The Wedding!

I know...I know...My faithful few who are still checking this blog...you have waited so patiently for an update. So here are the pictures you've been waiting for.

On July 3, 2010 I became Melissa Kramer. Tied with the moment Katelyn was placed in my arms for the happiest moment of my life!

My sweet dad walking me down the aisle.

It was really important to us that the ceremony be a worship service and that we didn't go crazy with decorations, but instead kept it simple and focused on the fact that we were making a covenant before God, each other and everyone that was there. The ceremony was really beautiful and significant and exactly what we prayed it would be.

"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Michael Kramer."
Happy dance. Happy dance.

I am one happy, happy woman. I really am so blessed.

Our little family...

The wedding party.

My family.

We really loved our wedding day and were so thankful for everyone who helped to make it so special. We felt really loved and it was such a great way to start our life together!

The Reception....

So here we are...headed into the reception. Have I mentioned how much I love this man?

We went with three different kinds of cupcakes instead of a cake. Red velvet, lemonade and pumpkin carrot cake. Yum...and sweet friends who made all of them!

The prettiest flower girl EVER!

When we exchanged rings Michael gave Katelyn a locket as a symbol of his commitment to her. Aaron blessed the locket with the rings. Sweet...sweet.

I think this is the most perfect last dance picture ever. Katelyn was so tired she just laid right down on the dance floor. Perfect. That's kind of how I felt also.

I promise that I'll post honeymoon pictures soon. We are really happy and adjusting well to married life. Michael is actually in Louisville for a class this week and I really miss him. There's a hole here without him. It's amazing how fast everything changes. All of this really has been like a fairy tale. I still feel like someone needs to pinch me.

Happy Birthday Katelyn!

It's really unbelieveable but Katelyn turned 3 today! Where did the last two years go?

We of course had to celebrate this little girl. The family party was tonight and then we're having a party on Saturday with some of her friends. She was very specific about the cake....chocolate cake with sprinkles...so that's what she got. :)

She was very excited about all of her presents and she really took time to play with all of them.

She loved her new books and wanted to stop and read each one.

But the theme of this year's birthday is not princesses or any such girly thing...it's bugs. Katelyn got big bugs, little bugs, a bug net, a bug farm, a magnifying glass. She was SO happy. She really loves bugs.

She gathered them all up a zillion times.

She examined them closely with her new magnifying glass. A budding young scientist for sure. Maybe she'll be a doctor or a biologist and support us in our old age....

This picture turned out blurry, but cute!

Katelyn is a blessing beyond measure. I couldn't be more proud of her or love her any more. I can't wait to see what this next year will bring and I'm going to soak up every minute of it.

Happy Birthday Katelyn!

We love you so much!

Fun in Michigan....Part 2

We're back from Michigan...and we had so much fun! It was a REAL vacation. I did no work. We played. We rested. We visited. We ate.

Michael's sister Ingrid changed the liner in her pool and was refilling it with water. Katelyn just couldn't wait to go in so Aunt Ingrid improvised.

On Monday we went to the Sterling Heights Memorial Day parade with Michael's other sister Birgitta and her family. This is Katelyn and her new cousin Elisabeth. They're best buddies already!

Ummm...yes, this is the cutest picture ever. This pretty much sums up a perfect day of good old American fun.

Katelyn was waiting patiently for the parade to start. I can't believe how well this child did all weekend. She completely went with the flow no matter what we were doing, where we were doing it or who we were with. What a blessing!

Really, give the girl a juice box and she's happy.

Here's Aunt Birgitta, Elisabeth and Katelyn watching the parade. Everyone was so nice to us and we felt like we had always been part of the family.

I love this picture. This girl is sweet, sweet, sweet.

She had so much fun collecting all of the candy. She was a bit bummed though when I didn't open up every piece for her to eat. It's like Halloween all over again.

Katelyn and Elisabeth hanging out in the back yard. I love this picture also. Katelyn really loved Elisabeth!

Elisabeth and her friends had a tea party with Katelyn. Katelyn thinks she's in the 5th grade now too. She loved playing with the big girls.

We got back this evening safe and sound. Katelyn is zonked out....hasn't made a peep and went to bed at 8pm...exhausted. She traveled there and back amazingly well. She told us each time she had to potty and we had no accidents. Everyone got along wonderfully and it was a great first roadtrip for all of us....The first of many I'm sure!

