The Simplicity of Childhood...ahhh

Last night I visited my aunt, uncle, and 2 no-so-little-anymore cousins for dinner. I also had on my "to do" list to personally ask each of the girls to be in my wedding (the 9-yr-old as my Jr. Bridesmaid and the 6-yr-old as my flower girl). I had been perceiving that the 9-yr-old (we'll call her "Kat") has been fully aware that the 6-yr-old (we'll call her "Ky") would be the flower girl, especially since Kat has already been one before. Although Kat was completely accepting of this, I could tell she was sad because she wanted to be a part of the wedding.

So I took Kat aside and explained how a Bride needs to pick certain very special people to stand by her when she gets married. Then we talked about how Ky was going to be the flower girl (and Kat got sad) and then, I asked Kat if she would be my Jr. Bridesmaid. She gave me a funny look, not really knowing what that means. Then I explained that she would walk down the aisle by herself, that she would wear a dress similar to that of the big girls (little grin), and that she would carry the same bouquet as the big girls (eyes open wide). Here's the dialogue that ensued (approximately):

Kat: Real flowers?
Me: Yes.
Kat: Do I get to keep the bouquet?
Me: Yes.

Then Kat was smiling ear to ear and she became very excited. There was a little more discussion about how she had just turned the right age to be a Jr. Bridesmaid and she was SO thrilled about that too.

I knew that I had to make asking her a little more special and to explain the importance of her role. What I didn't know is that the thought of carrying a REAL bouquet and getting to keep it would be the final selling point. It was a sweet moment that I will treasure always!