Winter Birthdays

With multiple important birthdays falling in the November-December time frame, it always feels like the holidays and celebrating get rolling as soon as the calendar flips to November. No matter how much I try to be on the ball and plan ahead, these two months just fly by with all the celebrations and fun.

Hayley kicked off the season by hitting the BIG 3-0. We had planned to have a party for her but she requested something much more simple...dinner at a hibachi grill with just our family. It was quite an entertaining dinner and show and ended up being a fun way to ring in the next decade!

Then we headed back to Hayley & Jerry's house for cupcakes and presents. 

Then Ted's turn was next about a week and a half later. His birthday wasn't so big so I'll just say that it was a 40-something celebration. He ended up coming up to Richmond on his actual birthday and we went to Maggiano's for dinner. I didn't like him having to make the trip up to me but he was gracious to do so because I was heading to Williamsburg the following day to celebrate with both of our families. The Maggiano's dinner was delicious and I think we each went home with more food than what we actually ate in the restaurant. Ted was also super excited about his special request being honored for a "birthday-sized" serving of ice cream with his apple dessert. Yes, he ate the whole thing all by himself!

For the dinner and party the following night with our families, I made a carrot cake at his request. Nothing fancy but it seems to always be a crowd pleaser.

We finished off the evening by playing Quadominoes, which I have heard about for quite some time but had never played (or seen). There were quite a few competitors in this crowd so it made for an interesting game. This is definitely a fun group game to play.

And Dad wrapped up the winter birthdays at the beginning of December when he hit the BIG 6-0! Mom and Dad ended up going to Nashville for about a week to celebrate this milestone so we had a small party the weekend before. We forego cake for Dad because of his love of apple pie.

AnnaLeah & Jeff's Wedding

AnnaLeah and Jeff's wedding fell on a beautiful, crisp, fall day in mid-November. The ceremony and reception were both held at a lovely venue in New Kent with character and charm. The actual ceremony was held outside and the cocktail hour and dinner were held in barns on the property. 

I was excited to grab a prime end-of-the-row seat for taking photos.

Brother and Mother of the Bride

Sister of the Bride.

I loved the wedding colors AND the cowboy boots!

Glowing AnnaLeah and her Dad

The ceremony was short but oh so very sweet. Their faith in God and love for each other was evident to all who gathered to share in this special day. They honored each other with vows that each had written for the other. Each of theirs brought tears to our eyes and made us laugh out loud.

Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Wiggins!

Now on to the after party and celebration. As you can see, they even had a fire pit out behind the barn!

While the bridal party was taking photos, we enjoyed taking some of our own with AnnaLeah's homemade props and around the property...

An unplanned matching family photo!

AnnaLeah is an art teacher and her creative touches were evident throughout the entire day.

The big barn doors opened for the bridal party's entrance. 

Here are the proud parents of the bride...

The wedding was extra fun sharing it with neighbors (both current and past). We had a blast celebrating with friends who we've known for 20+ years.

What would a bonfire outside be without s'mores? What a clever favor!

Group shot

Mom and DeeDee

All of the neighborhood "kids"...photobombed by DeeDee

Some line dancing with a nice peek at the inside of the barn.

Dancing crazies on the dance floor!

Plenty of competitive girls in the front for the bouquet toss. Notice who is not in the front!

Dad and some of his buds

Time to send off the newlyweds and wish them well for a wonderful life together...

An especially beautiful and fun wedding!