Homeward Bound

Today is Tuesday, Dec 30th. We've been away from home for a week now, enjoying time with our midwest families. What a week it's been. Really, has it only been ONE week?

Christmas was fantastic. Aunt Juju and "Uncle" Greg traveled with us from Atlanta to Minneapolis . . . and we all journeyed to Iowa together by car, with Nana and Papa at the wheel (wheels, actually -- we've outgrown one car!). The trip was uneventful, though we have decided that Meg is a bit easier with travel than her little sister is. We all arrived in Iowa late on the 23rd to find lots of ice and snow waiting for us. And Grandma was waiting, too -- Great Grandma Moen was delighted to have us all at her farm house to celebrate Christmas with her.

The 9 of us spent Christmas Eve getting ready for the big event . . . the arrival of Santa. We wrapped gifts, had a wonderful dinner together, opened a few presents, and set cookies and milk out for the jolly old man (oh, and carrots for the reindeer). Meg was excited, though I'm still not sure she understands the whole idea of Santa just yet. Kate is totally clueless, but she smiled and enjoyed all the commotion, just the same.

Christmas morning, Meg came downstairs to find her gifts (and Kate) sitting by the tree. She opened everything . . . her gifts, Kate's gifts, Nana's gifts, Papa's gifts . . . anything wrapped was opened and enjoyed by Meg. More family arrived mid afternoon, bringing the total number of family members staying in one house to 14. More gifts were opened, more food was enjoyed . . . it was a perfect little Christmas in the country.

What was on Meg's list, you ask? Oh, it was certainly a Disney Christmas for us. Lots of Princesses stuff . . . jammies, clothes, dolls. A new "Minnie Outfit". A walking, barking Pluto. Old Walt himself probably never received so much Disney in one day.

We saw even more family as the weekend went on. 34 Dahlbys gathered at Great Grandma Dahlby's house on the 26th . . . and we made plans for everyone to return again in May when Grandma turns 90. On Saturday, some great Aunts and Uncles joined us at the Silver Lake Lutheran Church for Kate's Baptism. We had lunch and ice cream cake following, back at Great Grandma Moen's.

Sunday we packed up . . . actually, the packing started on Saturday because there was so much stuff . . . and made the 6 hour trek back to Kansas City. Here we have enjoyed just hanging out and recovering from our Iowa adventures. We are attempting to get kids back to normal naps and meal times, but it's not working out exactly as we might like. Oh well. We'll be home tomorrow . . . plenty of time for regular sleeping and eating then.

It's been wonderful. No worries. No chores. Naps. Sweets. Movies (yes, we went to a theater!). I've loved our Country Christmas.

Tomorrow the airplane is coming to pick us up again, and back at home we should be by late afternoon. Jim -- as part of his Christmas presents -- is going downtown to the Chic fil A Bowl to watch Tech and LSU battle it out in the New Year's Eve bowl game. I'll probably ring in the new year in my own bed . . . I'm sure that I'll need to recover from everything with an early bedtime.

I'll be sure to post some pictures of all the events . . . I've taken about 12 gigs of photos, so there will be plenty to share.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and that you have a fantastic New Year celebration. Drink one for me . . . and cheer for Tech.

Happy 2009! More when I return to Atlanta . . .

The Airplane is Coming to Pick Us Up

According to Meg, that is. Tomorrow . . . which unfortunatley, is not quite soon enough for our toddler.

"Not this time?" she asked this morning. That is her way of asking, "Not today?"

"No, Meg. Tomorrow when we wake up." Of course, that wasn't the answer she wanted, so some rather fake crying ensued following my response. I ignored that . . . actually, I think I told her to cry all she wanted, but the airplane still wasn't coming to pick us up at the airport until tomorrow.

Today has been filled with efforts to get us ready for our snowy Christmas trip. Bags are packed, lists are crossed off, and kids are nestled snugly with hopes that they will wake up well rested and ready for our adventure. I think I can say it: we are ready to go.

