Two Weddings

I had two nieces get married in two months.  Its hard to believe that they are married now.  Some of my earliest memories of Kent and I's courtship involve them, when they were just toddlers.  I specifically remember Sonnett singing I like it I love it I want some more of it by Tim Magraw, when she was maybe 5.  I'm excited for them to begin their lives as a married couple.  I hope they enjoy all the ups and downs that come with marriage.

Sonnett got married in the Salt Lake Temple.  The ceremony was beautiful.  My mother-in-law made matching dresses for all the cousins.  When she had extra material she made some extra dresses for the temple/play in.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

Collectively these girls are ages, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.  If someone would have told that would happen 5 years ago I would have never in a million years believed you. 

Shannon got married in the Manti temple.  I must admit that I grumbled and complained about them choosing the Manti temple because it was an inconvienance for me.  (I know I'm so selfish sometimes, like they would have picked the most important day of their lives around my connivances.  DUH).  Anyway I debated till the last minute whether or not to go down, I did and was so glad I did.  The temple was perfect for Shannon and BJ and completely fit their personalities and theme of the wedding which was cowboys and sunflowers.  Plus I've never been to the Manti temple.  Since its so old (even older than Salt Lake) yet not as busy as Salt Lake it retained a lot of the old pioneer feel to it.  I was noticing how it seemed like the restrooms where stuffed in a corner, and were really tight and small.  Maybe that is because back when the temple was built there wasn't in-door-plumbing.  The layout was all werid compared to most temples.  It was really fun to be there, almost like taking a step back in time.

Again Grandma made matching dresses.  I LOVE dressing the girls alike.  (She also made some Easter dresses for my girls that makes 4 home-made dresses in two months THANK YOU GRANDMA we are really blessed).

When did these kids grow up?

Stay there...

Just stay there for one second....

At last the bribery works. 

Melissa and Alyssa

This is a great wedding it has toys!

***Warning Warning Warning I will now wax philosophical and slightly religious (maybe more than slightly):  All of this marring going on starting me thinking about; well marriage.  More specifically I've been thinking a lot about the sealing covenant.  The sealing covenant is the sacred ordinance that binds families together, it is the ordinance that we often refer to as "temple marriage".  I have a special place in my heart for the power of the sealing covenant.  As I witnessed these two beautiful girls be sealed to their husbands, the thought occurred to me that if you were to take all that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is, and focus it down to one moment, like focusing a beam of light into a Lazar, it would the sealing of families.  If you were to try and compress all that the church works towards, is all about, is the reason behind everything we do and are, I think this would be it.  It is pure power.  I have felt it numerous times.  And yet this fact has far reaching consequences not all of which positive.  For example those that live in the Church and do not marry, or those like me that marry but struggle to conceive, or those that live in the church but are divorced, or the churches stand on social issues like gay marriage.  I'm not really sure what my point is in all of this.  Maybe it is to simple say that for me at least the sealing of families one to another for all of eternity, (as annoyingly cliché as the term families are forever has become), it is capstone of our religion.  It is the crowing principal and purpose for the church as a whole. I am so thankful for it in my life and the lives of my family.  And I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to be reminded of that and to be apart of it.  ***End philosophical religious rambling.