First Wedding Photos

Mrs. Beaver:

Tessa giving her attention to the photographers, while I looked on.

The couple's first kiss. Their first kiss on the lips would

take place about an hour later at the altar.

To God be the glory!

To Tessa's Birthmother

Mrs. Beaver:

Tessa at four months

To the Woman who Gave Life to My Baby,

Life has come full circle.

Twenty years ago you placed your beautiful newborn in our arms, giving us the responsibility for her life and welfare. For you, this transfer meant a separation from your daughter that resulted in a heart-rending grief the depths of which few could plumb. You watched as we placed your precious newborn in a car seat and drove off.

Now twenty years later, it's our turn. Tomorrow we will place our beautiful daughter in the arms of a young man, giving him the responsibilty for her life and welfare. For us, the transfer which will take place at the altar will mean separation as she moves to Ohio. While our grief could never compare to the grief you've experienced, our joy is mingled with sadness as she prepares to leave our home. We will watch as Tessa climbs into Aaron's car and drives off.

As many parallels as there are, calling attention to those isn't my purpose in writing. I just want you to know that as I've pondered these parallels, I have thought of you often. As the wedding has gotten closer and closer, I have had you on my heart.

I have thought of you with profound gratitude. When you found out that you were pregnant, our culture was loudly telling you not to inconvienience yourself by going through with the pregnancy. Yet you demonstrated love for the little one growing inside you and refused to abort your baby. You sacrificed your life to give life. You were courageous. You were selfless. You were a hero to me, and you always will be.

When we first had contact with you, our hearts had ached for so long as we watched friend after friend become parents. Our hearts ached as one medical procedure after another failed. We were told we were without hope, and yet we wanted the role of parents so badly it hurt. When you placed your trust in us to parent Tessa, you took a very barren couple and turned us into a family. The gift you gave the two of us in allowing us to parent Tessa was a gift of inestimable value.

I'm so glad you are able to come to the wedding. I hope as the evening progresses that you will get a sense for the impact that Tessa has already had in so many lives. She is truly an unusual person. She brings life with her wherever she goes. She gives love freely and generously. She encourages others readily. And she laughs a lot and pulls others into her happiness. Your gift of life to Tessa has multiplied in blessing too many others to count. You have made the world a better place by refusing to abort an unplanned pregnancy.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You are a blessing. You have blessed us. Now your daughter, who is at the same time our daughter, will now go on to bless her new husband and those she encounters in Cincinnati. Your choice to give life has been like a stone thrown in a pond; the ripples just continue to spread.

Thank you! I love you. We love you.

Tessa's Wedding: A Remarkably Relaxed Day

Mrs. Beaver:

A number of the young women in the house were able to get the reception center pieces finished by late morning, while others of us attended to other details. Cassandra did some more serious work on the wedding cake, but even this was handled in a fairly short amount of time.

This left time for card playing and lots of laughter. It also left time after some naps in the early afternoon while Cassandra frosted Tessa's cake. A whole gaggle of us wedding participants helped her don her wedding gown and take her to a couple of sights in town for photos.

Since Aaron is banned from seeing the gown until Saturday, Joe took him to a coffee place in LeMars and then the two of them went bowling.

I can only show you a couple of the photos so that we too preserve the "Wow" factor for the groom on Saturday. But here are some of Anna's famous silver-sequined Keds which she promises to wear to the reception.

As we criss-crossed streets in the downtown area, it took sisters, and friends, and cousins, and last-but-not-least, her-almost sister-in-law, Amber, to hold down the many layers in the wind. What an entourage Tessa had with her and in this photo they were all there trying to protect the bride's delicate gown. It was her gown-guards who were the stars of the show!

Not much more I can show you, but I was able to get a photo of Tessa's engagement ring resting on jewels.

The Lord has truly granted us the peace that passes all understanding, We've been fill with joy and laughter, and most importantly, this was a remarkably stress -free day. What a gift! A great gift from our Father in heaven.