Thanks to Jim's mom's fantastic efforts, many MANY of the items we need for the kids have been borrowed from friends and neighbors. All we need our our clothes, gifts, our kids, and the baby carrier that straps Kate to me for the walk through the airports. No stroller, car seat, pack and play, etc . . . those are all awaiting our arrival in Minneapolis tomorrow.

Minneapolis by mid day, a 2 hour drive, then we arrive in Iowa just in time to settle in for dinner and such. Should be a fun day . . . and the best part will be arriving at Great Grandma's warm and cozy farm house in rural Iowa.

What a Christmas we will have. I'll post if I can . . . but if this is the last one before the 25th, I wanted to wish everyone a very wonderful and Merry Christmas. I hope you are all looking forward to celebrating with the ones you love.

And I hope Santa is good to you, too.

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!"

TWINS

Meet Mary Trammel and Tres . . . born just 10 days ago. Every photographers dream. I only hope I lived up to the expectations of the family and that they love these photos as much as I loved capturing them!

We are all off to snowy and cold Iowa tomorrow . . . today is filled with laundry, packing, eating up everything in the refrigerator (meaning fish stickes and apples for dinner!), and dropping off those last minute gifts.

Gotta run . . . among all the other things we are doing around here, Meg is hollering at me from the kitchen, "Come dance with me, Mommy!"

A Little Christmas Cheer

From Our House to Yours!

Vacation Planning

There are still plenty of presents to wrap, cookies to bake, and even a few gifts left to pick up. But today while Kate napped (Meg is with the grandparents), I took a few minutes to work on a little of our Disney vacation planning.

At http://www.disneyworld.com/ , you can request a free vacation planning DVD. Free? Why not? So, I ordered it back when we first started the prep for this trip, and it arrived earlier this week. It's been sitting on the desk in our kitchen, calling my name. I finally put it in the DVD player and started to watch just bits and pieces of it this afternoon . . .

. . . and I started crying.

What?!

I'm going to be a mess when we get to Orlando. I think I can hold it together when we are arriving and through the first night . . . but that next morning, when we wake up and make our way over to the Magic Kingdom, I'm freakin' going to lose it.

In the planning DVD, there are many scenes of little girls running into the arms of their beloved princesses, all dressed in their own princess garb. Other kids are hugging Mickey and Minnie like they are never going to let go. I just picture Meg . . . all in awe, so amazed, so happy. And I start to get teary-eyed. (Yes, even now as I write this.)

I feel so lucky that our family can give this to our kids . . . that we are able to take them to experience something that is so amazing for them. This is what I dreamed of, when I thought of having a family. Taking my kids to Disney -- or anywhere -- and watching them have the time of their lives.

I've been told my many (Negative Nancys, I call them), "You know, Meg is not even going to remember this trip to Disney." I realize that. How many memories of anything before the age of about 6 do we really have? It's all about the moment for kids, and we are going to live it up in the moment at Disney. She won't remember -- and I could care less. I'll remember. Selfishly, this trip is as much for Jim and I as it is for her.

Kate, well . . . I do know that this trip means little for her. But she will have a great time, riding around, seeing new things and enjoying being with our family. That is good enough for me. We'll take her back when she is Meg's age . . . and she will get her turn to gawk at the wonder that is Disney.

I'm just so very excited. We have our rooms booked, the plane tickets are in process (Jim's job, Delta patron that he is), and we have several dining reservations already set. Theme Park ickets still need to be purchased. And we need to sit down (again, at Disney.com) and look into their little kid planning while we work on our itenrary. I want to be sure we don't miss anything while we are there. The trip is going to be as low key as we can make it, traveling with 2 girls so young . . . so I want to plan as much as we can before we go. Then, when we arrive, we just go and have fun.

I can't wait. I guess I should go watch more of the DVD, if I can compose myself long enough. Maybe I'll let Meg watch it when she comes home so that she can get an idea of what she's going to experience. She already knows we are going to have breakfast with Cinderella in "Feb-wary" . . . but, she has no idea what she's in for.

Disney Countdown: 69 days and counting.

