Happy 4th Of July 2011

We got the kids up and dressed this morning and of course had Texas waffles for breakfast.  Then we loaded in the car and went to check out a parade at cute little town close to us.  Autumn insisted on wearing this new swimsuit that Mimi found in a drawer in the bathroom.  Andrew is rockin’ those glasses and Autumn is rockin’ that festive headband.

Lexie decided to let the baby be festive and in on the fun, too.  She was putting the headband on her pregnant belly and we were laughing.  Especially when we saw this sign that said, “& other classy stuff” and we knew we had to get a picture by it b/c we were being anything but classy.

We walked to the main part of town to wait for the parade to start.  They have all these really neat shops and I wanted to go to a place that sells really great cupcakes, but they were closed.

As we were walking around, we noticed an open parking spot right near the center of the square.  I had Lexie & Jon & the kids go stand it while I ran and got the car.  It ended up being the PERFECT spot b/c we were right across the street from the restrooms and where they were announcing what each group in the parade was.

They had a big group of motorcycles that drove through & this one looked like it was decorated the most festive.  They were so loud though when they revved their engines and honked their horns that A&A just sat w/ their ears covered for most of it.

The parade only lasted about 30 minutes and it was already sweltering (93 degrees) in the shade at 10:30 am.  We got out of there as soon as the parade was over and came home.  Dad was outside mowing the backyard, so the kids went out to “help” him.  He parked the mower and turned it off and said he had to go in and get ready for work and asked me if I would finish mowing the lawn.  I think I’ve only mowed it 2 or 3 times since they’ve lived there.  I did it, and it wasn’t that bad except for when I had to mow the hill and felt like I was going to fall off the mower.

We had a big 4th of July bash at our house at 3:00 and I helped Mom make deviled eggs, pasta salad, frog eye salad, etc.  Everyone showed up and we feasted until our bellies were full on hamburgers, hot dogs, all the salads, fruit, cookies, and brownies.  Here’s just a few of the people that came.

We had a lot of little kids in the pool and some are great swimmers and some are just beginners, so we had to keep a close eye on all of them.  We had them all line up on the edge of the hot tub so we could have them jump off at the same time.  I’m so glad Autumn has so many cousins around her age to play with.

Here’s some of the party people enjoying the pool.  It was pretty warm water and felt like jumping into a bathtub, but we enjoyed it and had fun.

Brooke was playing under the waterfall and stood up and hit her head and was crying, so Mom offered to get her a push up popsicle.  Of course all the other kids wanted one, too…even the BIG kids (Zack & Tyler).

Mom & I had planned ahead w/ a second meal of sandwiches and salad b/c we thought everyone would be starving around 8:00 after we got done swimming.  But, we had left all the lunch food out and people had just grazed throughout the party so no one was really hungry for sandwiches.  Oh, well…more left overs for us.  At 9:00 everyone left and went home except for Tyler & Emily & their kids.  They followed us out to our field where we watch the fireworks every year.  I know this picture is blurry, but it’s the best one I got of our sweet line up of chairs.

Usually we park out in the field, but they have put up a fence since last year so we just parked on the street.  The kids had a grand old time climbing on the fence to watch the fireworks.  However, they weren’t really that interested in the fireworks b/c Mom had brought some glow sticks from the $1 store and they were making snakes in the grass, using them as light sabers, etc.  We kept trying to tell them to watch the fireworks instead of playing w/ the glow sticks.  But, we realized it really didn’t matter and that they were having fun playing with each other and that’s what is most important.

The fireworks really weren’t that impressive this year.  We had a radio station on that played patriotic music that was supposedly timed to go with the fireworks, but I think the music was about 15 seconds ahead of the fireworks.  This was a cool shot I got w/ the reflection of the fireworks on the top of Dad’s truck.  I went and sat in the back of the truck b/c I kept getting bit by bugs.

We said good bye to Tyler & Emily and headed home.  The kids were both dead asleep within a few minutes.  I dropped Lexie & Jon & Andrew off at Mom & Dad’s and told them good bye b/c they leave to go home tomorrow.  Then I took Autumn home and had to carry her in the house and put her in her bed b/c she was so sleepy.  She’s getting so big and heavy, so I cherish moments like that b/c they don’t happen very often and won’t occur at all before I know it.

It was a WONDERFUL 4th of July & I always get really emotional when I think about patriotic things and how blessed I am to live in this great country.  I have been able to travel a lot in my short 31 years, and there are great people in great nations everywhere.  But, there’s just something special that stirs my soul when I see the American flag and hear the national anthem.  Freedom is NOT free and I am blessed to live in the land of the free…BECAUSE of the brave!