Perry and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary last Wednesday, August 1.  Monday, July 30 was the 22 anniversary of the day we were engaged.

On Sunday, July 29, our oldest daughter Deanna was engaged to Tyler.  She is 19, the same age Perry and I were when we were married.  Tyler is 22.

No, this wasn’t the actual moment he popped the question.  She had to do some major sweet talking to get him on one knee for the camera.

But they’ve been friends for quite a while, so sweet talking worked and she got her way.

I think it may happen that way a lot.

Of course it helps that he really, really seems to like her.

I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

They waited a long time for permission to make it official, so now they’re understandably eager to tie the knot.  Our first experience in wedding planning should go down in a total of about 6 weeks, and we’ve already spent a week of that trying to nail down facilities.  I could easily panic, but I’m also relieved that I won’t have 6 months to sweat it out and plan the perfect wedding.  I’ll do the best I can in my 3rd trimester and everyone will make excuses for me.  In years to come, we’ll be amazed at how it all came together – I hope.  It helps that Deanna wants something fun, slightly quirky, and not overly formal.

So now we’re spending obsessive amounts of time on Pinterest garnering ideas, Kaitlyn has designed Deanna’s dream invitation in Photoshop, and by the end of the day I hope to have confirmation on the date & building so out-of-towners can start making their plans and reservations.  Tomorrow we go dress-hunting with the groom’s mother.  Deanna already found 2 that she loves online, but I want her to try some on in real life before she makes a decision.

If anyone knows how to plan a beautiful, quirky, and speedy wedding on a budget, I’m all ears.  Oh, and if anyone wants to loan us about 20 tablecloths in blue and/or white, you’ll be my new best friend.

Today is Megan’s 14th birthday.  While people are not defined by their possessions, we think some of Megan’s favorite things tell a lot about who she is.  Here are 14 things that we think she would number among her favorites:

1. Her Kindle.  She reads voraciously on a very wide variety of topics, and I love to see receipts for her new “purchases” come through on my email account.  They’re nearly always free from Amazon’s Kindle store, since she prefers old books.
2. Her vintage suitcase.  She paid way too much for it at a thrift store, and never regretted the decision.  It’s so her.
3. Her camera.  She has a magic eye when it comes to photographing children, and her sisters pooled their funds for Christmas of 2010 to buy her a very good quality DSLR camera.
4. Her owl ring.  She bought it on Etsy.  It’s cute and quirky like she is, and she loves it so much she kept it even after it broke.
5. Her short stories.  They’re funny and smart and nearly always have a surprise or two, and they provide a fascinating glimpse into what she was reading at the time.
6. Her red high-top Converse.  After her Dad, she was the first to get the Converse bug.  There are now something over 20 pairs of Con’s in our house.
7. Her “Complete Works of Lewis Carroll.”  Inspired her checkered duct tape (see below)
8. Her checkered duct tape.  Kaitlyn bought it for her because she knew it was perfect, and Megan carries it in her purse because she dreams of using it against bad guys.  It wouldn’t be the first time; she’s read it in the news.
9. Her trenchcoat.  She wanted one for years, and was excited beyond words when she finally found one at Plato’s Closet for just $12.
10. Her purple zebra-striped fuzzy blanket.  She wakes on crisp mornings with a smug grin and inquires, “Did you sleep well?  Did you stay warm last night?  Because I did!“
11. Her music.  She has a talent for discovering quirky, folksy artists that become favorites among her sisters as well, until everyone is sick to death of hearing them.  Then she discovers a new one.  Johnny Flynn, Mumford and Sons, and Jenny & Tyler are some of her discoveries.
12. Her handmade leather journal.  An early birthday gift from Kaitlyn, purchased in Seattle at the Pike’s Place Market.  Even the paper is handmade, and the cover smells better than any dead cow I’ve ever sniffed.
13. Her hair.  Her super-thick supermodel hair with its lush waves and ringlets is the envy of her sisters.
14. Her old-fashioned manual typewriter.  She doesn’t have one yet and nobody bought one for her birthday, but we’re sure she’ll own it someday because she already loves it so dearly.

