Hannah's flower girl experience!

On July 9th, Hannah got to make her debut as a flower girl in Uncle Adam & Aunt Julie's wedding. It was really exciting for her, and she practiced with Daddy the week before the wedding. We knew her dress was purple, but we hadn't seen it in person, so Hannah was thrilled with it when she saw it! (Pics below...) During the rehearsal, Hannah was a little distracted by butterflies, the river, and everything else going around her, so it was a task trying to get her to focus on directions for the next day. (We were up in North Central WA at Great-Grandma Lois' house for the wedding, so there was lots to look at!) I tried to remember various friends' advice about kids in weddings, which mostly centered around: "If they do it, great; if they don't, it's okay!" :) For a controller/planner like me, that was really challenging to accept.
On the day of the wedding, Hannah was super excited about her job. She kept asking to get her dress on, and I kept directing her to the microwave clock to check the time. She'd say "It's still a one, mommy!" (I told her that when the first number changed to a 2, she could put her dress on. I figured the less time she had the dress on, the smaller the risk of dress disaster before the actual event.) Once we got the dress on, it was time for hair, and although Cousin Monica attempted to put her hair in a braid (which looked adorable), after wrestling with Hannah to leave it in & threatening to chop off her hair if she didn't cooperate (okay, that may have been a little harsh, but this was important, people!) we compromised with pigtails.

I think the result was cute & little-girlish, while still being pretty.

The rest of the afternoon went really well, considering Hannah is a very busy, precocious 4-year-old! In spite of being a flight risk, (no worries with the bride, but the flower girl had other things to do!) Hannah walked down the aisle at the right time and pleasantly smiled to all the guests. As she passed by me as I was wildly motioning for her to actually THROW the flower petals, she explained that she didn't want to toss those beautiful flowers on the ground. Well. What can you do?? So I sent her on her way, as the guests snickered in the background. She got through the ceremony by going back & forth between various relatives in the audience, me, and the bridal party up front. Fortunately, I don't think Adam & Julie minded, as they were focused completely on each other on this special day. :)

Hannah participated in the photos throughout the afternoon, and I also got some cute shots of her playing & frolicking in her dress.

Gemma did well during the wedding, too, only squealing every once in a while & spending the rest of the time digging in the grass in front of us. :)

The weekend was lots of fun, with plenty of time to hang out with the family, swim in the city pool, and browse around the shops. We stayed in a neat house right on the river with Keith's parents, Noah, and Mary, and that was a great place to rest each day. Here's Gemma having a blast in the fountains at the pool: