The Gales

Post Wedding Celebration

We had a family dinner at the Melting Pot after the ceremony. We had just enough time to go home, change clothes, and head back out. It was absolutely delicious, though. I've been before, though it has been MANY years. Jared has never been. I wish he could have enjoyed it with us. We'll have to go there on a date sometime.

Allie liked the cheese, but loved the chocolate! How much?

This much! (Yes, we're teaching her to have class.)

The girls made each other laugh playing with Rachel's snuggly.

It was clear by the end that Rachel was tired.

Right by the Melting Pot is a little splash pad. We let the kids play, have fun, and get wet. I had no doubt that Allie would enjoy it. Rachel likes water, but she doesn't like mists of water. This wasn't mist, but I wasn't sure how she'd react. She loved it too, though.

The girls slept better that night than any of the nights leading up to the wedding.

Maria's Beautiful Wedding Day

Maria's wedding day was beautiful. She was a beautiful bride, it was a gorgeous day, and the new family was incredibly happy. I was so happy for my wonderful sister. She has had some extremely rough times in the past, so it is the best thing in the world to see her so happy and for her to be married to a man who absolutely cherishes her. Jon and Maria make a great couple. They love each other and they make a good team. Their kids are so lucky to have them.

Leading up to the wedding on the wedding day was pretty stressful. Monte and I were in charge of making sure chairs, tables, and decorations were where they were supposed to be. It shouldn't have been too bad, but despite being told that the people at the botanical gardens were going to put chairs and tables out, they didn't. Due to other last minute events, we arrived later than planned. Had the chairs and tables been out, it wouldn't have been so bad, but they were no where to be seen. This was like 20 minutes until showtime. It was really hot out, so we worked up quite the sweat getting things ready. Monte ended up doing more than me because I needed to take care of my girls so that my dad could be ready to enter with Maria. Luckily, several guests helped get things ready. They were a huge blessing to us, too.

The ceremony was very nice. It was at the Oklahoma City Botanical Gardens.

Breya, Taylyn, and Bella led the way.
Nathen and Dad helped Maria down the stairs.
(Yes, she was wearing heels!)

I love looking at the groom as the bride walks toward him. You could see Jon's excitement and love for Maria.

You may kiss the bride.

Mr. and Mrs. Kindel

The Sword Arch

They had to kiss to pass.

"Welcome to the Navy, Ma'am!"

Due to not sleeping well in the days leading up to the wedding, the time of day (nap time), and the heat, my girls had a hard time. It was very stressful. A little girl had shown Allie the fish in the water right before the ceremony started, so when I told her she needed to come sit down she completely broke down. A wonderful woman was so kind and walked around with Allie during the ceremony. I felt bad that she didn't get to enjoy the ceremony but was so grateful for her kind service.

Allie and Kim H.

The happy family

I love this!

The Alton side

This is what Allie wanted to do most of the time.

She wasn't happy about it, but Rachel spent quite a bit of time in the stroller.

Allie finally stopped wanting to do her own thing when pictures were being taken. She wanted to be in the pictures. She wanted to be with her cousins. She wanted to have a picture with "Auntie Ria." I had to tell her, "No" so many times. She couldn't understand. Then after most of the pictures were taken, Maria and her girls went to cool down by putting their feet in a little waterfall. Allie wanted to do that, too. But when the photographer started taking pictures of them there, too, Allie was told, "no" once again. The poor girl broke down. I felt so bad for her. Maria learned that Allie wanted a picture with her, so we tried to cheer Allie up by letting her get a picture with the bride, but she kept crying. You'd never know that Allie was crying her heart out in this picture. It is a sweet picture, and Maria is so beautiful!

There were so many things that added to the stressful day. On top of it, I was PMSing, and I came to realize that Rachel was teething with 3 teeth (molars included). But more than anything, I was so happy for my sister and that it all turned out alright. It really was a beautiful day.

Leading up to Maria's Wedding in OKC

Part of the reason my dad came to Arkansas before the wedding was so that Jared could keep the car while we headed to Oklahoma City. Jared wasn't going to be able to come since he hadn't even been at his job for a month (granted they later made it sound like he could have come - oh well). So we headed to OKC on Saturday, and Maria's wedding was going to be on Monday. We had some fun times during those days of preparation, though there were important things that needed to be done, too.

Rachel likes men. She will warm up to women, but it takes longer than it does with men. This has been evident with Grandpa Bobbie, Jon (Maria's fiance - now husband), and a shoe salesman, among others. Rachel was very proud of herself for climbing up on the ottoman and then getting on the couch. She would then join everyone else, and often she would want to go to Jon. Once I asked Rachel if she was going to kiss Jon, and she got pretty close to doing it. It was pretty funny.

Nikki, Allie, Bella, Maria, Rachel, Jon, Breya

We lit some fireworks in Maria's backyard. The kids loved it. I didn't get pictures of it, but Allie loved the sparklers. Rachel enjoyed all of them, though she was a little nervous with the ones that made loud bangs.

Uncle Monte was able to come for Maria's wedding. We were all so happy to see him. Allie ran to him when he walked in the door. All of his nieces love him, as can be seen in the picture below.

Breya is always a ham. This one makes me laugh. I love her!

A downtime with me, Monte, and Dad.

In preparation for the wedding, the kids helped Jon make the lemonade. It was delicious. It has blackberry syrup, fresh sage, and fresh blackberries. Allie was excited to help.

We went to church on Sunday. Here are Breya, Allie, and Rachel before church, all ready to go.

It's pretty obvious we cut Rachel's bangs in this next picture. Her squinty eyes and smile make me happy.

A visit from Grandpa Bobbie (late June to early July 2012)

Grandpa Bobbie drove down to visit at the end of June. The main reason for his drive was actually Maria's wedding, which was on July 2nd. But we had a lot of fun with him before the wedding. Jared had to go to Springfield, Missouri for training for a few days, so it was nice having someone to help watch and play with the kids, especially in the evenings. The girls loved Grandpa Bobbie. Rachel wasn't so sure about him for the first five minutes, but then kept wanting him to pick her up.

One thing that I really appreciate when my dad is here is that he takes lots of pictures. He captures so many wonderful pictures. Some of them are just of everyday events, but I like that because I don't normally think to take pictures then.

I love these pictures from after bath time.

Rachel was needing her bangs cut. We cut them a few days later.

Rachel still loves food, but she is loving eating grown people food. Grandpa shared an apple with her, and she was in heaven.

Allie enjoys eating her whole apple, too. I just barely started giving her the whole apple, but I don't mind not cutting it up into slices. (I still cut Rachel's into small pieces.)