Fast forward a couple of weeks...I sent a gift for Tatum's bridal shower. It was, apparently, a hit. Everyone was crying. Maybe sometime I'll write about it. With the gift, I included a letter to the groom. After he read it, he sent me a message on facebook asking if there was any way I could make it work to be there for the ceremony. We mulled it over and decided we could do it, so I booked a flight for me and the girls.
We left the day after Abby's birthday, which was a little crazy. I didn't have time to pack the day before like I normally would because I was busy with the party preparations.
I was very nervous to travel with both girls by myself. I made it to my gate with all 3,000 of our bags, plus Clara's car seat with only the casualty of a sock. (Though I almost lost my driver's license and the girls' birth certificates. Thank goodness for nice, attentive strangers.)
Before getting on, I was told there were no empty seats on the plane. Dang! I knew if there was even one empty seat, it would be next to the lady with two children. I felt very blessed when an older man sat down next to me and said, "It's my lucky day!" He was a sweet grandpa. Abby even cuddled with him while Clara was sleeping. Unfortunately, Clara didn't do a whole lot of sleeping and Abby didn't sleep it all. Fortunately, they were very good girls. Busy, but good. The most challenging part was probably the two trips to the bathroom. As you know, those bathrooms aren't even big enough for Abby by herself, let alone Abby, me and Clara.
We got to my parents house, got the girls some dinner and put them to bed. They didn't sleep very well that night. Abby ended up in bed with me and they both woke up at 4:45 a.m. Hello biological clock! I was incredibly sore too. I'm talking top ten sorest times in my life. Who knew an airplane flight with two kiddos could do such a number on your body.
Abby really wanted to go swimming at Grammy's but the pool was too cold so we let her play in the jacuzzi. My dad just didn't turn the heat up so it was the perfect temperature for her.
The girls had so much fun playing with their grandparents and I enjoyed some "me" time, sitting on the couch reading. It was glorious.
Clara looked so cute sitting in the high chair. She's getting pretty good at picking up Cheerios.
Tatum didn't know I was coming to the wedding. Her fiance, Caleb, wanted to keep it a surprise. The day before the wedding, the girls and I showed up at the rehearsal to surprise her. My dad took the girls back home and I stuck around to hang out and help with the decorations.
The ceremony was beautiful, despite some wind. It was in Tatum's grandparent's backyard--a place full of memories for me. Tatum and I spent many afternoons playing and swimming and having parties there.
The girls stayed for the ceremony and then my parents took them home so I could spend the evening partying it up with my friends. I had a blast dancing and chatting. It made me feel like I was in high school.
The flight home was perfect! There was an extra seat so I got to bring Clara's car seat on. She slept most of the flight while Abby and I played. Abby finally crashed with about 40 minutes left. When we landed, she was dead to the world. A nice guy carried her and put her in the stroller. She didn't wake up until Sam put her in the car and then went right back to sleep and slept until 8:30 a.m. I've decided travelling during the time change is a wonderful idea.
We missed our daddy and were so glad to get home to him.
Fun! I'm so glad you were able to make it out there and I want to hear all about the bridal shower gift.
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