The Wedding Song & Dance

Saturday evening was a delightful time with my wife and children. My wife and I attended a beautiful Catholic wedding in Huntington, and then later in the afternoon we took our children to a wonderful reception at the Coliseum in Fort Wayne. The Schortgen family has been a longtime friend to my wife. Tara began babysitting for them while she was in middle school. The family at the time had four children - one girl and three boys, the youngest being a baby. In the following years three more boys were born - the last two being twins.

My wife was one of those babysitters that kids adore and mothers celebrate. They played games, ate meals, read stories, did naps, nursed wounds and even discipline once in awhile (they were great kids, they have great parents). Tara only has fond memories of them, they only have fun and fond memories of her. I had an opportunity to get a glimpse of how great a family they are: while in college, over a Superbowl weekend Tara and I babysat the kids all day. It was a beautiful snowy day, we played games inside and outside (I pulled the kids around on a sled in the snow!). What a blast.

In that time we've attended their high school graduations and now their weddings. Zach is the second born, the oldest son. Abbey is the first born, and it was at her wedding two years ago that my daughter Emma and I first danced together. She was just learning to walk confidently, and she was getting bored at the reception. I took her out on the dance floor for something to do...little did I know how much Emma would enjoy it. Since that time Emma and I regularly dance (I am the Prince and she is Ariel, or Snow White, or Cinderalla...etc).

So at Zach's wedding I was looking forward to dancing with Emma again at a wedding. This was also the first wedding reception we'd been to with Levi and Isaac. I was looking forward to seeing what they would do. Basically dancing ending up being alot of me holding Emma in one arm, Levi in the other arm and Tara dancing with Isaac. The five of us would dance together for one song at a time, then we'd have to take a break...it's hard work dancing holding two kids! The next song Tara and I would sit at the table next to the dance floor and turn the three kids loose, it was so much fun to watch Emma experiment with her dance moves, and the guys basically walked around in circles, all smiles!

I'm not a dancer, but I do like to have fun. Dancing with my kids and wife at wedding receptions is alot of fun. Luckily there are five more Schortgen weddings coming up - we plan to be there for all of them.