Such a Sweet Soul

Meg came downstairs to find presents wrapped and waiting under our Christmas tree this morning. While she and her slept last night, I finally had a chance to wrap many of the things we'll be exchanging this weekend when we do our family pre-Christmas gift exchange. I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped . . . trying to coordinate wrapping prints with the person receiving each gift.


"Look! Mickey!" Meg said when she saw the Mickey/Minnie wrapping paper under the tree.


"Those are Kate's presents." I told her. All of Kate's gifts are wrapped in crimson paper with everyone's favorite mouse and his girlfriend (and dog) all over them.



"These presents have Charlie Brown," she then told me, very matter-of-factly.


"Yep. Those are Daddy's presents," I told her.



"Who 'dese?" Meg asked, pointing to green paper with caricatures of Santa.



"Those are for Aunt Juju and Uncle Greg. See? They all have Santa."




"Oh! Ok!" was Meg's response. Then she saw that one of the Charlie Brown presents had mistakenly be placed on top of one of Aunt Julie's gifts, and she promptly had to place it back in it's proper spot with the other Charlie Brown gifts. (Type A. First Born. SOOOOO particular.)


Meg stood back and admired the tree for a moment, then asked to watch her "Mickey Christmas Movie" while I made her breakfast.



She did not ask, "Where are Meg's presents?" Not once. It was like the idea did not even cross her mind.



Of course she has presents . . . and I have all the Disney Princess paper ready for wrapping them . . . but I just ran out of steam last night before I got to her pile. I really didn't think about it until she woke up . . . that she'd see all the presents for others, but there would be none yet under the tree for her.


But, I liked it better this way. She saw all the gifts for those she loves, and she didn't even seem to care that there were none under the tree for her. What a little sweetie. I'm proud of her . . . for being so thoughtful, for not being greedy and wrapped up in the me-me-me that will smother many kids her age this time of year.


True, it could be that she's only 2 1/2 and doesn't get the idea of presents! presents! presents! just yet. She could just be blissfully unaware. I'd rather think that it is because she is genuinely sweet and isn't growing up to be a selfish and spoiled child. I'm going to go with that thought.



I smiled to myself as I went about making her breakfast. "She didn't even think of herself . . . of her own presents. What a sweet little girl we have," I thought. Meg, our sweet little soul.

Merry Christmas, Meg-a-loo. I'll be sure to wrap your presents tonight so that your Princess paper will be waiting for you under the tree tomorrow morning.

My Mantra

If I can make it to Christmas . . .

This is what I've been saying to myself for the last 6 long, difficult, trying, exhausting, educational, rewarding, unforgettable, and fulfilling months. I knew that the first 6 months with a new baby and our toddler would prove to be something that I could not anticipate, not pretend to understand until I was living it. It, no doubt, would be tough.

I also knew that many babies fall into a regular sleeping and eating pattern around 6 months, that Meg would (God willing) have adjusted to the changes in our house after 1/2 a year, and that I would have gotten myself into a new routine by that magic 6 month mark. Kate would hit 6 months on Dec 18th, so . . . if I could just make it to Christmas, everything would be better.

And now, here we are. Christmas is just around the corner. 10 shopping days left. Do I feel like I've made it? Well, sort of.

Things certainly are getting easier in some respects. Kate sits up with confidence now, so we can bathe both girls together with ease each night. Kate eats her cereal with us at the table during meal time, so I'm not trying to find a way to keep her entertained while we eat any more . . . eating seems to be entertaining enough for her. Kate sleeps through the night with GREAT regularity, waking each morning sometime in the 6:00am hour and often dozing back off until 7-something. In many, many ways, I do feel like I've made it. I do feel like I've survived the hardest part.

But -- you know me -- I have to be honest and say that it's still kinda tough in some ways. My new mantra seems to be: if we can make it until next summer. When Kate hits one year, a lot of things will be even easier, I think. Trust me, it's getting easier every day right now. By the time this first year is up, so many of the things I find hard will feel like a distant memory.

