Footsteps: Charlotte's 4th Bday Weekend

Another amazing part of living back in Tennessee is that we are now 5-6 hours away from all of our family in Georgia. God was so gracious to have Matthew stationed here at Ft Campbell so that we can be more involved in the lives of our family, our nieces, and so that the 'cousins' can know each other!

After a cross-country trek from CO to TN, I thought...why not add to the chaos by driving to Athens, GA??? Makes perfect sense, right? :) In all seriousness, though, I would've driven even farther to see my brother and sis (in law... but I call her sis) and nieces and be there for my oldest niece's 4th birthday party. This was the first bday of my nieces in which I've been able to go. And my sis, Christine, definitely knows how to throw a party! Unfortunately, Matthew had to work and wasn't able to go. So William and I set out on our own.

Charlotte's party had a princess theme. And guess who got to be Cinderella?? You guessed it! It was so fun to play dress up with my girls and get to be their 'Cinderella' on Charlotte's special day. Maybe my two younger nieces actually think I am a real princess now - lol.

I also got to stop in Atlanta on the way back from Athens to see my other fantastic sis (in law) and her new condo along with my mother and father-in-law. They loved seeing William and getting some snuggles in before we drove back to Clarksville that afternoon.

Not-so-fun memories of the weekend:
--Stop to nurse baby in Altoona, GA. It's hot. A/C on full blast. Baby sweating. Why are my arms yellow? Baby's blown out diaper and went up his back. All over his clothes. On my arms. Gross. It's so hot. Please eat faster so we can get outta here and so mommy can use the potty! Have got to go to bathroom...bad. Starving, too. Baby stops eating and thinks it's playtime. It is not playtime. I have yellow poo on my arms and I am sweating and am about to wet my pants. After baby's "snack", carry heavy baby into gas station. Hold heavy baby while trying to use potty and wipe (takes skill). Baby and mama still covered in yellow poo. Transport baby to diaper changing station. Hope no one will notice my pants are undone because that's impossible to do when holding giant baby. Down to one wipe. Not good. Bathe baby in one precious wipe. Where to put yellow poo onesie? Change onesies. Need to wash hands. And arms. Hey stranger, can you watch my baby so I use the sink? Go to gas station Subway line. It's long. Why are giant men with civil war beards in Altoona, GA, eating at Subway?! Soooo hungry. Baby not patient. He's hungry. Only had a snack because he thought it was playtime. No food for mama. Back to hot car. Baby finishes eating. It's been an hour. McDonald's drive-thru it is. Get me outta here.

Fun memories of weekend:
--Catching up with bro and sis late at night when girls are down
--Seeing cousin Jes and him meeting Will for first time
--Nieces meeting Will for first time and treating him like one of their baby dolls
--Seeing both sets of my parents who come up for the bday party
--Playing with my adorable THREE nieces and seeing how Emma, in particular, has grown so much
--Seeing Matthew's parents and sister and them loving on William
--Staying with Christine's sister Lee Anne and getting to catch up with her
--Realizing again how blessed I am by family and having them all so close together

Lily putting in Will's paci

She got the biggest kick out of him and playing "mommy" with her baby cousin

My sis amazes me with her gracious, warm and fun-loving spirit. Just love her. I love watching her beautifully embrace the chaos of having a tiny house filled with the laughter and sounds of five people! Also love how faithfully and lovingly she takes care of my bro. And how wonderful of a sis she is to me, being interested in my life and chatting with me via text all the time. <3

Mesmerized by his cousins

What's tub time without popsicles?

Precious Emma!

My cousin Jes meets William for first time. Jes and I spent sooo much of our childhood days together playing outside, shooting hoops, jumping on trampoline, swimming, playing ninja turtles and even dress up! :)

MiMi and PopPop arrive for party. MiMi loves holding sleepy Will, and he loves it, too.

Nap before the big day

Charlotte loves books more than any 4-year-old I know. She could read books for hours.

Watching princess clips on the iPad with Charlotte

Christine is an amazing party planner and so creative... from "ring" pops, princess tea party, princess costumes for all the guests, nail-painting and makeup stations at 'bippity boppity boo boutique', etc. etc!