4th of July--Part 3

Since we got rained out on the 4th of July, we decided to celebrate on Tuesday, the 5th. 

The day started out the same as most. Our neighbors came up to the park and we spent the morning talking while the kids played together. All the rain the night before washed out some huge earthworms and the kids sat for probably 30 minutes watching them and digging.

They were pretty big!

Lance, Bennett, Caroline, Lucy, and Cameron. Where was Jude?

Oh yeah. He was pretending to be a baby. He loves baby carriers and will play with the buckles and climb in and out of them for 20 minutes at a time. 

That evening, we celebrated Independence Day with the Elmers and Smiths. George was still working 6 pm to 2 am and so missed the festivities again. Sad! Being a nurse myself, I knew George would miss some special occasions as a doctor, but now it's actually happening. :( The price we pay, I guess.

I froze blue and red Kool-aid and used those as ice cubes for Sprite. Red, white, and blue drinks!

They were a big hit with the kids.

We also did s'mores, thanks to the Elmers who let us use their fire pit. I attempted to build the fire, but it failed pretty miserably. Good thing Aric was there to rescue it. I don't know why they don't teach girls how to build fires like they do the scouts. It's a good life-skill to have.

Jude tried his hand at roasting marshmallows and did a pretty good job with a little help.

Eating the s'mores was a different matter. He was more interested in the skateboard and spent most of the evening rolling around on his tummy.

Lance ate a s'more, which surprised me because he almost never does, but was more interested in the fire than anything else. He's a pyro, just like his mama.

One neat thing we did with the s'mores was make them with Reese's peanut butter cups. Sounds strange, but they were sooo good!

As it started to get dark, we broke out the sparklers.

Jude was excited to hold one and thought it was pretty neat.

Lance and Killian sparring with theirs.

And then for the real show: FIREWORKS!

The kids were really excited as we set up and had a hard time sitting still or keeping a safe distance away.

Watching.

Jamie with her two kiddies, Bennett and Lucy.

The men lit the fireworks while the kids picked out which ones they wanted next.

Jude wasn't too sure what to think about them and spent the whole time running away while watching and then running back again, saying "Oh! Oh! Uh oh!" He wasn't sure if they were supposed to be neat or scary and I think at the end he found a good medium and was able to enjoy the show.

Lance and Killian manning the fireworks station.

Lance and Jude.

It was such a fun night with our friends! It was pretty late by the time the kids got their baths and were in bed. Life doesn't get much better than this! The only thing missing? George.

4th of July--Part 2

Our 4th of July day started with Lance being picked up by his dad for a few hours. They got to go mountain biking on a local trail. Lance is getting to be amazing on his bike and really enjoys riding with his dad.

About to begin the trail!

Looking good, Lance!

They found a silk worm (maybe and inch worm?) attached to Lance's shirt and stopped to take a picture.

Lance is a pro!

After biking, they ate lunch at Lance's favorite restaurant "China King Buffet" and then watched "Transformers 3" together at the theater. Lance is a lucky boy! What a fun day!

When Lance came home, we celebrated the 4th in true American style with a picnic. Some friends of ours invited us to their picnic on The Lawn at UVa and we couldn't resist! The only problem? It was raining! Luckily, there are covered walkways surrounding the Lawn (people actually live in little one-bedroom apartments on each side of the lawn) so we spread our blankets on the brick and tried to stay dry.

George was working 6 pm to 2 am that night, so got to come say hello to everyone then make a quick get-away to the hospital.

Yummy food! Even our picky Jude thought it tasted good.

Lance with the Elmers and Vedomskes.

Corn dog! You can see how hard it was raining behind Lance. The storm was right above us for a while and we got to enjoy lightning and thunder with our meal.

Jude--not too sure what to think about all the rain.

It finally cleared and the kids enjoyed bubbles and jumping in puddles.

A balloon toss. Lance and Killian were partners and did a surprisingly good job catching the balloon.

Most of our group participating in the balloon toss. The Taylors, Vedomskes and Elmers were there, along with our family and some of Kaycie Taylor's friends from work. It was a fun group.

Jude wanted in on the action, too, but couldn't quite figure out what to do with the water balloons.

And of course it wouldn't be the 4th of July without sparklers!

We were planning on doing s'mores later that night and shooting off our own set of fireworks, but because it was so wet, we decided to wait until the next day. Let the celebration continue!