For instance, I do feel a little bit housebound right now. Naps don't line up most days, so either one kid goes napless (usually poor Kate in the morning) or we stay home all day long. Kate isn't quite a great napper . . . still cat napping for 45 mins, maybe an hour, 3 or 4 times each day. Meg needs her 2-2.5 hours mid day. That should change over the next couple of months . . . Kate should fall into a better napping schedule when her little body rhythms mature just a bit more. By next summer, she should be having a great, solid mid-day nap, just like her big sister.

Another example: I'm back to feeling like I feed Kate all the time. I remember this very clearly from this stage with Meg . . . when you add in the table feedings plus nursing, it seems like Kate is constantly havin' herself a meal. She's not complaining -- and doing very well with solids -- and this phase only lasts a few months. Soon she'll drop some nursings and eat more food, I'll be able to give her cheerios and fruit for snacks . . . the shift will all happen between now and next summer. And by next summer, there will be only one meal to prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. THAT sounds so much better than the food prep I go through three times each day right now.

I'm not rushing Kate . . . I certainly don't want her to grow up any faster than she already is. I'm not hurrying her to be a big girl so that it can make my life easier. If anything, I find that I am taking things much slower than I did with Meg, wanting Kate to stay my baby as long as she can. I just know that as this time flies by, I can expect some things to get a little easier and a little more enjoyable. Who wouldn't be anxious for that?

I made it to Christmas. We've endured the horrible spitting up, the incessant crying in the car, the night wakings, the 'when will she poop?' phase, the evening witching hour, the inability to hold up her head, the inability to sit . . . Kate has grown up so very much. Now, as we look toward the summer, we will watch her continue to change . . . rolling, crawling, walking, signing, talking, interacting, playing . . . it's going to be awesome. (And easier.)

48 Hours

What did you do this weekend?

We went to an "Ugly Sweater Party" on Friday night. My poinsettia sweater vest was purchased for $2.98 at America's Thrift Store, and Jim's sister found his lovely sweatshirt for us at Goodwill. After a good washing, both we worn with some ugly pride.

They even handed out prizes. The guy above -- in the sweater vest -- won 1st place for THE ugliest sweater at the party.

We went to another holiday party hosted by one of Jim's coworkers on Saturday night. The girls stayed with a sitter (again) . . . and I couldn't resist shooting a few pictures of them in their holiday jammies before we scooted out the door.

Due to the afore mentioned parties, we also spent a small fortune on babysitters this weekend. And we had to deal with Meg wailing as we left both Friday and Saturday nights -- which she's never done before. It's heartbreaking. (But we still left and went on to enjoy ourselves.) I also missed more feedings that usual with Kate, relying on pumped milk and bottles to get her through . . . and that usually doesn't catch up with me until the next day. I'm anticipating waking up tomorrow totally engorged. Aren't you jealous?

Sunday arrived, and we took Meg to see Playhouse Disney LIVE! at Phillips Arena. Faithful readers heard me complain about the situation of extra tickets, but we solved that by taking Aunt JuJu and Uncle Greg (Jim's sister and her boyfriend) along for the fun. We all had so, SO much fun. The show was a treat, and watching Meg soak it all in was the absolute best part. If I had to buy 1000 extra tickets to experience that again, I'd do it.

Those of you who have not yet taken your kid to an event like this . . . trust me, it's worth every cent you spend to go. It's priceless. We loved it every bit as much as Meg.

And finally, the Dahlby girls had an opportunity to meet with the Jolly Old Elf himself late Sunday afternoon at our neighborhood holiday party. Kate took us up on the opportunity, and she sat proudly in his lap. She even smiled . . . and Santa was in love with her. Meg, well . . . she wasn't really 'into' meeting Santa. That was an opportunity she gladly let pass her by.

Last year, we forced Meg to sit with Santa, and we have our classic scraming kid pic. This year, I just could not do that to her . . . or Santa . . . so I have to settle for this look she gave Santa when he attempted to give her 5.

