"Farm! Farm! Gamma! Gampa!" Lulu chants as the car turns down the long lane to the farmhouse.

Josh grins at her. "That's right babydoll. Big weekend. You ready?"

"YES!" She tells him confidently.

It's pretty ridiculous to assume that she has any idea what he's talking about. She's not even two years old yet. Why on earth would she have any comprehension that this weekend is Charlie and Zoey's wedding? Then again, I find it somewhat difficult to believe that she knows where we are. This marks her fourth visit to the Bartlet farm. The first being a newborn. The second being a year later, and the third being several months ago. Is she really able to remember being here for just a day when we dedicated President Bartlet's Library?

"Barn, Mama." Lulu tells me as she points. "I see kitty?"

I guess she does. It doesn't seem normal to me. But then, look who her father is.

The farm is buzzing with activity as we pull up to the house. There are people coming in and out with catering supplies. I can see more activity down by the orchard. Workers are unloading and setting up white chairs. But most of the activity is over by the newest barn, as people stream back and forth to several vans. I know that's where the reception will be. I can't wait to see how it looks.

We get out of the car and make our way inside without much attention. Normally we are greeted by the Bartlets as if we were prodigal children returned home, but today, as it should be, we are not the center of attention.

As I poke my head into the parlor, I finally spot a familiar face. "Hey Liz," I call out tentatively. She seems to be directing the people coming and going. I wonder if she knows where we're staying this weekend. Space on the farm is at a premium but Abbey insisted, and our detail much prefers it to us staying in a hotel.

"Hey guys." She glances at her watch. " Right on time." She pulls a piece of paper off her clipboard and hands it to me. "Here's the itinerary for the weekend. You guys are out in the guest house."

"Great. Thanks Liz." I turn to go. She looks busy and it's not like Liz and i are close. To be honest she scares the shit out of me. She's everything I'm not. Polished, poised. East coast education. Graduate degree. She exudes confidence and power every time she speaks.

"Josh, where's your partner in crime?"

Josh's forehead wrinkles for a minute. "Sam?"

"Yes." Liz responds in exasperation.

"He should be along shortly. They were on the same flight but they had to get their luggage and a rental car."

"Alright. They're out in the guest house too. Here's his itinerary, you'll probably see him before I do. Hopefully he'll be here by the time we're ready to start the rehearsal."

"I'm sure he'll be here." Josh responds, just a bit argumentatively, so I tug his arm to pull him from the room. The last thing we need this weekend is for he and Liz to engage in their bizarre form of sibling rivalry.

"Okay." She volleys back, a bit dismissively, with a little smirk, seeing what I'm up to. When we are just about out the door though, she catches me off guard.

"Oh, Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"I saw Mrs. Santos' remarks to the NEA last week. You are doing a really great job."

I'm stunned. Then a jolt a pleasure shoots through me and I can't help but grin. "Thanks. I mean, I didn't write the remarks, you know."

"I know. But I'm sure you polished them. You are setting the tone and direction for that office, and you are doing really well. I just want to let you know. I really admire how you've handled everything the last several years. It's more than I could do."

"Really?"

"Yes, really, Donna. You are quite extraordinary. . . . OH! No- not there. Sorry, I've got to get them to move that. I'll see you in an hour."

She zips out of the room and starts harassing the decorator and I'm left in the afterglow of the unexpected compliment.

I turn towards Josh and catch a glimpse of pride that confuses me for a minute. "What?"

"Nothing. I just like it when other people see what I've always known." He leans over and gives me a quick peck on the lips. "You're incredible."

"Me too!" Lulu demands offering me her lips. I accept her kiss and she grins, just like her father.

Sam, Ainsley, and Bartlet are arriving as we walk back out the front door. Ainsley rolls down the window as I hurry to the passenger side of the car.

"Hi guys. The car rental booth was such a nightmare! And then Bartlet needed to nurse. And then Sam took a wrong turn in town. But we're here now. Whew."

"In my defense, I was in a motorcade every other time I was here." Sam offers weakly.

"Well, we're all in the guest house. So you can follow our car back there." Josh announces, snarkily. "We know where we're going." He gives Sam an evil grin then meanders away.

Sam rolls his eyes as Josh slides into the back seat of our car. He'd better not harass Sam too much. As far as I know, Josh has never driven out here either. We've had town cars for the last few years, and before that I drove the rental car!

Josh is already buckling Lulu into her car seat when I climb in after him. I would have just held her, but I guess this is better. Josh would have balked at it and there is really no reason to start the weekend out with unnecessary bickering.

Luckily our driver is part of the Bartlet's regular rotation, so he does know where we're going as we follow the long drive down past the orchard to another part of the farm. Just like every time I've been here before, I'm amazed at this place. It's still just sort of unfathomable to me that one family can own all of this. And yet, when I'm here it feels like home. Jed and Abbey have made us feel welcome.

A few minutes later we pull up to the guest house, with Sam and Ainsley right behind us. Ainsley's eyes get a little bigger as she takes it in.

"Oh my goodness, this is so freaking adorable!"

"Just wait until you see the inside!" I tell her as I start to pull our bags from the trunk. It really is an adorable farmhouse. It's pretty similar to the main house, with a big wrap around front porch complete with porch swing and rocking chairs. It used to belong to Jed's grandparents. But it's been completely gutted and modernized. Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, each with an en suite. The first floor has a cozy eat-in kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and mudroom with laundry, as well as a master suite which includes a fairly large sitting area. There are actually more rooms here now than the main house.

