Giggles turned 4 on Friday! Time is flying. This was a big birthday for her. It seems that "4" is the magic age for a lot of things that are important to her: summer camp, dance classes, the classroom breakdown at school, etc. And while she was looking forward to her birthday, I know that deep down she was also a little anxious. She had some potty accidents, which is rare. She also started sucking her thumb more furiously that usual and became even more attached to her favorite things. So by her actual birthday, Hubby and I were careful to let her know that we were excited for her, but also not to make too big a deal out of it. And she took it in stride. She did MUCH better at her party this year - even though she did ask us not to sing "Happy Birthday" to her at her party. I'm so proud of my little lady. And God knows Mama is in no hurry for her to grow up.
It's safe to say that I had a blast last week. We had tons of family and friends come to town and stay with us for Inauguration and boy did we get our celebration on. The weekend began with the girls' weekly ballet class and SIL and her family driving up from Atlanta to spend some time with us. What a treat! Chatterbox and Giggles were beside themselves with excitment at having their big cousins to play with. We all braved the cold weather (it was freezing!) and took the Metro downtown to the National Mall and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where the kids reveled in display upon display of dinosaurs. We topped the night off with Blazy's Pepperoni Lasagna and hit the hay. Sunday began with a kids' birthday party and then Hubby, his friend and I headed to a reception hosted by the Young Elected Officials Network and the Chestnut Law Firm, that we were invited to by Justice Jonesie. It was fun! We met lots of movers and shakers, caught up with old friends and enjoyed hors d'oeuvres, an open bar and good music. It was great hanging out with Justice Jonesie and her friend K again - good times. SIL was a doll and took the kids to Port Discovery during the day so that we could attend the reception. That night we tucked the kids into bed and left them in the loving care of my dad and stepmom who arrived that morning to help my sister move to the area (talk about a hectic few days). All the grown folks headed to an Inauguration Jam where we met up with my ladies' crew from lawschool. At that point, hubby and I had officially gone out more than we had in the past several months combined...
The next day was our "Party Like A BarackStar" Obama Brunch. We had tons of yummy food and tons of wonderful guests. My best friend Danielle and her friend drove down from Toronto and arrived in the wee hours of the morning. I do have to shout out the stars of the brunch: my friend Danielle's ham & cheese quiche (heavenly!); my Dijon-Tarragon-Chive Salmon; and...our Inauguration cheescake courtesy of Eli's Cheesecake in Chicago!!
In case you haven't heard of this marvelous cakery, Eli's Cheescake is a famous Chicagoan institution, well-known for its delicious cheescakes and succulent steaks. Eli's had the honor of making dessert at the Commander-In-Chief's Ball at the National Building Museum in D.C. for President Obama's inauguration - a 500 pound apple cheesecake! Eli's was generous enough to send me a complimentary (slightly smaller!) version of the cheesecake for my Obama Brunch. How rockin' is that? Feeling left out? Not to worry, you can order your very own Inaugural Cheesecake from Eli's here (really, is it ever a not a good time to eat cheesecake?)
But I digress. After the brunch (and an impromptu emergency trip to the pediatrician) we went to the Young & Powerful for Obama Black Tie & Awards Gala. It was fun getting all dressed up in our tuxes and gowns for the evening. We had a good time at the ball and afterwards, inexplicably ended up in our car stuck in the White House roadblock, unable to get out. By the time we made it home it was after 3:00am and no sooner did I rest my head on my pillow did I need to get up, layer up, and trek down to the Mall for to watch the swearing-in ceremony with 2 million of my closest friends. Ironically enough, we drove all the way into town in Danielle's car at 5am with no problem and even managed to park in a parking garage. We walked through the closed highway tunnel and by dawn we were on the National Mall, making our way as close as possible to a big screen. We ended up at the jumbo-tron that was 2nd from the U.S. Capitol Building! Great location. The ceremony was awesome and being in that crowd, waving our flags with millions of emotional folks was an experience I will never forget. We trekked back to our car (it took THREE HOURS) in the freezing cold. By the time I got home I was ready to collapse; which I did, and didn't wake up until the next day.
Which is precisely when I realized that my cell phone was in Danielle's car. And the car was already back in Toronto.
All in all, the week was great. Michelle looked hot to death in her lemongrass ensemble and President Obama is the leader of the free world. Last week will be a hard one to top.
Even though it's January, it feels like the holiday season isn't over just yet. That's because week after next is Presidential Inauguration 2009. Family and friends are coming to town, there are events to plan and attend, food to cook and outfits to buy. I already know that whole long weekend is gonna be crazy hectic. But a lot of fun. We have friends coming in all the way from Canada to Florida. What I am looking forward to the most (um, besides a positive shift in the political leadership of our country) is getting all dressed up and going out to party! We have babysitters already lined up and I just can't wait. Seems like so long (ok, since November) since I've been out on the town. As for the actual Inauguration events (swearing-in, parade, etc.) I do plan on attending in some capacity though I have absolutely no idea how it will all work out logistically given the ONE AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE that have the same plans. But hey, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I'll remember for years to come so the chaos will be worth it. Right?