WHAT a weekend. I think Meg's look at the end of the holiday party about sums it up:

We're pooped. Off to bed.

Things to Shake Your Head At

When holiday shopping for the girls, I saw a Cinderella themed cleaning set. Broom, dust pan, duster, trash can . . . the whole 'maid' type thing. Poor Cinderella. Even though she's made it to the Royal Castle and married the Prince, she still can't shake her past, can she?


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Recently, on a morning that Jim was returning home from his travels, I thought I should shave my legs for him. With a traveling husband, you don't necessarily shave as often as you might if you snuggled with someone in bed each night. So he wouldn't snuggle a hairy beast that night, I shaved . . . then jumped out of the shower to put lotion on my legs.

And realized that I had only shaved ONE leg. Really? What is wrong with me that my short term memory is SO short that I only thought to shave ONE leg?

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Meg pooped in her pants at school the other day. She's nearly 6 months into the potty training thing, but we do still have the occassional accident. (Note to Mom's who have not potty trained . . . this is normal. There is no magic wand for you to sweep over your blessed little one and insure that they won't have accidents, even though they know full well how to use the potty. It just happens, but I've heard that it eventually stops. Nobody warned me . . . so consider this your advanced notice.)

Anyway . . . when she got into the car at carpool, I let her know how disappointed I was that she had an accident at school. After the tongue lashing, Meg saw some loose change lying on the console in the car and quickly asked, "Is that for my piggy bank?" I told her no, I didn't think she had earned that money because she had pooped in her pants at school.

The very next time I picked her up in carpool, Meg hopped in the car and said,"Meg no poop in my pants today. Can I have my money now?" Literally . . . can I have my money now? My two year old is asking for her money. Yikes.

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In March, my parents decided to purchase tickets with us to see Playhouse Disney LIVE! at Phillips Arena. The tickets went on sale in March, mind you . . . the show is this weekend. I bought the tickets ($60 each!), and we all have been awaiting the show for nearly a year.

This Monday, my dad called and said he had decided that he and my mom shouldn't spend $120 on tickets at this time of year. Holidays and all. Could I find someone else to buy them?

Um, no. Who wants only TWO tickets to a show like that? Families want at least 3 . . . and moms who want to go usually want to take a mom friend, meaning they need 4 tickets. And, at $120 per ticket at this time of year . . . all the people who really want to go have already purchased their tickets. The show is not sold out, for crying out loud.

Aunt Julie and Uncle Greg are coming. And I'm still shaking my head about that one.

The Godfather Gets Married, Part III

We arrived at the church a little early . . . Tracey, the beautiful bride, wasn't quite there yet. The handsome groom, "Uncle" Dan, was there, patiently waiting for the fun to begin. And he looked so sharp in his wedding day attire. He looked so happy . . . relaxed, excited.

As any mom would -- especially one that moonlights as a photographer -- I had my camera with me. Arriving early allowed me ample time to take a LOT of pictures of Meg, once we had her dressed and ready to go. She was so very excited to wear that lovely white dress. *Sigh* It was just precious.


"Meg Cinderella," she told me.
"You are? Well, who is Addie?" Addie was another little flower girl, dressed identically to Meg, just a smaller version.
"Addie Snow White," Meg explained.

And the rest of the afternoon, she repeated that to everyone. "Meg Cinderella. Addie Snow White." Those that understood her smiled and nodded . . . well, I guess everyone smiled and nodded, even those who don't quite understand the "accent" of our two-year old.

We spent about 2 hours at the church . . . taking pictures, getting dressed, running around. And then the big moment arrived -- what I'd been thinking about and anticipating. I knew there would be a point when the wedding would be near the beginning, and I would have to leave Meg at the back of the church. She would have to stay behind the closed doors, no Mommy or Daddy to help her begin her role as flower girl. I was relieved to find out a the rehearsal that there were 3 'big kids' in the wedding, and Meg would be holding hands with another little girl as she walked down the aisle. I hoped that the excitement of being paired with another girl-in-a-fancy-dress would help ease any anxiety Meg was feeling as I left to to her job.

