BIG

On March 7th we were up and at it early for a Saturday because my family had BIG plans for the weekend. My routine was like most mornings when I have plans to do something or be somewhere...breakfast, baths, ironing, make-up & hair, getting dressed, diaper bag check, in addition to throwing last minute items into the BIG overnight bag I'd starting packing the evening before for my two boys and me. After an eventful morning of bad luck and BIG bumps in the road, Scott, Macklan, and I finally made it to my sister and brother-in-law's house around 10:00 a.m. (running only about an hour behind schedule which was even late for me).

Soon we had everything packed into my parents' BIG Suburban and hit the road to Nashville. Our jam-packed day included shopping at Opry Mills, lunch at the Aquarium, meeting up with my parents at the hotel (who drove down separately since my dad had to work that morning), heading to dinner at the Caney Fork Fish Camp, and last but definitely not least enjoying a performance by Carrie Underwood at the BIG Grand Ole Opry.

Lunch at the Aquarium was a blast. Captured in this video clip, you can see that it's no BIG secret that Macklan especially loved the BIG fish.



Prior to dinner, we had checked into our hotel to do a quick wardrobe change and "freshen up" for the evening. As if I hadn't already experienced enough bad luck for the day, it continued to haunt me as we sat down for dinner at Caney Fork Fish Camp. No sooner that we were seated at our table and Macklan was secure in his highchair, my sweet little boy threw up BIG time. My motherly instinct kicked in and I immediately took Macklan from his seat and began cleaning him up with paper towels and wipes. Being only a few minutes from our hotel, Scott rushed off to go get another outfit while my mom and I stripped Macklan from his puke covered clothes. I cleaned him up the best I could with what I had available, wrapped him in his blanket, and waited for Scott to come back with an outfit.

Pale and clinging to me, Macklan was dressed once again (the 3rd time that day if you're keeping count). Our dinner was served: slaw, fries, BIG hush puppies, and catfish. Delicious. Everyone enjoyed it, except for our little man. He only sipped a tablespoon of juice and ate absolutely nothing. After all this unfortunate, unexpected commotion, we were once again rushing to get to the Opry which was just across the street. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper creeping into the Opry parking lot and parking spaces were like finding a needle in a haystack. As we searched for a spot, Macklan threw up again.

Conveniently, we were right next to a BIG mall! My job was to buy a few new outfits while my mom and Kristen cleaned up Macklan. I ran through that mall like a mad woman on a mission. That's because I had a mission: find The Children's Place, grab three outfits from the sale rack, and get out of there in record time. Then zig zagging through the crowd I made my way to the Opry entrance where Scott and Macklan were waiting on me. Scott and I quickly dressed our sick boy for the 4th time and hurried into the Grand Ole Opry to find our seats with the rest of my family. Being a BIG country music fan I was extremely excited to be in the Opry for the the first time ever, but my excitement was suppressed by worry for Macklan.

Missing the first few performances of the night disappointed me a little, but I knew the BIG voices were still to come--Josh Turner and Carrie Underwood. The show was so much fun and the talent well worth the money. Carrie Underwood, my favorite female artist, looked beautiful as always and sang amazingly. Macklan loved her performance too, singing along and clapping his hands. Luckily he made it through the entire show without getting sick. That made everything a million times better. After Carrie Underwood's encore, all of us headed into The Opry Shop to peruse the souvenirs. Nana bought Briley and Macklan t-shirts, and then we took some pictures standing out in front of the Opry.

With one tired kiddo on my hip, the trek to our vehicle felt like an eternity. When I opened the door to my parents' Suburban, the putrid smell of vomit smacked me in the face. It was one of those smells that you try to resist, but it somehow seeps up your nostrils uninvited. Macklan's car seat was an absolute mess. I cleaned it the best I could with napkins and wipes, but eventually resorted to lining it with some plastic garbage bags. Macklan was reluctant to get into his car seat, and I couldn't blame him. Assuring him that it would only be for a few minutes, I managed to get him buckled in and on his way to cleanliness and night night.

Having been several hours since the last vomiting, I thought we were in the clear. I was wrong. Pulling into the hotel parking lot, Macklan's little tummy turned upside down once more. By now he was exhausted, weak, and super stinky. Really, we all were! Once again I was on a Mommy Mission to get Macklan inside the hotel, stripped down, washed off, dressed in pj's, and asleep for the night. During all these Mommy jobs, Scott was not off the clock. He had taken the disgusting car seat cover, three puke covered outfits, and Macklan's bedtime companion (his "ba") to a nearby laundry mat as it was nearing 10:30 p.m. in the BIG city of Nashville.

The next morning we were scheduled to have family pictures taken by a dear friend of mine, Susan Stinson, at the Opryland Hotel. I was concerned that Macklan would get sick or at best be a little under the weather. To my surprise, he seemed to be doing fine except for the fact that he was still pretty pale. Capturing family moments all throughout the BIG Opryland Hotel was a blast. Macklan and Briley especially loved the staircases and waterfalls. The end results were great...beautiful photographs, no more sick little boy, and BIG memories made with my family!

Some of my favorites by Susan. Check out the link to her site here on my blog!