Actually, now that I think about it, the streets of DC on January 20th will have nothing on the everday chaos in my house, so I'm good.
My computer is dead. Seriously. It just didn't turn on one day last week. WTH? But, whatever, I'm over it. I have been wanting to get a laptop anyway so it's all good. I am a bit sad about the photos that I had on my harddrive though. Luckily most of our photo uploading was done on hubby's computer (yes, we each have our own - he is a software engineer and is very serious when it comes to his pc) Anyway, I was going through some photos on his computer last night and found pics from when we went to the wedding of one of my best friends from college back in October, so I thought I'd share. Her husband is from Pakistan and so they had two ceremonies - a Pakistani one and an American one.
Day 1: The glam girls ready to party.
The Fergies: Party of 5
The Happy Couple
The Bride, L'il Buddy (knocked out), and Me
Day 2: Giggles enjoying the festivities.
Chatterbox doing the same.
The bride and the gals. They kept saying the bride was "like a princess!" And she was.
Giggles ran onto the dance floor during the bouquet toss and started busting a move. It was hilarious. She was like "What? Isn't time to dance yet?" It was great.
Still dancing...The single ladies waited patiently while she got her groove on.
Day 3: Time to go home. Chatterbox made out with a bouquet.
So did Giggles, but obviously she was more into the gummy worms.
It was a beautiful wedding and a great time. The girls really remember every detail and often talk about Auntie's "Meeting" - for some reason the word "wedding" just won't stick. And I suppose on many levels it was a meeting; a meeting of the hearts. Awww, aren't I the romantic?
My heart is full right now. Family from Canada keep calling and asking me how I feel, but I really can't verbalize it. Late last night, looking down at L'il Buddy and realizing that my kids will see this man as their president and not think anything of it, was almost overwhelming. Last night was a historic night and a proud night, for sure.
Last weekend was Chatterbox's birthday party and we did it at Build-a-Bear Workshop this year. I was bitten with the "Don't Do It Yourself" bug last year when we had her party at Pump It Up. It was so fabulous - minimal prep, someone else to entertain the kids and no cleanup! After researching the limited party options for her age, I decided to try a BAB party even though we had never even ventured inside the store before. I was a tad nervous after reading various mom blogs about parties that were held there. Apparently it can end going terribly wrong if the staff isn't especially great. Luckily, we had a great store (large and virtually empty) and a great party leader (who pre-selected outfits for us to avoid any overspending). It took a little while for the kids to warm up, but once they did, everyone had a good time.
(could I look anymore tired?)
After the BAB party, we all headed to the food court in the mall (which yes, had the potential to make the party cheesy) for the princess-themed Chik-Fil-A party and birthday cake. I was pleasantly surprised!! The restaurant had reserved a section for us and setup the tables with balloons, placemats, party favors and kids' meals for all the mini-guests. We were fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you ask) seated right in front of the play area with kiddie rides, so the kids had a blast climbing and riding. After that, we had princess cake and ice cream and then the kids pulled candy from the princess castle pinata that Chatterbox picked out herself.
Chatterbox and the kids had a wonderful time and the other moms kept telling me what a good idea it was. Another birthday success! 4 down and...12 to go?
My big girl! I can't believe you're four. You are growing into such a little lady, helping me with your sister and brother, asking tons of smart questions, and becoming oh-so-independent. It never ceases to amaze your Dad and I how much you make us laugh and how often you surprise us with your spectacular memory. You've waited so patiently for your birthday to come; counting down the days on our calendar ever since Giggles' birthday back in March. Now your day is finally here! I'm so proud of you and I love you more than words.
Mamalaw is a group blog about three moms and wives who just happen to be lawyers too. We have seven kids between us which means that we have no shortage of funny stories, touching moments, reasons to rant and the occasional kernel of parenting wisdom. In our "spare time," we founded MamaLaw Media Group and the social media conference, Blogalicious Weekend. Read more here.
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The Fergie Household: Week of 3/22
Monday: Cracker Meal Fried Fish, Mashed Potatoes and Cheesy Broccoli
Day 1: The glam girls ready to party.
The Bride, L'il Buddy (knocked out), and Me
Day 2: Giggles enjoying the festivities.
The bride and the gals. They kept saying the bride was "like a princess!" And she was.
Giggles ran onto the dance floor during the bouquet toss and started busting a move. It was hilarious. She was like "What? Isn't time to dance yet?" It was great.
Day 3: Time to go home. Chatterbox made out with a bouquet.
So did Giggles, but obviously she was more into the gummy worms.
(could I look anymore tired?)
Mamalaw is a group blog about three moms and wives who just happen to be lawyers too. We have seven kids between us which means that we have no shortage of funny stories, touching moments, reasons to rant and the occasional kernel of parenting wisdom. In our "spare time," we founded 