When it was time, I quietly slipped into the church (well, as quietly as my heels would allow). I didn't make a big thing about leaving Meg . . . she was all set, holding the hand of the 'big kid' that was going to walk down the aisle with her. I just nodded to the bridesmaid (the one-and-only in the wedding party), and she knew that I was going to leave. I gulped, turned, and left. I didn't look back for fear that Meg would notice me.

(Of course, I had guilt about just abandoning her . . . fear that she'd look for me and I'd be gone. I just had to take my chances . . . I figured that the whole leave-while-she's-not-looking trick works when we have babysitters, so it should suffice here.)

I sat at the front of the church. It felt like forever until the mothers were seated and the groom's party entered the sanctuary. Then the bridesmaid came in.

And then I turned full around and stared at the back of the church. This was Meg's big moment.

I saw her little blonde head walk across the back of the church . . . I could really only see the top of her head and her bow as she walked behind the last row of pews. Then she (and her darling partner) stopped at the end of the aisle and turned toward the alter.

Together, hand-in-hand, they walked up the aisle.

My heart was so swollen with pride. I instantly got teary-eyed. I was so excited to see our little girl, all proud and strutting down the aisle. She was not taken aback by the crowd in the pews or the music of the organ. She didn't seem to mind that she was not with Mom or Dad . . . that she couldn't even locate either of us at that moment. She just walked right on down that aisle, then turned and stood near the bridesmaid to wait for her counterparts, the other kids in the wedding.

When everyone was at the alter, we stood up and welcomed Tracey, the stunning bride that she was. I couldn't see Meg at this point . . . to see her reaction to it all. Jim had the perfect view of Meg's face, and he said she was in total awe. He said her eyes were so bright, and she was completely fixated on what was going on. When the minister began to speak, Jim said Meg was glued to his every word. When we were instructed to be seated (wedding part included), Jim said Meg just hopped right into the bridesmaid's lap and didn't make a peep.

She was a total, complete angel. I couldn't make this stuff up . . . and I certainly wouldn't gush like this if it weren't true. I could not have been more proud of her, more proud to be her mom. She was absolutely perfect during the entire ceremony.

About 2/3 of the way through the service (probably 20-25 min or so), it was time for the communion, and Jim thought Meg might be getting a bit restless. He motioned her to come over to his side of the alter, and she did gladly, declaring when she reached him: "Meg have to go potty."

OF COURSE she had to go potty. We went right before the ceremony -- I think I've gotten the hang of this potty thing after nearly 6 months, so I knew to take her before everything began. Still, that does not guarantee that she won't have to go again.

Jim waved her on to me (as all father's with daughters do), and together Meg and I slipped out of the sanctuary and into the bathroom. Business was done, tights were pulled back into place, and back to the service we went. The best part was that we were able to take care of everything during the communion . . . when people are all up and about anyway . . . so it was no disruption at all.

Back to the front of the church Meg went, just in time to grab her flowers and journey back down the aisle. Except . . . when it was time to go . . . another little girl grabbed Meg's flowers, so there was a small bit of a chase as Meg attempted to recover them. About 1/2 way to the back of the church, Meg caught up with the little girl and tried to get the flowers back. Needlestosay, the other flower girl was not to keen on giving up her flowers . . . so the bridesmaid followed Meg and handed her a different arrangement.

With a few chuckles from the crowd behind them, both Meg and the other flower girl continued down the aisle in peace, each with their own flowers.

I snuck down the aisle to meet the girls, and I couldn't wait to tell Meg how proud of her I was. She had done the whole thing -- all of her flower girl duties -- with no problem at all. I couldn't have been happier or more delighted at how she reacted to the situation. What a big girl we have.

The rest of the evening was as exciting and perfect as the service itself. We joined Dan, Tracey, and their friends and family for dinner in Decatur at Carpe Diem. We all visited, ate . . . the usual wedding reception affair. It was quaint and simple, perfectly planned for the couple we were celebrating.

