Fourth of July 2010

I love the 4th of July!  I think have determined that it is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  It's summer.  There's water games and swimming.  There's food.  Family.  Friends.  And fireworks.  This year we had a great time!  My in-laws opened up their home to us, and we invited over a few friends.  You add in the fact that the entire neighborhood gets together for a good time with a huge blow-up waterslide for all the kids (and some adults), and things were just fantastic. 

We started the day off by going to church.  I think I've mentioned before that Liam is have a "hard time" (to put it mildly) in his class at church.  He makes it about 10-15 minutes before they call us to come get him.  If you know him at all, you are aware of his high-pitched scream, which has caused him to become known as "The Instigator."  As soon as the rest of the kids get calmed down from their own separation anxieties, Liam revs up his scream and lets it loose, getting all the other kiddos upset again.  This Sunday, however, I stayed in the class with him.  He was so pitiful for the first 20 minutes or so we were in there, but he eventually calmed down, enjoyed a snack, and wandered off to play with some toys and other babies.  I was able to sneak out for about five minutes when I heard the scream from all the way down the hall.  I was sure that he had realized I was MIA, but he hadn't.  Actually, his leg had gotten stuck in a toy and he wasn't able to get it out.  But, by the time we got him loose, he was all pitiful again, so we just stayed the remainder of the time together in his room.  Sundays are just hard for our boy.  No nap, Momma is trying to leave him.  It's a season. It's a season.  It's a season. 

Anyway, after church, we headed over to the Bradshaws for lunch with the family and naptime for the kiddos.  Liam went down early, but just as we got him settled down, the neighbors busted out the blow-up waterslide.  Nora was in her swimsuit and down the street in a matter of minutes.

Here she is checking things out.  I wasn't sure how she would handle the situation.  She was definitely the youngest kid out there, so I thought she'd be shy about it.

But, she wasn't.

She loved it, and she quickly learned how to climb up the wall all by herself.  Such a big girl!  Then, I told her to go down on her belly, headfirst.  I really didn't think she'd do it, but she did.  Then, that's all she would do.  Such a daredevil.  After about 30 minutes or so of sliding, we decided to head in for a nap.

Meanwhile, someone else woke up and needed some loving from Granna.

A bit later, it was time for Liam's supper.  Since he's in the picking eating phase, we went with spaghetti.  What kid doesn't like hotdogs? Especially on the  4th of July!?

We had quite the spread: hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, baked beans, corn dip, and a homemade 4th of July cake made by Granna and Nora Kathryn.  Nora helped Mrs. Joyce mix the cake, and she placed all of the berries on there all by herself.  Such a sweet project for the two of them.

Our friends, the Worleys, and our next door neighbors, the Walworths, came over to swim, play, eat, and watch the fireworks with us.  The kids had a blast!
Liam thoroughly enjoyed the life of luxury by eating three bowls of watermelon while lounging in my lap. 

Then, he and baby Delia had a grand time playing together.

After supper and some pool time, the neighbors came back out for some more time on the waterslide.  So, off we all went! 

We got the kids dried off and bathed just in time for the fireworks display by the neighbors.  It was a great show, and the kids loved it!  Liam woke up just in time for the show and sat in his Granddaddy's lap squealing with delight!

We had such a good time!  We are so thankful for our freedom, and for those who work so hard and put their lives on the line so we can enjoy days like this one.