Mother's Day Weekend 2011

Saturday morning, Etta and I went up to Primrose School of Brentwood to see friends of mine and to join in their Spring Fling festivities! I really didn't get enough pictures of this event, but there were some great activities set up for kids. They had a jump house, tumble bus, face painting, crafts, etc. Etta, of course, was happy just playing on the playground at the school. lol. It made me a little nervous because we were playing on the playground USUALLY designated for the older, pre-k kids. But, she steered clear of those GAPING openings and braved the big spiral slide over and over until I got tired of chasing her around that play structure.

She *started* to want to tantrum when I told her we were "all done slide", but she calmed down after a minute. Well, really, she calmed down when she realized I was letting her get into the bouncy house. She LOVES those things! I don't usually go out of my way to let her play in one because, if there are too many kids, she has a hard time holding her own. But when we went over, there were only about 4 or 5 other kids and they were about her age. As you can tell by the pictures I got, "overjoyed" is an understatement. :)

Well, eventually the jumpy house became crowded with children who were much bigger than Etta and I had to make the call to pull her out. I didn't get any pictures of this, but I'm sure you can image that "pissed off" is an understatement. This basically meant it was time to go. Except, this pregnant momma hadn't eaten yet and it was lunch time and there was this awesome food truck called The Grilled Cheeserie in the Primrose parking lot. So, I held on to a VERY squirmy/fussy Etta while I looked over the menu, which basically offered many varieties of grilled cheese sandwiches. The prices seemed a little steep for a grilled cheese, but I went for one of their specialties which was made with pimento cheese and macaroni noodles and bacon. It was really good, but REALLY rich. Worth waiting around with an overtired kid, though. I don't tweet, but apparently you can follow them on twitter and find out where the food truck will be parked each day. twitter.com/grlldcheeserie You can also "like" them on facebook to get the same info...

When I got home, I put Etta down for her nap and went for a pedicure. After my feet/legs were massaged and my toes were made pretty, I went over to Home Depot to get some flowers. I've been feeling like my landscape needed a little color, but I've been pretty nervous to plant any flowers as we weren't in the clear as far as frost was concerned. Just a couple nights ago we had frost, but next week's forecast looks pretty warm, so I decided to just go for it! After I got home, I planted the ones out by the mailbox.

Then, it was shower, steak (yum!), tylenol, bed! I was EXHAUSTED!

Today, I woke up when a tiny little person came running into the side of my bed giggling and throwing a card in my face. Somehow, she made her way onto the bed (I can't remember if I hoisted her up or if her daddy helped get her up there). Anyway, she played under the covers and giggled and played with a flashlight while I opened my cards. Apparently Etta got into some of my craft paper and she personalized the envelope for me before she signed the inside of my card, which contained a "One Fabulous Mom" pin that I was to wear for the whole day (and I did). And Keith got me a pretty funny card too. :)

Then, I hopped in the shower while Keith made breakfast. I know this looks like a heart attack on a plate, but it was tasty! (and no way was I able to eat all of it!)

Then, we went up to Brentwood to meet Keith's parents at a park for a little while. Etta had fun on the slides and the swings and just plain walking!

One of her cute new things is to point whereever you are pointing. lol. LOVE her!

When she started falling apart, we knew it was time to head home. While she was "napping" (running aound her room for an hour and a half before passing out for two hours), I rested on the couch, clipped/sorted coupons/read a little of my new "Sookie Book", and yes, I eventually napped too!

After we were all up from our naps, Keith took a shower and we went to Applebees for dinner... again! We've totally just rediscovered Applebees and we're having fun exploring their menu. Etta enjoyed some cheerios and cheese and pudding I brought from home and some french fries from the restaurant.

She made sure to leave a greasy little handprint behind

Once we were home, Keith took her for her bath and I went out front and planted the rest of my flowers and hacked on some bushes and sneezed my head off! Is it just me, or are my allergies worse this year?

Anyway, overall, a really good weekend! I love being a momma and I am SO thankful every day that Etta made me one! As I've said before, there WAS a time when I truly believed that I may never have the opportunity to have someone call me "momma". I had a fairly long journey to motherhood and I still think of my friends who are on that awful quest. What a lonely and bitter place the world of infertility can be. A place that can never be understood until you've lived it. I am STILL in awe that we managed to get pregnant again. I began to wonder if Etta would be an only child, and I would have been ok with that. I have a child who calls me mama (well, mostly, she signs it). I've been noticing the baby move more an more. Keith hasn't felt it it yet, but he COULD if he were around when the baby is being active. I am able to put my hand over my abdomen and feel the kicks/punches from the outside now. Just SO grateful!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there!