07.04.10
4th of July – Part 1
Dean and I were fortunate enough to be able to make a week long trip home for the holiday. Our journey began on Thursday afternoon after I picked Dean up from school. We headed for Huntsville to visit with Granny & Pop. We had a great time visiting with G&P. Dean showed them what a full energy toddler he was and they showed him a good time feeding the deer, playing outside, and taking a trip to Wal-Mart. We were only able to stay one night but that was plenty of time for Dean to find every breakable item in the house and give Pop and Granny plenty of heart attacks! We also managed to have a middle of the night play session from 2:30 – 4:30. Dean’s great grands were happy to get up and play at this very early hour! They were also sweet enough to play with Dean again when he woke up at 6 and let me sleep in until 8! Thanks for the visit G & P. We had a great time.
On Friday afternoon we set out for Livingston. Mom and Dad were rounding up Morgan and Logan on their way into town so Dean and I had the task of cooking dinner for the crowd. As you can see from the pictures Dean busied himself by unloading the cabinets and inspecting all the cookware to see if it met the 25 pound weight test. Once Morgan and Logan arrived Dean stayed right by their sides. Morgan was an excellent babysitter and even helped me give Dean a bath! Talk about first rate help! Our night ended quietly with all babies in bed snoozing quietly.
Dean greeted Saturday morning bright and early (6 AM)! We tried really hard to be quiet but for some reason Dean doesn’t quite get the whisper concept yet. So, we opted for an early morning stroll instead. On our way back from the walk we met Papa and he offered to take DT with him to the grocery store. I was quick to put him in the car and eager for a few minutes alone. Lelsey, Travis, Emma, Granny and Pop joined the fun later in the morning. The weather was not the best for our 4th fun. It was hot, humid, and even included a rain storm that left us powerless for a short while. During the time the power was out we occupied the children’s time by playing in some of the huge rain puddles in the yard. The girls were a bit leery of the muddy water but Logan, Darby and Cheney eagerly splashed and jumped. Morgan warmed up to the idea after a bit of coaxing. We decided that the water on the driveway was a little less muddy than the yard puddles and opted for playing there instead. After a group walk around the block, more puddle play and movie time we brought Saturday to a close.
Sunday was much prettier than any other day of the weekend. After breakfast we decided to get the kiddos out on the water for a minute. We had an equal 1-to-1 ratio of children to adults but still managed to feel challenged. After getting to the island we all enjoyed swimming, jumping and getting fish kisses. Layne and Amanda returned for Colorado and were at the house to greet us when we returned from our outing. Sunday evening ended with the neighborhood fireworks show and sparklers for the big kids. Dean slept through the colorful celebration – and mommy was just fine with that!
We had a great start to our week long trip. Happy 4th y’all!
Up and Over from Matt Hopkins on Vimeo.