At the rehearsal dinner, her eyes immediately gravitated to the groom's cake, which was playfully decorated with an outdoors motif - a whimsical style very similar to the cakes on her beloved 'Cake Boss.' Around 8:30pm she was clearly exhausted, but she did not want to leave the rehearsal dinner until she had a piece of cake. She was determined to have a slice of the beautiful cake and live out her 'Cake Boss' dreams. The mother-of-the-bride heard Alexa mention her desire for cake, and she immediately requested the bride and groom cut the cake so Alexa could have a piece. It was so kind of her to request the cake-cutting on behalf of Alexa...otherwise it could have been a very long night. Alexa was in heaven as she ate her piece of cake (it was delicious!), and she was more than willing to leave after that, falling asleep within two minutes of getting into the car.
Alexa was very eager to attend the wedding on Saturday, as I think she envisioned it being like every Disney Princess movie she's seen. Not only was she eager to see the bride's dress and flowers, but she had been given the very important task of making sure her cousin Luke, the ringbearer, made it down the aisle. As the wedding party made their entrance, Alexa excitedly stood with my sister-in-law near the front of the church to help coax Luke towards them. Whether it was the large crowd or the crying flower girls in front of him, Luke did not want to walk. My sister-in-law started to walk towards him, and Alexa, holding in high regard her task to get him down the aisle, walked straight down the middle of the aisle to get him and accompany him to the front of church. Somehow Alexa had inserted herself into the wedding party and made herself a write-in flowergirl. She's no-nonsense, but did achieve her task! I could only shake my head - already a wedding crasher! Both the mothers of the bride and groom even invited Alexa to be in some of the pictures being taken after the ceremony....Alexa proudly stood next to her cousin, standing out from the wedding party's black-and-white attire in her bright raspberry dress, smiling for the camera like a pro. What a ham! Damon's cousin, the father of the groom, was ready to post an ad for a "Flowergirl for Hire" to rent out Alexa for future weddings. :)
On Sunday Alexa took a backseat to her little brother. The immediate family gathered at church on Sunday to honor the one-year anniversary of Grant's passing, followed by a visit to the cemetery and lunch at an Armenian restaurant. It was a very low-key but poignant celebration of Granty's all-too-short life and the memories he provided each of us. Before we left for the cemetery, I made the mistake of telling Alexa it was time to go because "we were going to visit Granty." Her eyes immediately lit up and she excitedly responded, "You mean we get to see him again!?!" Immediately my stomach dropped, and I tried to quickly clarify my comment. Thankfully she was distracted by the donut holes Damon was holding aside for her...whew - crisis averted. She doesn't know a cemetery is a place where people are buried (Damon nor I didn't want to explain the burial process), but she recognizes it as a place we go to remember Granty. While the Der Hayr led us in prayer, Alexa was busy making a "present" for Grant - a mound of grass blades she pulled from the ground. While a clump of grass may not be traditional, it makes me so proud to see how Alexa cherishes and preserves the memory of her beloved Granty. I truly hope her memories stay strong for the rest of her life...it means the world to me.
.jpeg) |
| Hard not to notice in her poofy pink frock. |
.jpeg) |
| Manning her spot at the front of church...ready to step in to help! |
What a cutie! Haven't been able to type very well for the past month due to my shattered wrist, but follow the blog daily. Love to all, Joanne
ReplyDelete