A colourful wedding

Our dear friends Red Bec (as opposed to "Auntie Bec") and Joel got married on the Easter long weekend. A much more informal affair than my sister-in-law's the week before but no less enjoyable and happy!


Things I loved about this wedding:

• It was a late afternoon event, not too late for the kids (and boy there were a lot of young kids)!


• The bride wore a bright green dress and no shoes, and the groom had an equally bright red shirt. Love the colours.


• At the ring-exchanging part of the ceremony the celebrant asked, "Does the best man have the pen?"... The couple drew a bow around each others' fingers instead!


• There was not just one wedding cake. Instead the couple had asked some friends and family to bring a cake so there were many to choose from for dessert.


• The kids were well thought of. A "Kids' play area" was set up with a drawing station and playdough and and other toys.

Thanks so much, Bec and Joel! It was a wonderful afternoon/evening. More pics in my flickr set.

Visit from the past

Oh joyous of days! My dear old friends Kate and Iain came for a whirlwind visit today with their seven month old bub. It was so wonderful to see them since it's been quite a while since we've caught up - they now live in the UK (Oxford but soon Cambridge).

My mood has lifted incredibly this afternoon - I'm bouncing around grinning happily. Yay! It's so good to see old friends and to feel like you've only been apart for a short time, not months/years. Nothing makes me happier* :)

Well, actually, quite a number of things make me happier, but it's still pretty damn awesome.

That newborn smell

Our good friends Joe and Ellie had their first baby yesterday. Right on his due date! Amazing! How many babies do you know that actually arrive on the date they're expected (excepting scheduled caesarians)?

I couldn't wait to go and visit him today. The hours until 2 o'clock just dragged on. And he was just lovely. I had a nice extended cuddle and was very reluctant to hand him back. He was so gorgeous I even entertained the thought of having another baby... holding him and smelling him brought back such wonderful memories. Dan helpfully reminded me that we had both learned our lesson and we AGREED that there'd be no more.

Anyway, welcome to the world little John Haven. Isn't he sweet? And a brilliant name, too!

(That's me holding him in the photo above, not his mother!)