Wedding #11: It meant so much to us to have close family and friends with us that day. On the left is Cindy Waddick and her daughter Elyse. Cindy is my best friend from university, and our kids consider her and her kids as family, not just friends. We have many, many memories of time spent with their family over the years, so we were thrilled when Cindy and Elyse were able to come out for several days to help us with the last minute details of the wedding. Kneeling on the floor is Rachel, David's niece. Her mother is Catherine, who is David's sister, and she is standing next to David. It was great to have them with us! It's been a year of weddings: Rachel was married in the summer of 2007 to Stephane, Liz was married in October 2007, and then Catherine was married to Gilles in the summer of 2008. To the left of Catherine is Kirsten, and her husband Neil holding their 1st son Cory. (Kirsten had a second son in the summer, named Luke) Beside David and Colette on the right is our daughter Diana, and then Colette's sister Manya. She was also a wonderful help the weekend of the wedding: she took hundreds of photographs to supplement the pictures supplied by the professional photographer, and was able to capture many special moments and all of the guests as well, for the guest book. Beside Manya are David's parents, Sid and Grace Squires. They have been there for us in so many situations, and were there for us again, this time--doing whatever was needed to help bring the wedding together. In front of them is Daniel, who made a hilarious tribute to Brian in the reception that got the crowd roaring with laughter--they really loved Dan's "rap style" delivery, and gave him a standing ovation at the end! (Note: if you are an inexperienced blog reader like me, you might not know that you can click on any picture to see it larger! It sure helps for group shots!)
I love this picture of Kieran. He was around 4 - 6 weeks old here, and had such a lively, bright face and showed so much interest in the world around him. Diana is holding him swaddled in his receiving blanket, although he doesn't look at all ready to have his nap! Kirsten taught Liz the wonders of swaddling (a trick I never knew when I had my newborns) and it is amazing how it helps babies go to sleep and stay asleep. Kieran is now the easiest baby to put to bed, because he learned how to settle and fall asleep all swaddled up in those early months. Diana loves her cuddle time with her nephews!
while still raising our own family--that means when grandchildren come over, usually their very young aunts and uncle are around to play with, so they don't just come over to see their grandparents. (And they are very fortunate to have young aunts and uncles, because it makes for much more lively activity and fooling around!) This creates a very rich and varied experience for them--and if we want time alone with our grandchildren, we have to organize it!
This is Dan, in October of his Grade 9 year. He is now 14, although at 5'11" he is often mistaken for someone quite a bit older! He loves football, playing piano (he's now learning jazz and improvisation), and of course, video games! He has been an uncle since the age of 9, and does a great job of amusing and entertaining all the little ones when they come to visit.
One of the wonderful things about having family nearby is that the little ones can grow up really knowing who their relatives are, and with an opportunity to build relationships with them. Here is Kirsten with Kieran (Liz's baby boy). We think that Kirsten's Luke and Kieran may grow up feeling almost like brothers, because they are only 3 months apart, and they see one another weekly. Liz helps Kirsten out with babysitting, and that gives her a chance to do lots with Cory as well, as "Auntie Liz"
Diana and Paul have been going out for around 8 months now, having met one another through the acting industry in Vancouver. Paul is a very friendly, easy-going guy, who has been a wonderful addition to Diana's life. They are currently visiting Paul's family in Edmonton.
