I’ve made it no secret I was married before. With a beautiful daughter to show for it. I am currently in (and staying in) my second marriage and let me tell you, twice is a charm.
Planning our outdoor wedding, me and my daughter in sun dresses and sandals, the lake in the background, was a family affair. Our siblings and parents all contributed something to make the day special. It was homey. It was casual. It was a very special day.
But my daughter was crushed. She thought she, too, was going on the honeymoon. She was almost 6 yrs. old and I hadn’t considered that she wouldn’t understand that the honeymoon was only for the bride and groom. She cried the day she figured it out. And my soon-to-be-husband became her knight in shining armor that day.
“Mommy and I will go on the first honeymoon right after the wedding. And then the weekend we get back we are taking you on a second honeymoon!”
She was overjoyed. We let her pick the destination. Chattanooga. (Remember, she was about 6) She wanted to see Rock City. (She was obsessed with rocks) She wanted to go to the aquarium. We stayed at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel. It was a fabulous long weekend with lots of laughter and fun.
The following year she was very excited about our (meaning all three of us) upcoming anniversary. “What are we going to do to celebrate?” she asked, eyes shining. So we did something special, just the three of us. We took a long weekend to the beach.
“We’ve now set a precedent,” I said to my husband.
He smiled, “I know. We have to. It’s our famiversary, after all.”
So, in July we celebrate our Famiversary. Sometimes with something big. Sometimes it’s just a small celebration. But it always involves the whole family.
Through the years we’ve added a few more children. But it remains the day we became a family. Our celebrations are still special. And this weekend we spent the day in Atlanta. First the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, then out for sushi.
A fabulous day. A fabulous family. A fabulous past 12 years.
Thank you, my knight in shining armor.
A wizard, wolf and wabbit, playing around in the children’s garden.
My daughter’s reflection in the reflecting pool.
Little brother’s feet were too tired so Big Sis to the rescue. (She was our photographer for the day. Why she always sends me her pics in black and white, I don’t know. She doesn’t like how she looks in color, I guess.)
My little leap day boy, hanging out with Mr. Frog.
Two little rabbits caught in Mr. McGregor’s Garden!
And he’s making me laugh. Again. And again. And yet, again. Must be why I’m still with him.
For more !!! (Intentional Happiness) visit Momalom or Bad Mommy Moments.
Splendid.
I love this idea!
Jim and I plan to be married (both for the second time) in the next couple of years…we’ve got four kids still left at home. Even though they’re teenagers, it sounds like a great way for them to celebrate with us!
Thanks for posting this, Jane!
Wendy
I LOVE the famiversary! I too am in my second marriage. My knight in shining armor legally adopted my boys two years after we were married. Now every year on that day we celebrate being a family and “all having the same last name.”
Congrats to you and your family!
I’m smiling because this is truly beautiful. Truly.
Gorgeous family, and love that last pic with you and hubs. Happy Famiversary, Jane!
Famiversary! I love it! I think you may have really started something. I’ll pass this along to Army Wife, who has a 6-year-old stepson as well as Peanut. They’ve never had a “formal” wedding and this may be a perfect opportunity to start a new family tradition.
Love the idea of Famiversary! The photos are !!!, especially that last one. Love it. 🙂
Lovely. I had tears in my eyes because this really touched me.
Awwww. That is so sweet. As a member of a very, very blended family myself, I think it is really great that you celebrate a famiversary.
Oh, I LOVE this idea, and how cute! It made me all smiley and such. The photos are darling, too, especially the one of your husband and you. 🙂
Oh what lovely photos, I just love the one of you laughing at the end. Some very happy moments and the idea of a famiversary is just beautiful and what a wonderful husband you have to have so bought into it all, your daughter and you. Thanks for making me smile today.
I’m still smiling. What a lovely idea. And what a fantastic final photo.
You, Jane, are !!!
I love, love, love the idea of a famiversary!
Your family is beautiful, and what a very meaningful way to celebrate coming together. I especially love the photo of the two little rabbits in the watering can. =>
I love it. All of it. You have a beautiful family and obviously a really great husband. Yay for famiversaries!!! 🙂
Wonderful!!! Loving, kind, honest, real. You’re awesome.
This is such a sweet post! I think that when marriages happen with children, it is important to keep them involved. When my mom married my step dad, they took both me and my new step sister on their honeymoon with them. We went to an aquarium. It was awesome!
I just read this on my phone. Got chills. (may be cheesy but is entirely true) So I grabbed my bottle of beer and headed straight to my computer so I could adequately comment.
The idea of celebrating the family together is just so wonderful. So, so, so wonderful. I adore it. I adore you. And I most certainly adore that last photo. It is a gem.
Thank you for this !!! The last hour of my day with the kids has been h-e-l-l and I needed a certain something to pick me up and make me see the bigger picture in all of it. Thank you, Jane. Thank you.
!!!
How precious! Famiversaries are a great idea 🙂
Oh I love the happy in this post. Famiversary – I want one too now (I’m greedy like that). So glad you found your knight, one that wants to be not just yours but your whole family’s. What a gift!
What a wonderful tradition! Isn’t it the greatest thing in the world when you find “the one”? Love the photos too; like everyone else, especially the last one of you and your husband.
I love this idea! How fun. Your family is beautiful, and like the others, I especially love the one of you with your husband – the love really shines through.
When I married Travis a few years ago, we had a sand ceremony during our wedding, a great idea for blended families. And my husband said a vow to Steven too, during the ceremony, that he vowed to love him as his own, and always be there for him. It was so touching – not a dry eye to be found. 🙂
Awwwwwwwwww. The second honeymoon right after the first is genius! (and !!!)
What a knight indeed. Beautiful pics and beautiful family! Happy Famiversary!!!
This is just a bundle of wonderful!
But remind me never to read your posts immediately after ck’s. It’s emotional overload!
These are a great photos. I love your famiversary. We did something similar for our wedding. My son walked me down the aisle and then the three of us stood together and said vows as a family. He never got a honeymoon, though! 🙂