Caroline + Will

After almost 7 years of dating, Caroline and Will were married on August 24, 2013! 

Their weekend was absolutely perfect. Family and friends traveled from all over the place to be there to celebrate these two. 

I was so excited to see my sister so happy. Caroline had waited and waited for the day she would be Will's bride, so to see how eager the two of them were to pledge their lives to each other was so special. 

Wedding week kicked off with our cousins Barry, Amy, Jake, and Sam coming from Florida to stay with my parents for the whole week! I can't even begin to describe these people. The absurdity, noise, generosity, laughter, and love that our family experiences with them is on another level. We LOVE them, so to have them in Raleigh for a whole week was the best! 

Barry is an incredibly talented chef and just so happens to be the most giving person on this planet (Amy, you're alright too), so he offered to cook for Caroline's Bridesmaid Luncheon - just as he did for mine :). The luncheon was on Friday at our friend's the Barkers house. The hostesses did such a great job, it was so beautiful and I know Caroline felt so celebrated. 

I had to take pictures of every course Barry served to relive the blissful food coma I was in....

After the luncheon, the bridesmaids and Mom all went to get pedicures for the big day then headed home to get ready for the rehearsal. 

That night, we went to 518 West for the rehearsal dinner where immediate family, the wedding party, and some Navy boys I had heard so much about gathered to toast the happy couple. I may or may not have made it through mine without crying...

The morning of the wedding, the bridesmaids were all able to have a relaxing and low key morning while we got ready in the parlor room at the country club. It was so nice not to feel rushed or stressed, probably because we all got our make up done professionally! (A first for me - I felt like a celebrity) 

Caroline hinted that keeping busy would be good for her so that she didn't start getting nervous, so I was happy to help her out there. She spent a good chunk of time doing my hair :) It wouldn't be a wedding without Caroline helping me get pretty somehow - even if its her own! She also had a special visitor give her some love while she waited...

Caroline's photographer, Robyn Van Dyke arrived while we were finishing getting ready to get some pictures of us in our awesome robes that Caroline gave us. (I've been living in my robe since this day!) All of the following pictures are by Robyn Van Dyke photography! 

 

The rest of the night was flawless. We finished getting ready at the church, prayed over Caroline, and headed down the aisle with 8 flower girls and ring bearers - all children Caroline has cared for over the years. The kids were perfect and it was such a sweet personal touch that made the wedding so Caroline! 

 After the ceremony, a trolley took us from downtown to the reception at the country club where Caroline and Will led the party all night long! My dad might have stolen the show for a brief couple of hours on stage - but who didn't expect that?? The band was awesome and had the crowd involved the whole time - they played Sweet Caroline and let the navy boys serenade Caroline Top Gun style!

Caroline and Will, Ben and I are so excited for you and your new life together! We are so excited to be family and to get to walk through marriage, babies, holidays, and the rest of this life with you both! We love y'all! 

 Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Craven!! 

Dear Liam :: 7 Months

Liam, you turned 7 months old on the last day of our vacation with the Wrights at Holden Beach! This month has been so much fun with lots of activity, travel, and family time. You are a growing boy and we are loving getting to see your personality continue to come out! 

:: Feeding ::

Since you are a little bubby nugget, I decided to go back to nursing every 3 hours instead of spacing feedings out this month. I thought this was going to be super overwhelming for me to have to go back to this schedule plus the 3 solid meals a day, but I have been surprised at how easy it has been. It also feels totally different than when you were a newborn, maybe I'm just used to it, but I think it has something to do with a thankful heart for the fact that I am still able to nurse you and watch you grow into a healthy, content, busy little boy.  

You are still loving pretty much every solid food we throw your way. Some new ones have been sweet peas, carrots, mangos, pears, and a little bit of chicken! To help with the plumping up even more, I have started to add a little bit of formula and oatmeal cereal to some of your solid meals, which you have done great with. 

:: Sleeping :: 

We have hit our stride this month with sleeping. You are doing so well at night and by the end of this month you were regularly sleeping from about 7:30pm to 7:00am. Naps have also continued to improve and the first 2 of the day are consistently about an hour and the third is about 45 minutes. We're getting the hang of this! 

:: Fun Things ::

-The day that you turned 7 months old, we discovered your first tooth with the second already poking through! 

-You are definitely only wanting to play while sitting up all by yourself now. You're not content just to play laying on your back or tummy anymore! 

-You are so close to crawling, you can get up on your hands and knees and rock back and forth. 

-You still love your excersaucer and have started to flat out run in circles in that thing. 

-Separation anxiety is still a hard thing, you have a really hard time with strangers and most of the time won't even go to anyone but me and your Dad. BUT we've noticed that when you're around people for a few days consistently, you start to warm up. It's totally opposite with other babies and kids....you LOVE them immediately :). 

-You are an outdoor boy! If you are fussy or bored, all you need is to step outside. You love going on walks, playing in the yard, or just walking around looking at the trees and the birds. 

-This month was the first time you ever spent the night away from me! Zuzu, Big Jim, and Aunt CaCa kept you for 2 nights while I hosted Aunt Laney’s bachelorette weekend. 

Wright Family Beach Week 2013

It's no secret that one of the highlights of our year is the Wright's beach week at Holden Beach, NC...we start planning, dreaming, room organizing, and activity arranging for the next year before we've even wrapped up the current vacation. 

 To be honest, the first time I heard about this tradition when Ben and I were dating, I wasn't too thrilled. I have always grown up going to Atlantic Beach aka Raleigh relocated, so Holden seemed like a boring choice. But I was quickly proven wrong and have fallen in love with the simplicity of Holden Beach where we are focused solely on family for a solid week. 

This year was so special for us because we are now a family of 3! It was so fun to watch Liam and his cousins play and have a glimpse into the future when there will be more cousins than aunts and uncles and building sand castles is more fun than getting a tan. 

The first half of the week, the entire Wright clan was there, which is rare these days! We played on the beach, had a false encounter with a sea turtle release, went out to dinner, and for the first time ever were able to have a "kids night out" while Nan and Pops babysat the grandkids! 

Of course we also had to try to take our annual jumping picture...

A for effort.

The second half of the week, Graham and Laney had to head back to the real world, while the rest of us stayed.

Someone else thought they could leave but 10 minutes down the road turned around and surprised us by staying the rest of the week! I think this face had something to do with his decision...

Some highlights: 

-Late night adventure on the pier with Sullivan! 

-Lots of family loving on our little boy

-Ice cream on the pier, always a must!

-Living everyday life with the Scalfs! I got to spend mornings with EJ and the kids, grocery shop and talk endlessly with Megan, feed all 3 kids together, watch Sullivan play mommy to Liam and referee while Eli taught him how to play rough!

-Watching these fools trying (and failing) at paddle boarding

-Getting lots of quality time with my 2 sweetest boys

-Watching Nan and Pops spend time with all of their kids and grandkids. Thank you so much for such an awesome week! You 2 always amaze me with your generosity, ENERGY, and ability to make everyone feel special, loved, and cared for. We love you and are so thankful for this tradition!