A big scare!

When we get a phone call before 7am I just assume it is bad news.  Very early in the morning in early September Brad’s phone was ringing and I woke him up so he could answer it.  I could tell that it was his mom, but other than that I didn’t know what was going on.  I thought maybe it was something about Vincent.  It turned out that she was with Craig and Bob and they were headed to Chicago to the University of Chicago’s ER.  While I realize that it isn’t close to our house, Craig’s cardiologist is there and he believes they are the best.  Craig was having chest pain and Bob was driving.  Sarah was kind enough to go to the house and stay with the 3 kids that were still sleeping.

Craig was at the cardiologist on Friday morning and was scheduled for more tests on Tuesday, but I guess his heart couldn’t wait.  From what I am told he kept telling Bob to drive faster and to pass people.  Bob told me he was going really fast and drove over a curb to get to the ER door.  That is way out of character for Bob, so you know it was serious.  

Kelli, Cecilia and Grandpa Craig.  A few days after he was out of the hospital.  He was driving the golf cart around to check on the fence project.

After a long day of waiting (it felt long to those of us waiting on updates) we heard that Craig had some blockages and had some stents placed.  They also said that he did have a heart attack.  While Craig doesn’t always follow the rules and doesn’t take a lot of things too seriously I am glad he takes his heart seriously.  I am also glad that it all happened when there was very little traffic on the road, so driving to Chicago didn’t seem too crazy.

After several days in the hospital Craig came home for some more rest and strict orders to follow the doctor’s orders.  Diane did a great job keeping all his medication straight and taking care of him.  For several weeks after he was home I don’t think anyone let him out of their sight.  Someone was always checking on him or making sure he wasn’t alone.  We have all relaxed a little bit and we let him do things without someone checking up on him.  That being said I think we all still worry just a little bit about him.

As of now he is doing well!  Praise the Lord for that!

Cousin Fun at our house!

The weekend after Labor Day Diane was watching my nieces Maggie and Ellie.  Sometime on Friday afternoon they took a golf cart ride over to look at all the fence that was going up and just for fun I think.  Keith and Aunt Linda were with them too.  They all ended up staying for awhile and playing on the swing set and my kids were thrilled to have their cousins over.  At one point Diane left to take Aunt Linda back and check on a few things and I fed Keith, Maggie, and Ellie dinner.   I really wanted to offer them ice cream, but it was late and I felt bad feeding them ice cream without feeding them dinner!

It is so fun to hear them all talk and play together.  They were making me laugh.  At one point they were all getting really loud so I had to get their attention.  I told them we were going to plan a way to crash Karoline’s birthday party that was going on right then over at the farm.  We weren’t really going to, but we had a lot of fun coming up with ideas.  Keith was very worried we were actually going to crash the birthday party and wouldn't think of ideas until I assured him that we were just playing around and were not really going to do any of the ideas.

Vincent ended up spending the night with Maggie and Ellie at Grandma’s house.  It is so convenient to plan last minute things like that when we live so close.  If we were far away I never would have driven him to the farm to have a sleep over.  It was a really fun night having 6 kids running around my house!  They loved playing in the basement and playing hide-n-seek!

Jill and Joe's Reception!

After the ceremony we did a few pictures in the church and then the bridal party loaded into the limo, all 20 of us, and headed to a forest preserve to take pictures.  It went really fast and really smooth!  Then it was on to the reception.  We got there in time to enjoy a few minutes of the cocktail hour.  Brad and Candy (Brandon’s mom who watched Joel and Cecilia for us) brought all three kids to the cocktail hour for a little while.  Then the twins went back to the hotel with Candy to get some food and wait for the dancing.  Dinner didn’t start until after 7:30 and finished around 9:30.  It was so declious and totally worth the wait!  Unfortunately the twins were sound asleep by then and missed out on the dancing.

The wedding cake.

Cute card box.

The guest book/picture

The head table.

Wow!

Beautiful table!

Table assignments

Very pretty table decorations.

The reception hall was gorgeous with big chandeliers, beautiful tables for the bridal party and really pretty table decorations.  Each person also got a small container of limencello with their name and table number on it.  I like limencello, best on the rocks, but by the end of the evening Brad and I were drinking it warm and not really caring.

*This series of pictures makes me laugh.  My dad, his cousins, my grandparents and aunts all jetting in and out of the pictures.  Everyone's facial expressions make me laugh!

Uncle Joe, Uncle Rock, Uncle Tony, Dad, Eddy, Jimmy, Nanno

Protesting getting photographed.

My dad decides to humor me and pose.

The finally agree to be photographed!  Such a great picture.

The Janet, Aunt Kathy and Aunt Carol join the picture.

Grandma joins in on the fun!

Well 1/2 are looking at the camera.

They are over taking pictures....

After the cocktail hour was over and everyone was seated my Uncle Rock announced the wedding party.  Vincent and the flower girls walked in just before one of the groomsman and I did.  They had heard us all planning out how we were going to walk in and Vincent said he wanted to do something.  I told him he could do the spin he did earlier at Nanno’s house, where he spun and then pointed his fingers, and he said ok.  Unfortunately from where I was standing I could barely see the spin he did , but I heard it was great!  He looked so handsome in his tuxedo he could have anything and looked adorable!

Mr. and Mrs. Gaza!

All the boys lined up!

Lovely Ladies!

Annie and Aunt Laurie

Mr. and Mrs. Gaza dancing

There were several great speeches that night.  My dad had a great speech, maybe a tad long, but it was good.  Alyse’s maid of honor speech was fantastic!  Perfect mix of humor and being sentimental.  Joe’s family had great toasts as well.

My dad and Jill dancing.

Dave and his brothers (Terry and Ken)

Jan and Grandpa Summers

Jill and Aunt Cindy

Grandma, Jimmy, and Nanno

My cousins and Uncle dancing!

Uncle Terry, Aunt Angie, Aunt Laurie and Uncle Ken

Bryan, Gianna, Jack, Jordyn, and Brad

We spent most of the night dancing!  It wasn’t like at some weddings were the bridal party and just a few people are on the dance floor all night.  Almost everyone was on the dance floor at some point and it was always a full dance floor!  Vincent had fun dancing with his new friends, the flower girls Rocky and Lucy.  He thought they were great.  All the excitement wore Vincent out and he fell asleep in my arms as we were dancing.  He spent the rest of the night curled up on a bed made out of chairs with a table cloth as a blanket.  It was clean and one of the waitresses gave it to me to use.

Sleeping Vincent Craig

Dancing

more dancing

Papa and Jill dancing

And more dancing!

Brad and I had a blast dancing with my cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents during the night.  I am blessed with such a fun, loving family.  I had a great with all of them.  Besides the dancing there was a photo booth which was a blast too.  I think I only ended up in there 3 or 4 times.  My mom was in there a lot more!  Vincent and I went by ourselves once and he thought it was so cool.

Aunt Ricky and Grandma Pat

My cousin Matt!

Uncle Skip and Auntie Donna

Uncle Bob, Aunt Judy and the photobomber

Aunt Marlene and Uncle Jerry...and Matt!

The big surprise of the day was getting to see my cousin Angela.  She has been teaching in South Korea since January or February and my grandma bought her a plane ticket last minute to come home for Jill’s wedding.  My grandma said it was her birthday gift to herself and she knew my aunt Carol would love it and so would Jill.  She was right, we all loved it!

Angela and me!

Angela and Jill

It was a great night!  Congratulations Jillian and Joseph Gaza!

  

My aunts, cousins and me!

Bryan, Gianna, Jack and Jordyn

Grandma, Me and Nanno!!