A Hop, Skip and a Jump Away: Oh, What a Night . . .

On Saturday night, our family gathered together at the Marco Polo Cruise Terminal to celebrate my cousin Laina's marriage to Rogan Manley. It was a beautiful wedding. In fact, it was one of the best weddings I have been to in a long time. The ceremony, the reception, the dinner and the dance were all held in the same location and the venue was spectacular. The bride was breathtaking, the food was scrumptious, the music was fabulous, but my most favourite thing about this wedding, outside of the photo booth, which I have publicly decreed needs to be a part of every social gathering I attend from here on out, was the company - my family. I grew up being very close to my mom's side of the family, and there are a ton of them. I have so many fond memories of them from Christmas time, to baby showers, to that one summer my mom babysat two of my cousins and my older cousin Mike taught me the "cool" way to drink a mini-sip, to Sunday dinners, to babysitting, to funerals (yes, we even have a way of making funerals memorable) and to weddings. When we all get together it is definitely a party; unfortunately, though, like most families these days, we do not get together often enough. So, on Saturday night, I made sure I chatted with everyone. I got as many hugs and kisses as I could, and like always, I made sure there were lots of laughs. It was so much fun catching up with cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends, whom I only really chat with via Facebook, and it was so much fun busting a move with all of them on the dance floor.

Oh, the dance floor! I have not danced like that in a long time. Usually, it is just me and the wee Websters dancing in the living room or in the car, and I forgot how much fun it was to let loose with a large group of people under the disco lights, with the music blaring. In fact, I danced so much, that by the end of the night my feet were swollen and my legs were aching, but it was all worth it. The one song I was waiting for was Uptown Funk because it is a huge favourite here at Shenanigans Inc., so much so that Avery has declared it to be our theme song. Well, when it came on, I was the only one left on the dance floor but I did not care. Thankfully, everyone took pity on the lone pregnant woman dancing and quickly joined me. I am sure I was quite the sight!As you have probably already guessed, Mr. Level-Headed is not a fan of dancing, but he is always up for dancing a few slow songs with me. Awwww . . . I have to say, I really love that guy!

Eventually, the evening drew to a close, as we received numerous frantic texts from the wee Websters who had been trapped in a small South End apartment all day babysitting two babies. Don't feel too bad for them, though, Grammie had them well-stocked with lots of yummy treats. By the time we arrived, both the babies were fast asleep in the same bed. As I stood over them, gushing over their extreme cuteness, I could not help but think how lucky they are to have one another. Leif and Ava are only one month apart and they are so close. They love each other so much, and there is nothing cuter than the bear hugs they give one another whenever they are reunited. Mind you, they always end in tears because they tend to knock one another over when they give them, but nonetheless, it is adorable.

Families are such a tremendous blessing! Yes, they can be difficult and mine is just as crazy as everyone else's and probably has more skeletons in the closet than most (seriously!), but there is nothing like being with your family, people who have watched you grow up, who have shared some of the most important moments of your life with you, and who love you in spite of your craziness. I love my family, and I am so grateful to know that families are indeed forever!