Independence Day

 I love the 4th of July.  The good company, the good food, the fun.  I really love the big bangs of pretty sprinkles that light up the night sky.  Fireworks are like cupcakes for the eyes.  It always swishes me away to my childhood when we would set outside at Grannie and Poppa's house.  A wide open place smelling of fresh cut grass and always a good barbecue.  We would all gather on an old rickety wooden picnic table and dish out the hard work of the family matriarchs onto crisp white chinette.  I can still taste the goodness.  Of, course all of this would be followed by my sister and I displaying all the firework glory.  Oh say can you see, by the rockets red glare.......this was a happy time indeed.

It is my life's mission to emulate those feelings for my children.  To show them the joy of family and friends and the fun to be had in celebrations like these.  That each of us holds our own happiness.  So, this 4th, I had big expectations.  Of course, Mother Nature came along and thwarted those plans with a torrential story of Noah type of downpour!

Notice the puddle in the background!

And the mud!

And then as if a message from my Poppa, a rainbow appeared over the horizon and perfection set in.  No, it wasn't what I had planned.  It was better.  We called friends, cooked some delicious burgers, and let the kiddos swim!  By kiddos I do mean the littles and the big boys!  We talked, we laughed, and we held wet babies.

Man'n the grill!

Love and gratitude was in the air and it smelled sweet.

We spread out a blanket and watched the show of pretties dancing in the sky.  We snuggled babies and laughed at their giggles of excitement of the pop pop pop.

My girl loved it.  It was a good day.

Thank you friends.

xx

Fun with Friends

Wednesdays are great.  Waking up to that fresh cup of coffee.  My eyes purveying the dreaded chores.  Like the heap of laundry beckoning me from its room.  The room from which I continue to shut the door thinking the dirty laundry fairies will magically appear.  That the next time I open the door to toss a vomit soaked onesie or a peanut butter and jelly laden shirt, the pile would miraculously be gone.  A morning to which hearing the scury of little feet and the way they hit the floor in search of their momma tickles my tummy.  Fixing toast and watching fairies and fish.  As in Tinkerbell and Nemo.  The sprites new faves.  Not that this doesn't happen every Wednesday.  But this one was different.  This particular Wednesday brought friends!  Old friends.  Good friends.  This is my kind of Wednesday, the day I forget about the chores and focus on pure summer splendor.

It was nice too.  We spent the day by the pool watching our little sprites dip their blonde locks into the water to have a waterfall cascade down their cherub faces.  We talked and we laughed and carried wet little bodies to and from the water slide.  Watching them twirl in the water like little dolphins at sea world.  Kicking their little feet with fury as they work their way from one end of the pool to the other.

                                                       Reese and her momma.

                                                                                                                     My little girl!

                                                                                                                    Reese Kate.

                                                                                                                     Harrison.

                                                                                                             My friend with my girl!

                                                                                                                    Dido.

Not too long ago old friend Jessica and I were in college with never a thought of what would come.  What THIS day and days like this could behold.  Our girl talk has made transformations through the years.  Good ones.  From boys to men to babies.  And I do believe through it all God has had a plan.  That we would inevitably stick together and He would give us each two perfect children, each a girl and boy, and have them the same ages (kinda).  What great work He did!  And from the looks of it, they're gonna be friends a long time.

                                                                                            You coming?

                                                                            BFF's!

  
                                    And this is how the boy does it!  Takes it all in through his sweet dreams baby.

                                                                                                              Baby feet are angelic.

                                                                                                                   And so are these!