Happy 4th of July on the 12th!

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism."  --Erma Bombeck 

We celebrated the 4th of July in Amarillo this year.  It's not quite the same without ProYaYa's strawberry-rhubarb pie but we still had an enjoyable day.  It started with a parade in Canyon and a walk around the square.

We ate lunch at home and cooled down before decorating our bikes and heading out to a bike parade.  Two parades in one day?  So cool, right?

We had some friends over for a grill party and then enjoyed the fireworks.  We told the kids if they took a nap, they could stay up 3 hours late for the fireworks.  Grayson was not very happy that the fireworks didn't last the entire 3 hours...he felt gypped.  So if any of you have control over fireworks shows and can make that happen, we will be forever indebted to you:)


While I was away, Lola learned to say "up."  Funny that I didn't feel she changed at all while we were gone 8 days in Costa Rica, but I was gone for the weekend and thought she changed so much.  She is also down to just a pacifier during sleepy times in the crib.  She received a doll from her Tia for her birthday and sleeps with it every night; hugging her baby as she goes to sleep.

Story time at the library and playing in the house:

Matalley continues to pick her scab on her face...so frustrating!  Matt has resorted to washing it with rubbing alcohol after she picks it.  It burns so you think she'd stop but sadly she can't quit.  Last night she slept in our room in the tent (the kids got it out yesterday to play spy).  It was not the most restful sleep.  Grayson didn't even attempt it.  He said, "I tried it once before and it didn't work Mommy."