Josh juggles Lulu, his and her backpacks, and one of the rolling suitcases. I grab the garment bag and the smaller of the suitcases and follow him through the door.

"Wait for Bubba!" Lulu yells in his ear as Ainsley finishes getting the baby out of his car seat.

"Oh god," Sam mumbles, "is there any chance she's going to stop calling him that?"

Josh chuckles softly, confirming that there is very little likelihood of that happening. Josh takes fiendish delight in Lulu's nickname for Bartlet, while being very careful not to use it himself. He's found a way to annoy Sam without actually getting called out on it. I swear the two of them really are brothers.

Sam's not at all successful in gathering all of their things at once, so he'll have to make a second trip, but he finally gives up trying and follows the rest of us into the house.

"Wow. This is really nice. I'm so glad we are staying here and not in a hotel." Ainsely comments as she looks around.

"Me too. The hotel is so far from here, it really would be a pain to have to go back and forth. Especially with the kids."

"So which room should we take?" Sam asks as he tries to keep from dropping all the stuff that he did manage to carry.

"Liz assigned rooms." Josh informs him with a slight eye roll at Liz's bossiness. But I get it. They've got a lot of people staying on the farm, it makes sense that they'd plan it all out.

"Here-" I offer Ainsley their copy of the itinerary. "According to this you are upstairs, second bedroom on the right. We're upstairs too. Next to you."

We all trudge up the stairs and I have to smile a bit when I see that all the doors have signs on them indicating who is assigned to the room. I appreciate Liz's attention to detail. Especially once I open the door and see that there is already a portable crib set up for Lulu.

I immediately take our clothes out of the garment bag and hang them up in the closet. Josh sets Lulu on the bed.

"You got her?" He asks, "I gotta . . ." he gestures towards the bathroom. "Yeah, go ahead." He zips in and relieves himself, leaving the door part way open. I roll my eyes and quickly close the bedroom door to the hallway.

"You know, you could've gone on the plane."

"No way. Gross." He responds. Men. If I tried to hold it as long as he does, I'd have a UTI all the time.

Lulu is gazing toward the bathroom. She can't actually see Josh from where she is but she knows what he's doing. "Daddy potty?" She asks, just to be sure.

"Yes, Daddy's going potty." I tell her matter of factly. Josh read a book that said as soon as a child can verbalize it's a good idea to start normalizing the process. Based on Lulu's interest, he thinks she'll probably be ready to potty train soon. The question is am I ready? It seems like a lot of work. And she's growing up so fast already. I don't want to rush anything.

He starts to come out of the bathroom but I stop him with a look. "Wash. your. hands."

"Right." He makes a big show of turning around and talking Lulu through the process of lathering for 30 seconds before rinsing and drying them. Ugh. Men.

He gives me a sheepish look as he flops down next to Lulu on the bed. She crawls over him and they have a little tickle, snuggle, giggly thing while I finish putting the clothes away.

When I'm done I hold up a fresh shirt for Josh. "Do you want to change your shirt?" The one he's wearing is looking pretty travel worn, and my guess is there will at least be snapshots of the rehearsal. Josh looks down at himself, and starts to shake his head no.

"Josh. All the girls think you look really hot in this shirt." I tell him with a smirk.

At that, he heaves himself off the bed and starts to unbutton. "You've been using that one for over a decade. Eventually, it's not going to work anymore." He tells me with an air of superiority.

Yeah, maybe, I think to myself, but it worked today and that's all that matters. "Whatever you say dear."

He pulls his old shirt off, then instead of taking the fresh one I'm holding, he pulls me forward and wraps his arms around me. "There are only two girls that I care what they think about me." He announces as he plants a kiss on me.

"Me too! Me too!" Lulu begs standing on the bed and bouncing. I gasp as she wobbles and tilts toward the edge. Luckily Josh turns just in time and scoops her up before she can fall.

She's giggling, thinking it was all a fun game, but my heart is pounding. Josh's eyes are a little wide too, as he holds her close.

"Kiss, Daddy!" She demands still unaware of the state of our nerves.

Josh exhales slowly, then plants four or five butterfly kisses all over her face while she beams at him.

By the time he's done, my heart rate has returned to normal. Life with a toddler. Never a dull moment.

"Okay. Daddy has to get dressed now. And so do you," I tell Lulu. "Trade?" I offer Josh the shirt and hold out my hands for Lulu.

"Look, it's a princess skirt." Lulu's eyes light up and she claps as I hold up her special outfit for today, an antique rose colored tutu and shirt that announces in gold glitter letters that she's a flower girl.

"That's freakin' adorable." Josh comments as I start to dress Lulu.

"Tori has one too."

"Of course, she does." Josh mumbles as Lulu perks up at the sound of her friend's name.

"Tori?"

"Yes. Let's get changed and then we can go find Tori."

"Okay Mama."

Once Josh is changed, I hand Lulu off to him, then change into a wrap dress. I'm not in the bridal party, but I want to look nice too.

Josh bounces Lulu on his knee and oogles me as I get ready. I try to dress quickly, but I make sure to give him a little show just for being so darn cute.

When I'm done he wraps an arm around me as I touch up my lip gloss in the mirror. "We look good." He tells my reflection.

Yes. We do. God, I love my family.