4th of JULY

This year we drove up to my Sister Nan and Myles' house. We left thursday afternoon to avoid traffic. Matt got off early and didn't have to go to school on friday. We were excited to have another long weekend. We have really been spoiled having Matt home so much this month. We are going to miss getting back into the grind of school and not seeing him much!

We always have a great time when we visit Nan and Myles. My kids were so excited to see their cousins and played so well with them. When we first got their the kids went swimming in their Jacuzzi and then Nan made us a great dinner as always. She got a babysitter that night and we went to see the movie The Proposal (very cute!) and then went to Marie Calendars for Pie! It was such a fun night and we laughed so much at really dumb things!

The next day we let the kids play while Nan and I did alot of cooking and baking for the festivities. We also randomly canned peaches for the first time. It was a fun experience and we realized it isn't too hard to do!

Then that afternoon we drove about a half hour north to Carpenteria and went to the beach. We were sad that neither of us had our cameras because we had a great time. We buried the kids up to their necks and turned them into Mermaids and Mermen! After a few hours at the beach we went to a cool place called Padaro Beach Grill for Dinner. They have yummy food that you eat on outdoor picnic tables next to a huge sandbox where the kids can dig and play. Very Fun!

Saturday Morning (the 4th) their neighborhood had a block party where the kids rode in a parade with their decorated bikes! Then ended up at someones house where everyone brought snacks and treats and just visited. It was the start of a very fun day!

Porter loved riding his bike in the parade. We had to run to keep up with him. He just charged it and his little legs just kept riding. Eliza was at the very back and kept complaining she was so tired. She loved decorating her bike but when it came down to it she didn't want to ride! Porter could have cared less what his bike looked like, I think he just wanted to win the race!

Then we drove out to Myles' parents house and had a fun swim/BBQ party their. My brother Ben and katie and their kids came, katies parents and my cousin melissa and her two kids. It was so fun to be in the pool all day and have a great BBQ.




Later that night once it got dark we lit fireworks.(Illegally I think) Can you tell how much my kids enjoyed them! Ben provides the firework entertainment every year and makes it so fun! Then we put the kids to bed and Myles set up a big screen out on the front lawn and we watched a movie outdoors while we ate our fourth of July Trifle!