Tessa's Wedding: What a day!

Mrs. Beaver:

With the wedding now just four days away, everything we did today was focused on preparing for the big day! While Tessa and Aaron drove to Omaha to pick up both sets of grandparents, others were busy getting the baubles for the reception centerpieces ready.

Aaron's sister, Amber (L) who just turned 16 last week was a great teammate.

Meanwhile, Cassandra and her friend, Katherine, made the chocolate sheet cake for which Cassandra is becoming legendary. (We'll save a big piece for you, Russ!)

When Tessa and Aaron returned, it was time for my parents to meet their three new grandchildren.

At lunch, Daria explained some of her personal history to my mom, as she listened with keen interest.

After a crowded, but delicious lunch of leftovers...

A number of us went to the florist to take a peak at the flowers that have arrived for Saturday's bouquets.

Whenever we visit the florist, we get tickled that here in rural Iowa the florist is attached to a snowmobile dealership. We think that combination of businesses would be hard to find in many other locations.

Tessa looked over the flowers and gave her hearty approval.

The groom seemed satisfied since his bride was satisfied.

After the florist we ran to FedEx Office to pick up the printed programs. They're beeeaauuuuutiful!

Way to go, Eric! I look forward to meeting you this weekend. 

Our last stop was the building where the reception will be held to put together the centerpieces. However, by this time we were too tired to bring the project to completion. You can find us there first thing tomorrow morning!

An Antidote to Feeling Overwhelmed

Mrs. Beaver:

It's hard to believe. The wedding week is here. This morning the bride and groom went off to secure their marriage license. The bejeweled gown that has been hanging in my closet for months now will be worn by my oldest daughter this Saturday. Both sets of Tessa's grandparents arrive tomorrow.

There are a number of things to be done yet. Daily more and more friends and family from far away places will be arriving. Many of them will be staying in our home, and I hope nearly all of the out-of-towners will share a meal or two with us at some time during the week.

In addition, there's the quietly nagging notion that this is the end of a season in our family. This week marks the end of all twelve of our children living in our home. This week marks the end of our beloved Tessa being part of daily life around here. This week also marks the end of my being able to lean on my oldest daughter for help and support as I have done now for years while raising so many younger children and managing an always-busy household.

I could find it easy to be wound tighter than a spring right now. But these words which I read in The Valley of Vision (pg. 375) this morning reminded me that I want something better than to be the stereotypical stressed-out mother of the bride:

"May I be daily more and more conformed to Thee, with the meekness and calmness of the Lamb in my soul."

I want to be a mirror of my Saviour's ability to exude both strength and peace at the same time. I could never pull that off on my own, but thankfully I don't have to. Since Jesus is my Saviour, the Holy Spirit resides in me. The Spirit is willingly conforming me to be meek and calm like Christ. I am infused with His power. Through Him I can focus on and love the more than 250 people who will share in the festivities. 

In order to access this antidote to feeling overwhelmed, I must slow-down and cry out to God for help. I must trust that He will work out the complex logisitics necessary to put on a wedding. This week--and every week--I must busy myself with delighting in Him. He is my King, and I will lean on Him.

Happy Birthday, Natasha!

There was another important event in our family this weekend,unrelated to anything having to do with matrimony. We don't want this milestone to get lost in the midst of the wedding hoopla. Yesterday Natasha turned 11!

As is our family tradition, Natasha's daddy decorated her strawberry cake with chocolate fluff frosting. It's hard to tell in the photo, but he adorned her cake with a horse. Natasha was delighted--she loves anything and everything having to do with horses.

Natasha had just turned five when we brought her home from Klintsy, Russia. She's a happy, forgiving, and very creative child. She is truly a gift from the Lord.

Tessa's Wedding: He's Here!

Mrs. Beaver:

Just as we were finishing our midday meal, Aaron arrived. Tessa went flying out the door faster than the speed of light.

