The 4th of July

I can't remember a Fourth of July with better weather. Upper 80's and sunny with the perfect breeze. It was almost cool in the shade. Absolutely perfect. We had a great day with the Smiths, the Ayers, and the Moyles. I can't thank Julie and Troy enough for letting us invade their house and front yard. What a perfect spot. It was so much fun watching the boys (yes, all boys only) play and swim and yell. I can't think of any better way to tire out some young ones. Bryant cooked great burgers and dogs and some of the best beer brats I have ever tasted. Stephen and Caroline brought a delicious red, white and blue potato salad, and Amanda and Jason rounded out the meal with a super salad. Oh yes, and I made tomato pies, which actually ended up like pies this time!
Of course, there was watermelon - and plenty of it! The children dove right in. It was like we hadn't fed them all day. They had juice running down their bellies as they ate right down to the rind. Then all the pink faced boys went and threw their rinds in the marsh. How nice it would be to abandon all sense of cleanliness and eat like a child eats! I try, sometimes I do, but unless you're going to be jumping into a pool right after eating this watermelon, it just doesn't seem worth the hassle!Reeves and I went down the causeway for a little swim. The water is still a bit chilly but it felt great. It was so nice to get a little salt on the skin. Reeves loved it, but I must admit, it made me a little nervous. I hadn't taken his lifejacket with us. Luckily, he had a death grip on me with both his arms and legs, so there was no chance the tide would pull him awayfrom me! Thank heavens for the big towel Aileen gave me. It takes a lot of fabric to cover that big belly! If this construction gig doesn't work out, I think Stephen could always get a job in the circus as a contortionist. I don't know how he got that big tall body into that itty bitty Jeep! I was mighty impressed, and the children loved it. Pinky, next year you'll be running around with all these big boys! You were just the happiest little one there, smiling and cooing. Hope you enjoyed your first Fourth of July. We sure enjoyed sharing it with you!