A word to those of you who have siblings with children and who are thinking about asking them to be in your wedding: just because you are related doesn’t mean that you are obligated in anyway to ask them to be in your wedding. If the kids are a bit older your chances of having a good outcome are better than if they are young like mine. Unless of course you are going for that America’s Funniest Home Videos effect. Either way, most siblings won’t be bummed at all if you spared them that opportunity. Better yet, you can do what my sister-in-law Lauren and her husband did, they opted to have a “no kids” wedding. I was not sad at all. In fact, it was wonderful to be able to actually enjoy the meal and dance without looking around the room to see which direction my kids had taken off to.

Maybe my siblings feel obligated to have my children in their weddings? My brother, who got married about two years ago, had both of my girls in his wedding. Georgia was too little to walk down the isle so we pulled the both of them down the isle in a red wagon decorated with wedding bows and bells. It went really well. I do remember my in-laws, who had been invited to the wedding, carrying one or both of the kids out during a moment in the ceremony, but overall it went well.

However, the day before, at the rehearsal, my dad practically lost his you-know-what because the kids were running around while the officiant was telling everyone what to do and where to stand. I remember him turning around in the pew and yelling at me so I took them out and we left. What did you expect Dad? They were 2.5 and 1.  Thank goodness the actual wedding went well.

Now my sister’s big day is upon us. She is getting married tomorrow and the family is very excited. I am feeling a familiar low-level anxiety. I am nervous that my girls will go completely nuts. We haven’t practiced walking down any imaginary isle. I haven’t given my girls flowers in a basket to practice dropping on the ground.

My sister bought a pillow and Georgia is to be the ring bearer. What a job for her! My sister is no fool though, she has decided to leave the fake rings on the pillow and have Georgia just carry those down so as to not risk any real rings getting lost. Brilliant!

Yes, tomorrow is the big day. I am tired having just thrown my sister a little pre-wedding party at our house for family. It was sketchy for me at first knowing that my parents were going to be in such close quarters for an unknown period of time. Luckily, everyone was on his or her best behavior and only once did my parents really speak to each other. All the while my 94-year-old grandmother decided to stand between them as they spoke just to make sure something didn’t happen. What, I don’t know? I have no idea what she was doing. I’m pretty sure she thought she was protecting my mother from him.

My kids were as animated as ever for the family here tonight. They ran, jumped, danced, ate, laughed, cried, and pretty much kept the family entertained the entire evening. Everyone was just sitting back on the couch drinking and watching my kids like they were the latest sitcom. They are pretty entertaining that’s for sure. At one point, Raquel was doing this new thing she has been doing to get attention. She goes from standing to sitting by jumping up. It is hysterical. I got a great video of it from when she came to Olivia’s VIP day at preschool this week. She wouldn’t stop doing it and she had the entire preschool class in hysterics.

So tomorrow a few things are certain; my sister will be getting married and my kids will be there. I’m pretty sure my sister will make it down the isle without being carried screaming or kicking and it would truly be a magical day if my kids did too. My sister deserves to have a lovely wedding and I’m going to pray extra hard that my kids are on their best behavior for her. It’s not every day that your little sister gets married and I am hopeful that the day goes exactly and as perfectly as she dreamed it would go. Just in case, I’m packing some Princess Pez dispensers as bribes (uh, I mean, as rewards).