The Wedding

                First of all let me start by saying I was extremely excited and honored when a dear friend of mine asked not only me but my boys to be in her wedding.  That being said, I agreed, whole heartedly believing that it would be easy taking a trip alone, preparing two boys and being in the wedding myself. I firmly trusted that both my boys would walk down the aisle to the finish line in such adorable fashion that my parenting would awaken the green-eyed monster in all those around me. But, alas, I must have forgotten that I am me and my kids are, well , my kids.

                Four days before the wedding , my two year old comes down with a fever of 104. That night I spend the night putting cold compresses on him and explaining that three in the morning was not a good time to go downstairs and watch a show. Three days before the wedding, more of the same, doling out Tylenol and Motrin, like a corner street drug pusher. Finally, I get an uneasy feeling that the worst was now behind us. That is, until my five year old comes home with a cough, a sniffle and an attitude most fifteen year old girls couldn’t rival.  (Two days before) As the night progresses so does Logan’s fever and cough, until I witness dinner splat all over the bathroom floor… And that my friends, is when shit got real. That’s when the cracks in the foundation of my ‘can do’ attitude and frankly, my sanity started to show.

                One day before the wedding and now it is game time. This was to be my first solo road trip and night in a hotel with the boys. I planned the day to a T, I took them to the doctor to ensure they were well enough to travel and left at nap time so Connor would snooze the whole ride there and wake up refreshed for the rehearsal. But as the saying goes,  “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans”, and if you REALLY want to make him laugh, make plans involving a toddler.

                Again, I want to reiterate how excited I was to be a part of this special day for a friend that I dearly love, and my boys adore. That being said, Connor’s eyes did not shut until we were pulling into the hotel parking lot and opened about twenty seconds after I placed him gingerly on the bed in our room.  Once it was evident that there would be no nap taken this day, we made time playing, shopping and eating before the rehearsal. And then I thought to myself, ‘ I got this’. The rehearsal went off without a hitch. Logan and Connor walked down the aisle each time with all the cuteness a person could bare. At this point, I am gleaming with delight as we head back to the hotel to try on the boys’ tuxes.  And that my friends, was the end of my good feelings. THEY DIDN’T FIT. Not even a little, and they even had the wrong size shoes. I tried not to panic because a friend of mine and the bride’s was coming in the morning to help me and together we could get it taken care of.

                As night fell and bed time came, I sandwiched myself in between the boys as they drifted into sleep and dreamed of gum drops and lollipops. Or so I had hoped. Apparently gum drops and lollipops are violent little SOB’s because I was fielding kicks, punches and scratches; along with boogers being sneezed in my hair and gurgled in my ear. I prayed for morning or death to take me. But neither arrived. At 3:45 I sought refuge in the other bed, but slowly and methodically those creatures that I spawned found me and took me over once again. Finally at 6 A.M. my torture had ended. At least for a while.

                At 8 Kaitlin came and relieved me, so I could go and get my hair and makeup done. There I was greeted by the blushing bride and all those who loved her and I remembered why all of this was worth it. She was happy. And that made me happy. I shook off my poor attitude and I looked pretty good, if I do say so myself. I liked my hair and makeup and I was ready to seize the rest of this day. OFF TO FIX THE TUXES!

                We were received by a very friendly and competent girl who ensured me there were no worries. She asked me to put the boys into their designated suits, so she could then fix the problems. And that is when things got serious. I know that my son is two and that temper tantrums could be seen as a rite of passage for most little tykes. But in my over five years as a mother I was blessed to not experience too many first hand. Of course, I assume this what I witnessed but it seemed more like something out of a horror movie. I wasn’t sure if I should swat him or burn sage. There was biting and screaming and kicking and drooling and I am pretty sure his head spun at least once. By the end I told her to wing it with his suit and as he sniffled and walked away like nothing had happened… I cracked. The poor women, and  poor Kaitlin finally saw the unraveling of tiny person at the end of her rope.

                Connor fell asleep in the car and I stayed with him while Kaitlin and Logan went upstairs and ate lunch. I sat in the car with my thoughts and psyching myself back to mental stability. I munched on baked goods the bride’s sweet in-laws and packaged for me, as I wondered if a person could give themselves diabetes in one day.

                It was game time and after struggling, bribing, threatening and begging ; Connor would not put that tux on. Logan, however, was a shining star. And I had hoped that his good behavior at least canceled out Connors bad behavior so that those around me only saw me as a mediocre mom. I walked down the aisle disheveled, the day evident in my hair and the baggage under my eyes. But that didn’t matter. Logan did wonderfully and the bride was gorgeous.  The love the bride and groom had for each other was palpable. It made me miss my other half and it again insured me how lucky I was to be standing up as a witness to this special occasion. I will always be grateful to her for letting me be there where I stood.

                By the time pictures were taken and hugs had been had, exhaustion had taken over me. I regretfully bowed out of the reception and went home with my tail between my legs. My best had been given and I feared it was not enough. I spoke to the bride and realized, sometimes your best just isn’t good enough, but when people love you, your best is all that they need. They will love you either way. So thank you bride.. Thank you for two lessons in love.