This, my friends, is why...

My brother-in-law, Jason, got married yesterday.

He wanted kids to attend, so, we made it work so our kids could come. I always try to take my kids with me everywhere anyways.

So, Sean and I decided we would divide and conquer. Sean was the best man in the wedding, so he went downtown early to be with the wedding party. I stayed back at the Grandparent's house so the kids could have a chance to rest and be on their "bestest" behavior for the ceremony. We left at the last minute to be there. When I walked out of the door, Joshua was crying because he was tired, and Stephen also had red tired eyes and was showing signs of intestinal distress. So much for resting.

Now, our little Stephen has had the hardest time with poop. Pun intended. He has been taking Miralax since 18 months of age. Potty training is good/not good...depending on how you look at it. He doesn't have accidents, so, that is good. But, he also doesn't like to go, which is bad. However, the human body has a way of making sure things happen, even if it is at the worst possible time.

So, we're on our way to the wedding. Joshua falls asleep. Yay. And, he does really, really well the whole rest of the day. He really did not give a good representation of the power a baby has to ruin a day. In fact-he was down right adorable.

On the other hand, we had Stephen. As soon as we got to destination wedding, the urge to pooh hit him. He was squirming and asking me to hold him. If he wants to snuggle, it is a sure sign that pooh is looming. SO, I jump and take him to the restroom. He screams and cries on a public toilet that he does not have to go. I sit back and watch as he screams-because this is our routine. He screams, I try to not provide and audience...he maybe poops, maybe doesn't, and we move on with our day. He didn't poop. Thank goodness there weren't other people in the bathroom on the first trip. We try again before the wedding starts (which is running late), and he doesn't again. This time Joshua is with us and there are people in the restroom. I did try and put on a show for those ladies by using sweet, understanding, loving sentences, "Stephen, I know you're scared, you need to poop, you will feel so much better, try to relax, get it over with, come on honey, I am here with you." Of course-we do this SO much, that inside I am about ready to blow up. I hate sitting in bathrooms with a non-pooping, hysterical boy. This is another way Stephen has proved to me that I can not be in control.

I take my lovely backedup boy back to the ceremony room. The wedding starts. The vows are said. Love tears are flowing. Love is in the air.

THEN-the sound, the resounding sound, vibrates off all of the walls in the small room during this once-in-a-lifetime event. Stephen farts. He curls up in my lap and he farts really loud and long. There are only 18 people in attendance at this wedding. All of them heard. Such elegance, such grace--and such a beautiful shot of toddler in a formal event.

Well,...
This, my friends, is why some people don't want kids everywhere. I am learning new lessons everyday of my life!

Quite honestly, I really did find myself laughing during this episode of life. My SIL was behind us photographing the wedding and I knew she was probably laughing hard. It turns out she was laughing so hard she was having a hard time taking photos. This is why you need Mommy friends with you everywhere you go. I knew, as I was hauling kids to the bathroom, that someone thought it was funny & I didn't have to worry about who thought it was bad. This is life.

Other kid bloopers?
Well, my nephew ended up with a huge goose egg bump on his forehead from running into a gate while running around in his afternoon no-nap frenzy.
My niece ate butter, only butter, at the reception. When her spaghetti, without sauce, came, she did a fantastic job of slurping noodles down--then gave up on that & just ran her hand through the bowl & wiped the oil off on the front of her fancy, spiffy dress.

These are the things stories are made of...interesting to read....fun to remember.
But, also, my nephew did a great job of standing quietly at the front of the room as a junior groomsmen. And, my niece did a beautiful job of standing, with no assistance, at the front as a junior bridesmaid. All three kids played together nicely and used nice inside voices while inside.