Now we have to get back to work.
31 days until the wedding! We should probably finish planning that also. :)

Meetin' the family

Michael, Katelyn and I headed up to Michigan on Thursday to hang out with his friends and family. We spent two days with Clark, Joy and Callie in Tecumseh (1/2 hour south of Ann Arbor). Clark was Michael's pastor and he lived with their family for over a year. Clark's the best man in our wedding. Callie and her brother Clark (who's in Egypt right now) are going to sing and play guitar in the wedding and Clark is D.J.ing the reception. So I was really excited to meet these dear friends of Michael's. We had a great time visiting with them.

We spent a little time in Ann Arbor visiting with Mark and Pascal. Mark is Michael's groomsman. Yesterday we came up to the Sterling Heights area (northern suburb of Detroit) where Michael grew up. We're at his sister Ingrid's house. She threw us an engagement party last night and his very creative nieces, Stefanie and Emily, did the decorating. The monkey's were the best thing ever....Perfect, right?

They hung our whole wedding party from the tree. I loved it!!!

The party was a lot of fun and a great chance for Katelyn and I to get to know our new friends and family.

Katelyn has been AWESOME! She did great on the drive up here and hasn't been phased at all by all of the new people and places. She really is the best kid.

Here's Michael and I with his parents...Katelyn's new Oma and Opa. They've been spoiling us already and have welcomed Katelyn and I joyfully. It was really nice to visit with them and hear stories.

Ingrid's backyard is gorgeous. She is the gardener/landscaper extraordinaire. Katelyn has loved playing back here and has really enjoyed the hammock!

Michael's mom got us this cake and then they decided that they wanted to sing happy birthday to Katelyn and they didn't have a 3 candle but had the 1 and the 2. :)
Katelyn loved it...and really 1 plus 2 equals our new family...

What a great, great weekend we've had. We've got another day and a half to soak it all in before we head back to Lexington. But we have really enjoyed being up here and I'm so thankful for this time to get to be part of Michael's world....

I LOVE SPRING!

Hands down this is my FAVORITE time of year. Sunny and warm....rainy days that cool it down a bit...playing outside a lot....working in the yard/garden...a sweaty, dirty baby at the end of the day...PERFECT.

Oh, and I get to marry this wonderful man in 38 days...but who's counting?

The garden is doing great. We had lots of rain last week and it's been hot and sunny for the last few days so everything's shooting up. Back in the corner we have lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, turnips and broccoli.

We're going up to Michigan for Memorial Day weekend to spend time with Michael's friends and family. I'm so excited to meet them all and hang out. By the time we get back this broccoli will be ready to harvest! Yum. Katelyn's favorite veggie is steamed broccoli. She'll be so excited. I'm glad she gets to see it grow, help pick it, cook it and eat it! It's nice to be able to feed my little family some good, fresh food.

I thinned out the lettuce last night....

and our salad was extra delicious because the lettuce went from garden to plate in about 15 minutes. Doesn't get much fresher than that.

Katelyn got me a peony and a lilac bush for Mother's Day and I've got them planted now. We've got the herb garden bed and the big raised bed all weeded out and I'm having someone come in the next week to bring in some more dirt. Then when we get back from Michigan we'll do some serious planting. We're a couple weeks behind schedule but it was so cool and rainy for so many days last week that I"m actually glad we didn't have young seedlings in the ground yet.

I wouldn't trade lives with anyone. I'm positive this is the most content I've ever been. I knew 2010 was going to be great...I just felt it.

A day at the lake

Today was gorgeous...absolutely picture perfect outside...one of those spring days that make the winter worth going through. So where better to spend it than on the lake with the people you love the most?

(Only 49 more days until this man is my husband!)

Katelyn was so fun today. She LOVES being at the lake with grammy and papa. We put her in her swimsuit and took her to the beach. She playing in the sand and the water and was happy as can be. She's really loving the water more this year. She'll be a little fish before long!

What a life!

Katelyn was in search of the beach and making sure that's where we took the boat!

A couple of Katelyn's FAVORITE people. All the way back to Lexington tonight she said, "I wanna go back and see Grammy and Papa."

On the fast track wedding frontier...we've been engaged for a week. We set a date, reserved the church and the reception site. Got invitations, printed and addressed them. Have fabulous friends who's mom is going to let us use their townhouse in Williamsburg, VA for our honeymoon. Have friends who have offered to host the rehearsal dinner at their house. And, drumroll please.....mom and I went out shopping for a dress on Friday afternoon and in three hours we found the perfect one....in my size...on the rack...needs no alterations...great price...walked out the door with it and I have it in the closet!!! Really, really amazing week and we're just soaking up all of God's blessings. We know we've made just the right choice with our 2 month engagement and can't believe how all the pieces are coming together.