Easter Eggs

The girls opted for a full day of crafting when it came time to color Easter eggs.  Mikayla had given Charley the cutest canvas, and she was so excited to paint it.  Carter actually showed some interest in the canvas, so I bought her a smaller one at Target.  It's not often that she willingly puts those fine motor skills to use, so I jumped at the opportunity!  They did such a great job and both of their works of art are hanging in their closet.  

This was the first time my assistance in the egg decorating department wasn't required.  The two of them actually worked together and decorated over three dozen eggs.  

Note to self...be more specific when you tell Carter to wear cute play clothes for pictures...a striped leotard and heart leggings combo wasn't really what I had in mind!  

Camryn - 5 months

Camryn Jean spent most of her 5th month being juggled around busy big sisters, which led to her first sleepover with Amma and Grandad.  She switched to a bottle (I shed some tears over that change), transitioned out of the Doc-A-Tot and being swaddled, loves sucking on her two fingers, rolls all over the place, and is about 5 minutes away from needing a ponytail.  She loves her bath, which is a good thing since she has to take one daily to get rid of the spit up smell.  She also loves being outside.  If she is really fussy, the best two ways to calm her down are water and fresh air!

Charley - 10 Years Old

Favorite colors: first light blue or pastel blue, then rose gold, a really light purplish-pink, sea-foam green, coral and pastel pastel yellow

Favorite foods: that's a hard one...burritos, pesto ravioli (the one we just had for dinner), brunch at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter meals...mainly the rolls...more, but I can't list it all.

Favorite places to go eat: Taco Mamacita, Burger Republic, Blue Coast, Chick-fil-A, Chuy's and Belew's...I mean, I love everywhere, but I can't fit that in one line.

Special treats: Ice cream, cookies without frosting, ice cream cookies, sour candies, popsicles, slushies, Icees, ice cream cakes...that's about all....wait...bundt cakes!

Favorite drinks: Coke, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke, lemonade, Ice, water, but ice water not plain water, Sprite, Pepsi.

Favorite shows to watch: Hannah Montana, Jessie, Liv and Maddie, Family Reunion, Fuller House, Full House, Coop and Cami, Heartland (with Momma), mainly things I like on Disney+ and Netflix and sometimes Hulu and Prime Video.

Favorite Movies: Hamilton, The Sound of Music, almost anything except for the new Mulan with the people. (live action)

Favorite Church Song: "How Great is Our God"

Favorite Songs: Hamilton songs...all of them!  "Edge of Glory", "Watermelon Sugar", "The Get Up", "Before You Go", "Savage Love", "Old Town Road", anything Taylor Swift and all the Prime Country songs Daddy makes me listen to.

Favorite things to do: tumbling, singing, theatre, playing outside with friends, jumping on the trampoline, swimming, going to the neighborhood playground, sometimes playing with my sisters, watching tv, having sleepovers, going on trips, and spending time with family

Favorite holidays: Oh...do you want me to go in order?  New Years, my birthday, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and CHRISTMAS...but Christmas is my favorite favorite...put that in all caps! 

States visited: 16...same as last year, thanks COVID!

Charley's Tie-Dye Ten, AKA Double Digits

Charley's 10th birthday...AKA Tie-Dye Ten...AKA Double Digits...was anticipated by her for months (just like all the other years), with the expectation given by us that things had to be more low key for a change.  Her 9th birthday party was enormous, we have a new baby, and most of our 2021 resources (time and money) have been used up by Charley.  Low key isn't something that comes naturally to me, but we had a last minute family party after her final show including a Moe's taco bar and cupcakes.  Craig called on my way home with Charley to ask what to do with the ice, and I think I totally shocked him when I said put it in the sink!  haha.  I really did make an effort to scale back!  

Charley's one birthday request was to eat at the Melting Pot with a few friends.  Unfortunately, those plans blew up...probably too soon and possibly inappropriate to say, but that is exactly what happened when some psycho bombed downtown Nashville, the home of our Melting Pot.  The next closest Melting Pot is in Knoxville, so I made a reservation and booked a hotel room for Charley and her friends for the day after her birthday since it was Spring Break.  Nothing says "Happy Birthday" quite like a call from the school nurse letting you know you've been closely exposed to COVID, which led to Charley's favorite present of the year...a negative COVID test! 

Charley picked Emmy, Kate and Harper to celebrate with her, and they had the best time.  Our trip to Knoxville was filled with giggles, selfies and a game that I had never heard of that required sharing mobile hotspots.  After two hours of playing, I was still confused and can only compare it to a digital version of capture the flag or maybe hide and go seek?  Essentially, it was the first indication that I am ancient!  We stayed at the Embassy Suites, and I'm not sure who was more grateful for separate rooms.  The bedroom door shut the minute we walked in, and they pretty much only came out for my fancy snack tray.  

The Knoxville Melting Pot wasn't as cute as the one in Nashville, but it still had charm.  Four out of the five of us voted fon-do, but Kate was a fon-don't.  I told them the story about the time Amma and I took Uncle Justin and he said, "some people fon-do and some people fon-don't...I'm a fon-don't!"  They thought that was hilarious!  Harper has tree nut allergies, so we were very careful to read labels and make sure she didn't eat anything she shouldn't, even though her mom trained me on the EPI pen beforehand.  The girls kept talking about how crazy it would be if I had to spring into action if Harper ate something she shouldn't...little do they know, I've seen enough episodes of Grey's Anatomy that I was certain I could handle it.  Thankfully, we didn't have any issues.  

The girls had so much fun in the hotel that I didn't think they would ever want to leave.  They snacked, swam, snacked, played with balloons, snacked, did hair and make up, snacked, opened presents and snacked some more.  I sort of thought my tray was overkill for four girls, but that was not the case!  

One thing is for certain, my sweet girl is growing up before my very eyes.  I sort of wish I could go back to birthday parties where all I worried about was her playing with all of the guests.  The iPods/iPhones, wedge sandals, mascara and hair without a hair bow or a headband were just a few signs that we are entering a new phase in life.  My prayer is that we can navigate this new territory without killing each other, that I can gradually start to let go of the control, that she will let me guide her through what will surely be some trying years, and that she will understand my reasoning for not wanting her to grow up too quickly. 

 Happy 10th Birthday to our Charley Bear!

It's pretty obvious these pictures didn't come from my camera...brace your selfie!