First off, happy birthday to my mom - on the seventh - and to my FIL today! Good news for the both of you! Saturn - the planet of good luck - is in Cancer for the next year! So you best be playing the lottery!!
Secondly, we broke in the new house with our first holiday celebration. Having friends over was the best motivation to get those boxes unpacked -- most of them. It was also the best medicine to take a much needed break and to forget about the boxes stacked high to the ceiling in the garage for 24 hours and have some fun!!
Normally, I am one to decorate for any and all occasions. Unfortunately, my "office" will be the last thing to be unpacked because it is the last thing we need up and running to make our home functional. (I feel like a crazy person being totally unorganized but as long as pancakes can be made in the morning, we are officially "moved in!")
Fortunately, I found a few things on sale at good ole Wal-Mart. When I told Grace to stand in front of the flag bunting so I could take a picture of her in her 4th of July outfit, she immediately burst into the pledge of allegiance.
Bless her heart...and her teachers because she knows the whole thing! Even the 'hard' words!
Charlotte wanted nothing to do with pictures but she wore a white dress for about 15 minutes. The rest of the day she was naked. {Sigh.} So that is why she is not in this post a lot.
In other news, these guys are growing and doing great!
They have really been a great addition to the family and having them as outside dogs has made my life pretty easy - no clean ups or shoes being destroyed.
I have a feeling that it will become a bit more difficult this winter when it is snowing and cold to leave them outside. But hey, if the chickens can do it, so can Stranger and Hiccup...right!?!
I digress. Our friends from Seattle came over - car full of all sorts of goodies, the first being lunch!
Deli sandwiches and pasta salads from a delish deli in Seattle! Probably the only thing I miss about living in Seattle is the access to food. Grocery stores, take out, restaurants...so it was so nice to have an 'easy' meal!
Once lunch was done, the guys took off to - as Court put it - get some 'boom-boom' for our celebration! The gals watched the kids. Bubbles and animals were the entertainment for the afternoon. (Obviously water activities weren't a possibility!)
Before we knew it, the guys were back and it was time for dinner! We went totally patriotic and had tacos and cervezas for dinner! ha!
Then it was time to do the piñata! Like I said, pure patriotism here! Our friends had intended on using this pinata a while back but never ended up using it. So they brought it to our house and the kids loved it!
The damn thing was nearly impossible to crack. The adults even weighed in on the action after each child had had several "gos" at it!
The kidlets scooped up the candy quick and even snuck in a piece or two before dessert!
Ice cream cake! Hadn't had one of these in years!!
The fun isn't over yet...not even close! Time for sparklers!
All were a little hesitant of the flame but all were infatuated with the sparklers.
The guys readied the bonfire while the girls got dressed for the occasion.
Special headbands and glowing bracelets!
Bring on the fireworks!
As it doesn't get dark around here until 10 pm, we needed some more evening entertainment. Grace and Charlotte had never stayed up for fireworks. We just didn't feel the need to wake them up in the past. But this year, there was no doubt in my mind that they'd be wide awake for the show. So Court made a HUGE bonfire. Grace was pumped because she thought we were going to roast marshmallows. But the bonfire was HUGE - like when I first saw it I thought about running back inside and saving my most valued possessions. It was not the right kind of fire for marshmallows. That got Grace upset. Throw in the fact that it was getting dark and the temperature was falling - Grace was not the happiest of campers. Luckily, the men folk were off prepping our own personal, fireworks show in our backyard! It was a long, beautiful and loud show! It was the first fireworks for all the kids. Grace summed it up well. "Pretty but a little bit scary." They weren't into all the noise! In fact, the prettiness of it all wore off about half way through. They were all begging to go to bed but us moms knew that the dad's egos might need a round or two of applause at the conclusion of the show. So we kept all the kids out there - amidst the trembling dogs (Lucky was a total wreck!) - until the bitter end. But the minute it was over, we scooped up the kids and called it a night. When the guys returned, they received only accolades from the ladies. I think they were a little defeated but they REALLY did a great job! It was nice seeing such cool fireworks from the comfort of our home. No crowds. No parking and hauling stuff. No crazy drunk people. Wait...strike that last part. The guys couldn't stop talking about plans for next year...BIG BIG plans! I think we might have created a little tradition! I love me a tradition!!
Hard to believe 4th of July has come and gone. Summer will be sliding into Autumn soon. Luckily, Grace has just over two weeks until her casts come off and I assure you, she is ready to enjoy what's left of her summer! She is now asking several times a day when her casts come off. Not because they itch or they are bothering her. We made the mistake of telling her in a weak moment, (she was crying because she wanted to take a shower! Broke my heart...) that if she could be strong and hold on for a few more weeks, we'd let her pick out a surprise at the toy store! So if the countdown wasn't on before, it is on til the break of dawn now! If it's possible, I think I want her casts off more than she does!!
Hope you had a fun and safe celebration!
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