Happy birthday, Megan!  We love you!

Kaitlyn turned 17 last Friday, and since I’m campaigning hard for the Worst Mom of the Year Award I decided to wait and do her birthday post 3 days late.

To strengthen my campaign, I let her spend most of her birthday sewing new swim shirts for most of her sisters and making chocolate dipped marshmallows from scratch for her birthday party.  She insisted that she wanted too, but it still sounds bad, right?  I’m pretty sure I’m going to win this year!

I hope my birthday posts don’t sound the same every year, but I’m going to sing Kaitlyn’s praises once again.  She’s a special girl with a heart of gold.  She delights in serving others and works hard to do it.  She’s a lot like her dad in that way.

It’s been a pleasure watching her grow and mature over the years, from a wee lass…

…to a big girl…

…to a beautiful young woman.

Oops.  I mean, to a beautiful young woman:

On our schedule for today:

Taste of Home’s Flag Cake, made extra big in a 10×15 pan instead of 9×13.  Kaitlyn created this piece of art from scratch instead of a mix, and says it was easier than it looks.  She’s modest.

Some fashion fun

Thumbs are reserved for a special purpose:

We’re off to Mother Hen’s house for a cookout and fellowship, but first we read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety, complete with commentary by Dad.

Complete text of the Declaration of Independence

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness…read the rest.  Now, so you don’t forget.

10 Things You Might Not Know About America’s Independence

We Are Not a Democracy: People often associate democracy with freedom. We hear this word used all the time by our politicians, by our neighbors, even sometimes by our educators. But the fact is we are not a democracy. We are a republic. Our Founding Fathers deemed this an important distinction to make and discussed the matter quite a bit. In the end, our Founding Fathers claimed that a democracy was both extreme and dangerous for a country as it would most assuredly result in the oppression of the minority by the majority. Take this one example from Founding Father, Elbridge Gerry: “The evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy.” And Thomas Jefferson said that democracy should never be practiced outside the limits of a town. Our Founders were very wary of power no matter who had it and thus limited it as much as possible — this is why we have such a unique system of checks and balances…read the other 9, especially about the Pledge of Allegiance.

Wikipedia on the Declaration of Independence

What’s on your agenda today?

Perry is 5 today, and he’s feeling his age.  He was all business  when he came into my room early this morning for some work clothes so he could go with his dad.  After a late-night party he woke up in shorts and a polo shirt, but he knew that wouldn’t do.  Even when I grunted something about his shirt still looking clean, he was unconvinced.

“Mom, I need a button-up for work.”  And jeans, definitely jeans.  A shiny new cap gun in a leather holster just doesn’t hang right on khaki cargo shorts, and the boots and spurs would look all wrong.  The boy needed jeans and a button-up for work.

Going to work with Dad is part of the birthday tradition in our house, but rumor has it one of the guys at work also provides chocolate birthday donuts.

Like his sister yesterday who had a birthday yesterday, he opted for a high-end lunch at an establishment with an atmosphere appropriate to the occasion at hand.

Of course they both conducted themselves with the utmost dignity.

And because it’s the big event in his life right now, a few shots from Perry’s upcoming gig as a young Sinatra impersonator.  He plans to lip-sync “You Make Me Feel So Young” at our church talent show in a couple of weeks.  Last night was his first semi-public performance, in front of his grandma, a few aunts and uncles, and some cousins.  Call me biased, but I think he’s going to be the next YouTube viral video.

The boy has talent.

Look at him croon.

Now’s he’s belting it out, caressing the microphone.

Oh, it’s the smolder.

That’s my boy.  He makes me feel so young!

Our sweet Bethany turned 3 and got to celebrate her first day at work with Dad!

She also had a birthday lunch with Dad at a place with a puh-lay-ground!

And on the way home, Dad bought her 2 new duh-ress-es!

[pics to come]

I can’t help but share a few of Megan’s photos of Bethany, too.  I just can’t get enough of these eyes:

And that laugh

and the smile

But the eyes?  Wow!