A Boy, A Pillow, and Yes....the Saints!

The world of 3-year olds is unpredictable. Especially 3 year old boys with a tendency to be hyper and impulsive. But occasionally, the stars align and the results are surprising, to say the least!

Samuel did great during the rehearsal on Saturday, so on Sunday we were cautiously optimistic. We fed him his favorite chicken nuggets on the way to the hotel, but after eating he fell asleep in the car. Oh no….too early for his nap! But about 15 minutes later we were there and we had to force him into his 3-piece suit, socks, and shoes. A rose was pinned to his lapel and his hair was styled and sprayed. All of this is obviously torturous for a tired preschooler. We barely got him to cooperate for a picture with the bride, and then it was over as far as cooperation was concerned. He was absolutely NOT going to be in any more photographs, so finally we gave up and went up to the empty hotel room belonging to family. Family who were downstairs getting family pictures made with the bride and groom…pictures without a certain tired toddler. All of the offensive, evil clothing was removed and we tried to get him to take a nap, but to NO avail!

Waiting until the last possible minute to redress him, we finally made it back downstairs for the ceremony. He was thirsty. He was antsy. He was restless. Mommy was nervous! The ceremony started and everyone was beautiful. I could see Elton in the back as I sat near the front feeding Olivia coconut M & M’s as a way to keep her quiet. When the time came for the ring bearer to do his job, I could see Samuel slowly walking out to the aisle area. Hundreds of faces turned back to smile at him. I turned my camera on and quickly snapped a picture, fully expecting him to bolt off into a mad dash, probably into the muddy grass for a nice mud bath. But with an almost audible snap, the stars aligned and a miracle unfolded: that crazy boy did exactly, perfectly, what he was supposed to do! He carefully cradled the pillow. He slowly placed one foot in front of the other. He mildly smiled and sweetly looked into the eyes of many of the hundreds of faces staring at him. And slo…www….ly….he walked up the aisle, past the staring faces and distracting rose petals on the grass. At the front, he paused and gave me a confident look before walking over and taking his place by the groomsmen.

I nearly fainted. I almost cried. I couldn’t breathe.

Mr. Handsome coming up the aisle.

Standing in place. Can you believe it?!?

Granted, he fiddled with the pillow. The rings got loose and the pillow was held backwards. And 5 minutes into the ceremony he decided he was done and came back to sit by Daddy. But oh, what a performance up until then….my heart was bursting with pride and hope. Hope that yes, one day he won’t be such a crazy, hyper child. One day, he will do what he is supposed to do, a majority of the time!

So miracles do happen. Because on another note, in the midst of this unfolding drama, another drama was wildly being played out thousands of miles away in the New Orleans Superdome. Elton and I (and dozens of guests….I saw you and you know who you are!) were watching the Saints game on his iPhone. One of the groomsmen (they were all Vikings fans, ugh!) agreed to send me hand signals during the crucial last 2 minutes of game time, since Elton had his iPhone in the back and I was temporarily in the dark about the game. And right around the time that the happy Bride and Groom shared their first kiss, the miraculous dream of the Saints going to the Super Bowl became a reality! The groomsman reluctantly greeted me after the ceremony with the agreed-upon 2-thumbs-up gesture, which meant overtime play, with the Saints victorious! Awesome! Loved it!

Miles and Keri Presnell with my Olivia Sunshine