3. Summer Vacations and Independence Day

For those of you who don’t know, right now my sister Lori and her two adorable children are here (staying in our house) for their summer vacation.  It’s the only time of year they come down to visit, and this year is the first time they have met Abigail.  In addition to that, we get see Rhett (age 4) again, and meet my newest niece, Ella (age 6 months).

Thus far we have had the pleasure of getting together in great big, noisy, fun and sometimes even spontaneous family gatherings, sharing interesting and funny mommy experiences, and getting a taste of what it might be like to have twin girls.  We have also had an ER visit, a few baby fights, and a front row seat viewing what it’ll be like to try to care for a baby and a sick older child, concurrently.  It has definitely been quite a time.

For Abigail’s first 4^th of July, we visited her grandparents.  Abigail loves being with her family especially as we celebrated the birth of our great nation.  We are truly blessed to have been born here and to have all the freedoms and privileges we enjoy.  We are also grateful for all those who have sacrificed and will sacrifice so much for each of us.

To celebrate this great day, we spent time hanging out, looking at great pictures of Caroline and Simon's trip to England, and Abigail enjoyed green beans and watermelon, while we enjoyed Aunt Caroline’s homemade Whoopie Pies, and Grandma’s homemade ice cream!  

Though Abigail fell asleep before the fireworks shows, Brad and I enjoyed a giant show on all sides of us as we drove home.  In the front and on the left, we enjoyed exciting backyard and professional shows, and to our right we enjoyed a magnificent lightning show put on by the heavens.

This summer has been good to us, and we look forward to many more summer days full of fun, friends, and family.