A Fabulous Fourth

With the latest hurricane making landfall far south of us in Mexico, we spent the week leading up to July 4th under rain clouds and seriously starting to consider snorkels as outdoor apparel. The forecast didn't correspond with the picture I had in my head of long sunny days spent by the pool, instead promising more rain. After a deluge on Friday, Saturday July 3 brought clear skies. Our neighborhood newsletter invited everyone to participate in a July 3rd parade culminating in a pool party at our neighborhood pool.

With our cabin fever reaching a desperate level, Alastair and I spent Friday night decorating his bike with treasures he picked out at the Dollar Tree.

We were the only ones who came.


No firetruck, no DJ, no pool party for us.

As it turns out, while the newsletter clearly said July 3, the signs around the neighborhood said July 4th. So we had our own little parade anyway. No sense in letting a good day and a cool bike go to waste!

Saturday we hung out at the house for the most part and our good friends (shout out to Mike and Tara) joined us for dinner. It was a relaxed and long overdue evening with good food and good conversation. Alastair loved hanging out with an older lady (four year old Cate) and they had a blast playing and watching Wall-E.

Sunday July fourth was even more beautiful than the third. Once again, we were ready for the parade and met up with our official fourth of July friends, the Kunz clan.

Once again, we were the only ones who came. Boo and hiss for the neighborhood's lack of communication and follow through.

If there is one thing that is characteristic of the Kunz family, it is that they don't let anything stand in the way of a good time. And a good time was had by all. We spent the day swimming, munching on good food, and chatting.

M.C. and Alastair hopping on and off their raft.

Alastair kept up with the big kids like he was the youngest of six and spent the entire day in the pool. We were able to remove him briefly for a rest time and to eat dinner, but that was it.

The turtle face put in an appearance.

Emery really did have a great time too. However, she is in major "I heart Mommy" mode (I have one fan!) and was unhappy if anyone else held her while I was in eye sight.

By the end of the day, she was pooped, but refused to nod off either in my arms or in her pack n play. The child had a major afternoon snooze earlier in the day, but then was up continuously through the end of the fireworks, about 10:30pm. I am nervous about our Maine flight at the end of the summer. It is going to be one long day.

We went to Katy Mills again this year for the fireworks. While nothing can compare to the splendor of fireworks exploding over a mountain lake, Katy fireworks are beautiful and the entire day is packed with activity. In Maine, it is a regular day, three hours of fun at night, and a long traffic jam on the way home.

Alastair loved the sparklers.

Pyrotechnics. Parades. Pools. A great weekend all around.