Life of a Crash Course Adult: Secondhand Celebrity

I guess that I probably should've known this since I kind of had it myself growing up, but when you have young kids, you're not relevant anymore, but your kids are.

Working out in Texas has been an experience for a kid from Nashville. When I would come home in the past, people would hug me, tell me it was good to see me, sometimes ask some questions about work, and that would be it. Now people are waiting for me to get to their house! However it's not because of me, it's because I'm about to have daughters and they are with me.

Having a 10 year old and a 6 year old has made me a secondhand celebrity. I feel like one of those guys who hang out with and completely live/mooch off of an NBA superstar. Those guys don't work and photobomb a ton of the pic the stars are in and most of them are good for absolutely nothing. It's sort of the opposite for me though because I'm in the background of their pics but I'm the one doing the work.

I gotta say though, it's something that I'm loving doing. 20 years ago I was the center of attention every time I entered the room simply because I was 5 years old. I would sing made up songs that made fun of other real songs, I would play some sport and be terrible at it, I would make up some sort of dance. It didn't really matter what I did, it was still awesome because a cute little kid. I feel like just about everyone can relate to that at least to a certain extent. I feel like a lot of parents look at their kids as the center of attention with a sense of pride because they something to do with creating them. I feel like I have an even better feel about the way I can look at them because even though I wasn't a part of creating them, they have accepted me as the new father figure in their lives. Most kids are stuck with their parents whether they like it or not, my kids chose me. This connection is something I never really knew that I could experience. It even feels godly and lets me realize the kind of adoptive love that my God has for me.

My mom and dad are absolutely loving this whole process. They are crazy about Ashley and the girls. They officially have grandparent names of Gigi (mom) and Big Daddy (dad). We just got back from going to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. My dad told Ashley that this was quite possibly the funnest vacation that he's ever been on. I know he loves this new part of his family because we've been to those places multiple times growing up and although I know that he enjoyed those trips too, I can tell that this one was definitely his best trip up there.

I think that the girls get so much attention right now that they don't even pay attention to it anymore. Some of the things Audrey says about it is pretty entertaining.

"Casey, we are important people and have stuff to do."

"When we walk in a room, everybody knows we're there!"

"Everybody knows us."

I should probably mention that Audrey is totally kidding when she says these things (kinda..... then again those things are true.....)

My Uncle Jerry recently and jokingly told me not to come back to Tennessee anymore unless I brought my girls with me. All three of the girls really are the star of the show and I am absolutely great with that because I get to sit outside the spotlight and just beam with pride. I still am not sure how I conned Ashley into agreeing to marrying me but I'm not about to tell her that!

I notice that I'm like my dad in this way. My dad was never overly involved whenever I was doing anything. He just always seemed to sit back and smile at whatever it was I was doing. Here we both are 20 years later and he's still sitting back and smiling except he's not watching me. He is watching my girls and simply smiling, and lately, I have been right next to him doing the exact same thing.

My mom is very hands on with the girls. She's teaching Audrey to sew and Addison has been helping cook meals. This morning Addy helped make pancakes and Audrey sewed me a bumble bee pouch. I feel like she has looked forward to be a grandparent for some time now. I just don't think she thought it was gonna happen quite this fast. I know she's not objecting to this though. She has taken them shopping and swimming, helped them have fashion shows, and taught them how to do several different things like cooking and sewing.

I am no longer a baby to my mother because I now have babies of my own. I am now in the background of the pictures, I'm requested to always bring my girls anywhere. I am a secondhand celebrity, and I am loving every second of it.