Happy (Belated...) 4th!!

Holy crud...this is definitely the longest that I've gone without updating the blog. That bites.

I'm going to start catching up with the awesome and completely exhausting July 4th holiday we had.  It started with some swinging to kick off the long weekend...

...and a long overdue visit with Aunt Amanda.  She moved to Ft. Wayne a year ago and we had been missing her! 

Friday we had a great time at Sarah and Brian's cooking out and hanging out.  Swimming for the kids, lots of food, fun and a firepit for all :)

And pretty flowers for me to take pictures of - which made my day.

Mason turned 20!!  No idea how that is possible.  He tried to recreate the wipe out of his 13th birthday by getting on another Rip Stick.  Luckily no broken arms this time!

Saturday we missed the Hilliard parade because the kids slept in late - the usual for them these days.  We made it down to watch the Doo Dah parade in the Short North though.  Our first time and we had so much fun.  Definitely NOT your typical parade!  Creative, fun, odd, goofy, different and sometimes scary for sure.  Super fun time that we hope to make a tradition!

Justin was at the parade too - apparently too busy hanging out with Lee or something.
 

From Doo Dah we went to the annual James pool party - luckily the weather was pretty decent and the kids got to swim.  Somehow I ended up with no pictures - must have been too busy gabbing!

Justin spent a HUGE chuck of Saturday cleaning out his truck and removing the cap so that he could do the Annual "drive the kids to the fireworks in the back of the truck" run. We had a nice clean truck to pile into the back of...so that we could promptly get eaten alive by 1 Billion mosquitoes.
We had a much smaller group of kids this year - Mason was working, Sarah was out of town, Ashlee with other friends...as they get older and go their other ways.  But we still had a great time.

 Michael, Silas, Allysa and Ella

Our neighborhood view is quite lovely considering we don't have to fight all the traffic to and hoards of people!  We followed this up with another firepit, more s'mores and sparkers!

Sunday -  when we thought we couldn't take any more fun...the women's US soccer team played in the World Cup on Sunday night.  A high school friend invited us over to swim and watch the game.  Awesome fun and awesome game!! 

I'm surprised that here it is - Tuesday - and I'm not still asleep.  Instead, I'm finally blogging! I am going to try VERY hard to keep up...

The 4th Festivities

Our 4th of July weekend was packed full of fun stuff.  We welcomed Grandpa J and Aunt Amanda on Friday night.  And Saturday was Mason's 15th Birthday!!
We ran out Saturday morning and got a birthday cake. He picked the purple cake with pink balloons...because it was a marble cake (he's secure in his manliness).  He really wanted a Batman cake though.  Maybe next year!

We had beautiful weather the whole weekend but it was HOT HOT HOT.  The parade on Sunday was at 2pm - Ella and Silas decided they wanted to be in the parade on a truck with friends.  So Justin, Mason and I watched for almost 2 hours before seeing them near the end, by which point we were about to melt.

Grandpa, Mas, Margie and Si hanging out on the porch.

Grandpa J and Ella - with her new haircut.

Si, Mas, Zoe, Amanda and Ella-

Impossible to get everyone to look at the camera AND smile!

Four days after her surgery, Beth was crazy enough to have the annual 4th of July cookout! Glad she did though, the kids had a blast swimming and we all had a great time.

Like we always do, we loaded the kids into the back of the pickup truck and drove back to the park in the neighborhood to watch the fireworks.  There were tons of people out this year setting off their own fireworks - some way too close for comfort!

Allysa, Sarah, Ashlee, Ella and Silas

The fireworks were pretty darn good and then the kids spent time after doing pop-its, sparklers, smoke bombs and burning a finger or two...

It was a GREAT (but exhausting!) holiday weekend and we're VERY grateful that Grandpa J was feeling good enough to make the drive here to see us!!

The 4th Weekend

We had a great, fun filled 4th of July weekend. Grandpa J and Aunt Amanda made the drive in from New York and were able to celebrate Mason's 14th birthday with us.


We had a nice "little" fire and roasted marshmallows...after the cake. Yes, the kids were WIRED!!
Mason got some good presents. Season 2 of That 70's Show, the new Green day CD and a new digital camera (one that I really like...and I'm trying to keep my hands off of it!)


On the 4th, we went to the parade. We always park at mom and dad's and then walk over. We see tons of old neighbors and friends. Our local parade is really just one big LONG display of 200 kid baseball teams with a few fire trucks and a marching band thrown in...but the kids enjoy the 32 pounds of candy that they walk away with...

JP and Si - 10am was too early for Silas
after a late night!

Jaden and Ella being cutie bugs!

A majority of the grandkids after the parade.
Brooklyn, Si, Mason, Tyler, Skyler, Hunter, Ella, Jaden and Brayden

Ella and Jaden at the parade...dig the boots - little miss Punky Brewster!

After a great cookout at the James' - we ended the evening back in the neighborhood
watching the fireworks.

I hate to see July 4th having come and gone. The summer always seems to fly by from this point on!!