabs her hand kissing it....of course there was laughter, and then it was for real. :)

Us sisters singing "Wonderful Merciful Savior" at the wedding. A special honor. They also had another singer - a cousin- sing a gorgeous version of "O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus".

One of my favorite shots that I got. :) The lovely couple. Deanna made such a gorgeous bride! And Ben was very happy.

Then they walked down the aisle, and we all scattered to find a car, and off to the photography studio - though the van I was in, well we got lost for a while, but we found it.... :) thanks to Henry and his cell phone. :)

Park Night...

Me at 18 weeks. :) I'm almost 21 weeks now, and it's such a wonderful thing. :)

Mrs.Burchell and I after spending a lovely lunch together. She is such a dear woman in our church, and I loved having her to myself for a bit learning from a wonderful example. :) She is a very perky English woman, whom I would love to act like when I'm older - or even now when I'm youngerish. :)

At the park with daddy. :)

Riding the car. Katelyn loves to take a steering wheel (perferably on a real car) and turn it, making car noises.

Down the curvy slide. She loves the slide and has no real fear of it...scary thought.... she'll just walk/run towards the top and down she goes. :)

Crawling over the bridge.

Swing time

A Smile and a Tear

This morning I smiled. A quick smile. Something kicked me. My baby. My sweet little baby. I've been feeling these little movements for the past week or so, and it has been good, but today for some reason, with that one kick or two, and with that smile, major excitement grew. There really is a baby in there! That's amazing, and hard to comprehend.

But it should be ready by now. It feels like in some ways, that this baby should be almost full term. After all, I've pretty much been pregnant since January, minus a month and a half. So it's time now....right...? But no...instead of having one full term baby, I have two babies. One kicking inside me, making me smile, the other in heaven, which makes me cry.

I was listening to a song about heaven tonight with Katelyn, and just started weeping... my baby is there - with God. Little Yachal went from 'knowing' the darkness and comfort of my womb to the glorious light of Christ. How beautiful. But yet so bittersweet for me. I am soo thankful that I'll see my little one again, but right now, it still hurts. I cry at nights sometimes. Sometimes in the day...missing a little person I hardly knew. And it frusterates me, cause I have felt more attached to Yachal, then our new baby coming at times. That almost seems wrong...but feelings will change; and they are changing.

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about Yachal, and it hit me - hard - how Yachal will never need my love. This may sound stupid or immature, but that thought hurt my mother's heart. I can never give anything to my little baby. God is the only Giver to my baby. He will give all the love Yachal could hope for. I know that that last truth is wonderful - too wonderful for mind to understand and comprehend - so it hurts my little earthly heart. I sobbed, wishing my baby would need my love. But Yachal was made for heaven, and this little one that God has given us for now - little Strudel - needs my love. We can't always chose the ones who need love given to them. God places different people in each other's lives to love. Right now in my direct little family, it's James, Katelyn and Strudel. One day, Lord willing, all of our children will be home in heaven together.

So I cry, like I am doing right now....and yet I smile. :)

Bits and Bites

Just little odds and ends of pictures to finish catching up. I need to go finish cleaning my home that is almost clean... :) and start working on hemming up my dress for Ben and Deanna's wedding. :) (I can't believe that's next week!!!) Amazingly, after searching everywhere for something to wear to the wedding (not easy at the best of times, plus with being pregnant) the Lord directed me to a dress at a thrift store/consignment store that had a brand new, jcpenny bridal collection dress - it had sleeves, a proper neckline and it's navy blue. So I'm just going to hopefully shorten the floor length gown to something a bit more wearable/un-formal. :) Anyways that's my thankful story - and I bought Katelyn's dress at a Once upon a Child store, so we're set. :) (and since James is in a tux, he's taken care of) Peach Jam, Zucchini Relish and cookies I made one day. I felt like a real housewife. :)
Oma and Katelyn playing the organ together at the Windmill. :) Terribly sweet picture.
My two favorite people taking pictures of themselves. :)

Last week we went to see Jared's last concert in Hamilton. It was Beethoven's Nineth Symphony and really well done.

Kilmeny and Katelyn playing together during the concert.

Evening with Friends

We wanted to have at least one more time with Breanne and Jared before they left Hamilton, so we went out for dinner to the Spice Avenue last night. It was lovely, eating Thai food together, and keeping two babies in an otherwise baby less restaurant, somewhat quiet - Kilmeny did really well - but starving Katelyn on the other hand, was a bit more...busy. But once food arrived, she devoured my Pad Thai noodles. :)

Trying to use chopsticks - not as fluently as the other couple, but we did manage to get most of the food to our mouths.
Breanne and Jared. Fun to be on a triple date together. :)
Me and the messy eater. :)

Then Kate took my chopsticks and played with them. :) Kinda caught in the act.

Right before leaving the restaurant and saying goodbye.

The decor was very neat inside - this was the ceiling - bird cages with lights in them.

Jared and I were taking pictures at the same time - me trying to get a 'better shot' than the pro-photographer...- :) At least we were using a similar/ordinary camera at the same time. :) It was really nice to have old friends in the area for the summer.