our entire nap-less week

It's been a full week in the Hinton Home. As it so often happens in parenthood, Chica also picked this week to re-evaluate the necessity of her afternoon nap. After a week's worth of objection and a monster battle of wills, we have decided that nap time, for the sake of every member of our family's sanity, is not negotiable at this point. We did not vote on this decision. Hopefully we will not have to reconsider this for the next three years. Soooo, I am now going to cram seven days worth of blogging into one, ginormous post. I have hope that just like the Great Nap Stand-Off of 2010 we shall persevere and overcome. Heaven help us all.

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of hosting a bridal shower for my long-time friend Jenna. She drove from Nashville to be there and I'm so grateful we got to spend the weekend with her just two weeks before her big day. We hosted her shower in the fellowship area of our old church. It's the same place we celebrated Chica's first birthday.

Here we are finishing up last minute details. It took two days of set-up and I'm so glad we did it that way, because we would not have finished everything the morning of.

Here comes the bride-to-be!

Here's the guest of honor with her shower hostesses. I joked that you could have figured out who was hosting by who sweat the most. I promised my hair looked better before I left the house but after all the running around, it was done for the day. Tammye was the mastermind behind it all. Sarah P. and I just got to be awesome hostesses by association. :)

Soon the (non-sweaty) guests started to arrive.

The gift table and prayer tree were in the middle of the room. We hung a pair of tags on each branch and each card had a prayer request for the couple. We asked the guests to write their name on one card and take the other one home, committing to pray for the new couple.

This little sign says the first part of Ephesians 3:14.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father..."

After eating, it was time to open gifts!

I loved this picture that will hang in their new home.

And the best part about the whole thing? Getting to spend the weekend with Jen! She has a ton of aunt expertise under her belt, so Chica had a fabulous time.
We all did. I am so grateful for our friendship Jen. You are a living testimony of a girl who could have married Mr. Not-Much-Else-Around a long time ago, but instead decided to wait for God's Best. I am so glad you found him. And he's so blessed to have you.
The Monday after shower weekend, Chica and I went to the zoo. The weather was absolutely splendid and if I didn't know any better I think the animals were just as relieved for a cold front as we were. They paraded back and forth in their exhibits coming closer to us than I have ever seen. I left my camera at home after Chica promised she wouldn't do anything too cute while it was gone.

Well. The interactive bird exhibit was in its final days before closing for the winter. For a dollar you could buy a feeding stick. Chica was in heaven. Out came the cell phone.

On Wednesday we had a play date at a friend's house. I left the camera at home then too. Sometimes it's a load off (literally and mentally) to leave it behind. I was able to enjoy visiting with friends and watching the kids play.

Thursday a friend came home with us after school. My camera boycott was over. :)

Friday Chica had a Daddy/Daughter date. In the afternoon they washed the cars. At some point Chica convinced her father to drive. She strapped herself in and was ready to go.
This is what she looked like the whole time she was "driving."

She "drove" so fast the wind whipped through her hair.

Friday night we went to a local high school football game. Of course, we had to meet the mascot. Life-sized animals aren't about to escape the likes of us. It was a fun night, and we left a little after half time.

This morning we went to church and I dressed Chica in something I thought she'd never wear again- long sleeves! :) I wrestled her hair into pigtails but that one little piece in the front refused to cooperate. That's ok because a girl at church gave me a tip on how to fix it so my hair aspirations are quite high.

After surviving a week long nap boycott, I'm feeling optimistic. :)