The Nashville Trip Started Almost 4 Years Ago

When I got pregnant with Finley my due date was June 9th. Never in my life, well until Chloe and Sprout, have I fixated on a date on the calendar. I had no idea how I was going to wait that long to meet this person and then what I would do if she were late. Thank goodness she decided to come early with a bang on Memorial Day weekend. When she was around 2 months old I stumbled onto the May 2005 birth club forum on the ever popular Babycenter website. Over time I posted more and started recognizing screen names. I even got my courage up and arranged a meet-up with some other Atlanta mommies when our May babies were around 8 months old. It was a very public place so nobody needs to be worried. Shortly before we moved I joined a sub-group called What's For Dinner? It was a recipe exchange thread that evolved into something so much more. I made true friends as we swapped kid stories and husband complaints. A few times a week someone would actually post a recipe. I discovered some family favorites in those days like Bubble Up Pizza and Chicken Baseballs. Don't get me started on the TDF roast, Cream of Wild Rice Soup, Eggnog Spice Cake, and so much more. Friendships deepened and we started a recipe website. It's called Mama, What's For Dinner? I believe it is a question we had all heard many many times and still do most every day. Do any of you hear that at around 5 pm? If you need a new surefire winner check out our site and I can give you many more recommendations. But back to my story..... At some point, a decision was made to move part of the group to a more private forum where we could share even more without the fear of random lurkers. It was a tough spot for me to be in as the move made me lose some "friends" but in the end, to jump off the Babycenter ship was the right thing. The original off-shoot group had 14 or 15 members and we have since lost a few but the ones that remain are some of my closest friends. Part of the charm of the group is how different we all are and how far apart we all are. There have been meet-ups and joint vacations, playdates and the sharing of family events. The Nashville trip was the biggest meet up I had attended. At the peak, we had 7 moms, 17 kids, and 1 dad trapped in a house. Trapped only because almost the entire time we were in Tennessee it rained, and rained hard.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the weekend because it sums up how we all felt at one time or another during the trip. Pure chaos and craziness but so totally worth it.


We laughed so hard we cried and had a really good time together. The kids did wonderfully considering there was messed up sleep, way too much stimulation, and not nearly enough outlets for them to burn energy off. There was also an ER visit for mischief making Henry, a breakfast out where my two scavengers cleaned up everybody's plates, and a delicious large Cherry Limeade followed by an Oreo Blast for dinner. Our last day together was filled with happiness as we were finally able to visit a cool place called Monkey's Treehouse. Chloe carried around every baby doll the place had, and Finn did art and dressed up.




After all the rain, the back playground area at the rental house was prime worm hunting ground. Thanks again Betsy for introducing my sweet princess to the world of wiggly things.


Finn enjoying the cake we had for all the Mayborn babies at our rental house.