4th of July Weekend--Part 1

The 4th of July was a lot of fun! We spread out our celebrating over a few days and packed the weekend full of activities. George is doing a Pediatric ER rotation and is working strange hours, so it was tricky finding a time when he was not only home, but awake. 

Saturday July 2nd, we took a family bike ride to Chipotle for lunch. It was our first time breaking out the trailer for Jude.

I thought he'd be more excited because he LOVES bikes and always tries to ride Lance's, but this was his face every time I turned around. Maybe he was just upset he didn't get to petal his own bike.

Lance thought it was great fun and did a good job staying close and following directions.

Lance enjoying his favorite thing at Chipotle--a burrito with rice, chicken and sour cream.

The missionaries came in for lunch and sat right behind us, so we had them take our family picture. 

Biking back to our apartment was a bit harder, seeing as it was uphill almost the whole way, but we all made it in one piece and are excited to do it again sometime.

Later that day, we went to the splash park with our friends the Elmers and the Smiths.

George and Aric like to talk about what rotation they're on and the different cases they're following.

Jude is getting more adventurous by the day and loved the water!

The daddies with the kids.

Lance taking a snack break.

Aric Elmer having a water fight with his kids Jayden, Britton, and Killian.

Lance joining in the fun!

Jamie Smith and her little girl Lucy.

Jude and Mommy enjoying the water together.

I love these families! Honestly, it is so fun living close and being able to spend time with them.

Jude being a crazy. As usual.

After the splash park, we went to Red Robin with the Elmers to celebrate Killian and Kendall turning 6. It was an awesome day--one of those days that leaves you completely exhausted but happy. A great start to our holiday weekend.

Ramen, Rain, Ray Bans, Bugs, and Boys

This past week has been a fun one. We didn't really go anywhere or do much, but we found ways to fill the time. Here is a quick review in picture-form of what we've been up to.

One of the boy's favorite meals is Ramen. I have to admit, I've even made it for breakfast at their request. They'll both eat a lot (and sometimes it's hard to get these little guys to eat) and I like it too, so it make it onto our menu at least once a week.

It's been raining a bit down here--more often than usual, it seems. We will most often avoid the wet by staying inside, but we had cabin fever and had to venture out. Lance decided to stay in, but our neighbors Killian and Kendall kept me and Jude company.

Jude is not shy when it comes to getting messy and just jumped right in.

Jude tried on my sunglasses the other day and I couldn't resist taking a picture. Funny kid!

Our backyard is full of wildlife--mostly squirrels and birds--but we occasionally find some really neat things. The other day the kids found a praying mantis on the playground and spent the next 30 minutes watching it and trying to see who was brave enough to pick it up.

Trying to get it on a stick.

I think Lance did actually pick it up, but it grabbed his finger with it's little "hands" and it freaked him out. :)

So he settled for some leaves where he could carry it around without touching.

Lance thought it was pretty neat and was sad when we set it free.

And of course it wouldn't be summer without a trip to our favorite splash park. The boys and I went on Friday and took Killian with us. We had a blast!

Killian and Lance

Jude was much braver this time and actually ventured into the water by himself! Progress!

He's yelling "Water!" and pointing to the bucket of water that would periodically fill and then dump on the kiddies below.

Surprisingly, the boys seemed to prefer playing on the playground instead of in the water. I was boiling, but they didn't seem to mind the heat.

Being monkeys.

Lance and Killian both practiced the monkey bars until their hands hurt.

Enjoying some PB&J after a long afternoon in the sun.

Black Out

Last night, our power went out.

George was working 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and had left for his shift a couple hours earlier. Jude was in bed and Lance and I were watching some cartoon together while we waited for it to be bed time. It had been rumbling since the afternoon, but around 8:30 the rain started and the storm began in earnest. All of the sudden, everything went dark.

If I could take a snapshot in time, a memory I could pull out at will and relive, I would have taken one last night. Lance and I got to sit together, without any other distractions, and just be. We watched the storm. We sat on the couch and talked. When we got tired, we went to my room, opened the blinds so we could still see the storm, and cuddled on my bed. We fell asleep under the same blanket while I scratched his back.

It seems that in the rush that is life, these moments are rare. It's not often we get a chance to enjoy a quiet second with those we love. I'm grateful Lance and I, even if it was just one night, got to slow down and remember how nice it is just to be together.