At about 10pm, 2.5 hours past bedtime, Meg SLAMMED into her (figurative) wall and began to show us all how tired she truly was. A few tears were shed, and there was a lot of "Mommy pick up Me" requests. Brilliant as I am -- and because it had worked so well the night before -- I had Megs PJs with me, so off we went to change and get ready for our departure. We rejoined the group (jammies and all) briefly to say our goodbyes, then off we went again . . . for good this time, back to Marietta, with the memory of such a wonderful night in our heads.

Sure, I spoke mostly about Meg and her role in the wedding here in this blog . . . forgive me, I'm a doting mother. Jim was a super-cool groomsman, all dress up in his tux. It was nice to see him in clothing that actually fits, since his entire wardrobe is about 2 sizes to big these days. He was smashingly handsome, as were the other attendants that stood up with him. Dan and Tracey seemed to be having the time of their lives at the wedding. The entire guest list had a blast, and we all enjoyed so much that we were a part of that day.

There you have it: the Godfather got married. Happily married to a woman I know he truly adores.

Next up? Jim's sister will probably be getting married sometime in the next 18 months, so Meg can try again at this flower girl thing . . . but that time, it might be Meg as the big kid and Kate as the little hand-holder.

The Godfather Gets Married, Part II

It's been a little busy around here today, returning to 'real life' after all the wedding fun (and nana visiting) we did over the last few days.

I promised myself -- PROMISED myself -- I'd go to bed at a decent hour tonight. So, in leiu of the rest of the wedding story . . . which will have to wait for tomorrow . . . I give you some of my favorite shots of our darling little flower girl Meg.

The one at the top? Well, I think it's my favorite.

The Godfather Gets Married, Part I

Dan got married this weekend. Around here, he's known as "Uncle Dan" . . . Jim's dear friend from college, Meg's Godfather. He and his girlfriend Tracey have been together for about five years now, and this weekend they were wed in a very intimate and lovely ceremony in Decatur. Our family was invited to take part in this great occasion . . . and, as you can imagine, we were delighted to oblige. A tux was rented. A flower girl dress was purchased. And a wonderful wedding was enjoyed by all.


The weekend started on Thursday . . . the Bachelor Party and all the fun (and hangovers) that brings. Jim returned from Charlotte Thursday evening and proceeded directly to Buckhead to join the guys for one last night of unmarried antics with Dan. I'm not sure exactly what went on (nor do I really care to know) . . . but there was an I-Phone video taken of Dan on Friday morning that the guys could not get enough of watching. I, on the other hand, caught a brief glimpse of Dan recovering from his bachelor party and had seen enough. Use your imagination of what goes on post-drinking-binge, and you'll probably have enough, too.

I'm glad Dan had such a great time :) He totally diserved it, and his friends did, too.

Friday was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Meg, looking forward to her role as one of the flower girls in the wedding, was very, very excited to 'prac-kiss' walking down the aisle at the rehearsal. She and I had talked about it, and she knew that her job that night was to practice walking down the aisle just like she would do on Saturday at the wedding.

We arrived at the church about 20 minutes early (because you never can get the timing just with Atlanta traffic) . . . so we encouraged Meg to test out the aisle and walk from the back to the front of the church. Jim and I modeled. Meg watched and learned. And then she did exactly as we had done . . . over and over and over. And over. Up and back, back and forth, she walked herself down the aisle . . . too fast the first few times, but slower and slower with each passing. After about 15 minutes of goofing off and practicing, Meg totally had the hang of it. Then, whenever a new wedding party member arrived, Meg would introduce herself and say, "Meg have to prac-kiss . . ." and walk down the aisle again.

I'm surprised we didn't wear a path in the concrete floor of the church . . . Meg practiced that much.

The rehearsal went as all rehearsals do . . . the minister having trouble getting everyone's attention because we were all so happy and excited about the event, the kids getting restless, hugs and kisses shared, introductions made. It was really very plesant and perfectly timed. When all was said and done and we had practiced leaving the sanctuary, off we went to the rehearsal dinner.