I no longer move that fast, so I missed the initial greeting between bride and groom. However, their joyful reunion lasted long enough that I caught these photos:

We thank God for Tessa.

We thank God for Aaron.

We thank God that in joining the two of them together in Christ,

He will create a union both beautiful and strong.

Tessa's Wedding: A Glorious Ending

Tessa just got off the phone with Aaron, and he's less than an hour away on his drive from his home in Cincinnati.

Boy, is there an exhuberant, joy-filled bride in our home! Her happiness goes beyond mere glee that the wedding is just five days away. When Aaron pulls up in our driveway, their many months of being separated by a 15-hour drive will have come to an end. Although the wedding isn't until Saturday, they'll get to see each other every day between now and then. The separation is over.

I understand my daughter's excitement. When Mr. Beaver and I entered into the romance that has resulted in our 27-year marriage, he was in the Navy. We spent five months apart while he attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, and I continued with college at the University of Colorado. He even proposed over the phone!

We were so grateful to the Lord when our separation ended. At the same time, we would also be the first to tell Aaron and Tessa that our months apart allowed us to start our marriage with a deep appreciation for every minute we could be together. Our love of being together has made the friendship we share wonderfully sweet. The profound gratitude to the Lord with which we entered our marriage is still with us. One of our many prayers for our new son and Tessa will be that the thankfulness to God with which their hearts overflow today over being together will last 'til death parts them.

Happy Reunion

Mrs. Beaver:

Last night the kids and I had a sweet reunion with Mr. Beaver. We also happily welcomed home our oldest son, Joe, who had traveled with his dad to Los Angeles on this week-long business trip.

Our small airport has a great window where you can watch the planes land. The sun was just setting as we waited. My niece, Amanda, who arrived the day before to help us prepare for Tessa's wedding, was with us also.

We cheered as the plane touched town...

...and then made our way to another part of the airport where it's possible to watch through glass windows for the passengers to deplane.

Despite our best efforts to explain the reason for our visit to the airport, six-year-old Oksana still seemed a bit unnerved when we got there. Any visit to an airport has had this affect since we adopted her from Russia in late November. Yesterday she withdrew like a turtle pulling into her shell. When we looked at these photos after we got home, we noticed she had even quietly slipped into sucking her thumb, something she normally only does in bed at night.

It wasn't long before Oksana, and the rest of us, were rewarded for our wait by being reunited with the men in our family. Since this had been my first full week on my own since we became the parents of twelve, I felt as overjoyed at having my husband back as I used to feel when he was in the Navy when we were first married. Then his deployments as an engineer on a nuclear submarine would last a MUCH longer three months at a time, but I wasn't carrying the responsibility of any children. 

When we made our way to the baggage claim area, Oksana never left Joe's side. In the 3-1/2 months that our new children have been here, Joe and Oksana have developed a sweet bond. All her apprehension about being at an airport melted away when she was able to hold her oldest brother's hand.

Joe was equally happy. I was reminded again of his impassioned words when we first saw a photo of Oksana a little over a year ago, "She HAS to become ours!!!" Oksana is truly a gift to our family from the Lord, and Joe is keenly aware of the Lord's goodness in giving him this little girl as a sister.

We left the airport and went home to a DELICIOUS dinner of wild rice soup delivered earlier in the afternoon by our dear friend, Sandy. Sandy and several other friends and their teenage daughters came over to help us assemble numerous casseroles to feed the many people who will pass through our home during the upcoming wedding week.

Friends, your help was invaluable and the fellowship a blast. Thanks--you're so dear to me! Thank you for being Christ's hands and feet just as I reach a point of real need.

Thanks also to all who have prayed for me and the kids during this week of single parenting. Thanks also to those who recorded comments in response to my plea for prayer cover early in the week. Your prayers on my behalf were answered and then some! The Lord did above and beyond all I could have hoped for. The kids and I had a sweet week together showered in God's grace.