I think I forgot to mention that Kate came along with our family to the Friday night festivities . . . we wanted to enjoy the evening with her, show her off a bit. She was such a good baby to have along. She sat in Jim's arms during the entire rehearsal, then napped a brief bit on the ride to dinner. Kate, our blessing and perfect baby, was sad that she was going to miss the wedding itself, but I'm sure she enjoyed the rehearsal and dinner that she attended.

The dinner was at Sweet Melissa's in Decatur . . . and breakfast/lunch place that was open only for us that evening for dinner. Family style entrees were served, and Jim and I enjoyed the evening with some friends that we don't get to see enough of. By about 8:30, the girls were TAPPED OUT . . . so tired and ready for bed. This exhaustion manifested itself differently in both of our daughters. For Kate, it brought on some crankiness and 'sputtering' (as I call it) as she tried to fight sleep and wished she were home in her own bed. For Meg, however, her tired state brought on a last burst of energy . . . which enabled her to run through the restaurant and dance on the stage in her striped PJs I had changed her into to make the car-to-bed transition easier.

Easier for me? Oh, NO. Easier for Nana Dahlby. We were so lucky that she was in town this weekend . . . and willing to come into Decatur to pick up both girls around 8:30pm. She wisked them off to Marietta and left Jim and I to eat, drink, and have kidless fun.

With the kids gone, we were total party animals. Jim and I stayed out with the wedding party until after midnight . . . which happens so rarely these days. I knew I'd be tired (and probably have a headache) on Saturday morning, but I didn't care for a second. I enjoyed being with my husband and our friends. It felt good to be out and about, celebrating with everyone about after dark. It made me feel like I'm not too old . . . like more than just Meg and Kate's mom . . . to be out with adults having adult conversation. I think I need more of that. (Not necessarily the drinking and all . . . but the adult interaction . . . it does a body good.)

Saturday came about 5 hours after Friday night ended, which (for a mom of two little ones) is never easy. But it was the wedding day, so we were excited and tried to shake off our sleepiness. Meg took it easy all morning, the napped early in preparation for the night ahead. Mommy and Daddy did the same (minus the nap), and got everything ready for the party.

Then, it was back in the car and off to Decatur again for the big event.

(Part II to come . . . )

Meg, the Photographer

Meg got a hold of the point and shoot on Tuesday.

We were just hanging around the house, doing holiday/random things, so I didn't care . . . I just let her go nuts. She took pictures all afternoon, and was so sad when the 'shoot' was over because the camera batteries were dead.

Meg knows enough about the camera to make it work . . . she has figured that much out in the past few months. She can snap away for as long as the batteries will last, taking picture after picture of random things she sees. Sometimes she moves the camera way before the picture is taken and gets frusturated. Other times she captures a great image, like some of the ones I'm sharing with you here.

I still have to remind Meg to turn the lens away from her and look at the screen on the back when she's trying to take a picture. She constantly turns the camera backward, with the lens facing her because -- as I figure it -- that is the way the camera always looks to her. She's had that lens in her face since birth, so to turn it around and look at the back of the camera has got to feel foreign to her.

I think it's so amazing to look at her photos and see what MEG sees. Her point of view is so different from mine, at only about 3 feet tall. She takes pictures of stuff and yells it out as she does it . . . "Meg take a pik-sure of the grass!" "Meg take a pik-sure of 'Tate!" Such enthusiasum. Such fun.

She knows that Mommy takes pictures of other people, and lately she's been asking a lot of questions about it. She'll find me at work on the computer and ask, "Who's that baby?" or "Meg go with Mommy to take pik-sures today?" She hasn't really figured out why Mommy takes pictures, but on the mornings when Daddy gets her up and fed, I think she knows that Mommy is gone, taking someone's picture.

Moments captured in time are a big deal around our house. I have them displayed everywhere, and the consume my thoughts on many, many occasions. I am glad I have these pictures Meg took to help me remeber what she saw in these moments of time.

And yes, I think she's getting her own kiddy-camera for Christmas from Nana Dahlby :)