4th of July Weekend

I got a 4-day weekend with the kids this summer, so I headed out to KY at the end of June. I spent the first few days with Esther (I can't believe I don't have a single picture of Esther - I know you took some Esther, so email some to me, por favor). We did our traditional midnight showing of Eclipse and had a great time. I got the kids on the afternoon of Friday, July 2nd. It was a happy reunion - I just picked Marin up and she kept kissing my cheek and telling me she loved me and missed me. We went to our favorite pool in Lexington (the pirate ship pool) with our friends, the DuBravacs. For the first time ever, Ryan jumped off the high dive - I will post a video at the end. I was amazed at how much improved the kids were at swimming - Kate puts her head under water and Ryan pretty much swims now. And the kids are so tan - they have obviously been having a good summer!

Then we headed to our favorite restaurant, Gatti-Town. It is pretty much a posh Chuck E. Cheese. They love the carousel. Kate is demonstrating her "no hands" abilities. Notice their cute hair cuts. Kate's hair looks so much better now - the part she cut earlier has been blended in.

Friday evening we headed up to the Edward's new home in Indiana. When Esther saw Kate for the first time, she was excited and gave Kate a big hug. Marin was watching with this look of anticipation on her face that was so cute - "am I going to get the same reception from Miss Esther?" - and of course Marin did. We had a spectacular bbq the next day with some friends from Lexington - the Birds, Carltons, and Richards. The Carlton's had brought some IBC root beer. I think it was intended mainly for the adults, but clearly the older kids were not stupid and grabbed some for themselves. I was checking on them downstairs (they were playing MarioKart on the Wii), when I saw this - don't Ryan and Mike look far too grown-up?
Ryan and Kate were really glad they got to hang out with some old friends - we spent that night with the Carltons, and went to church with them on Sunday, in our old ward. I can't tell you how nice it is to have multiple places to take my kids, where they feel right at home. On Sunday, Marin and Kate were fighting over who got to sit in my lap, so I said neither of them could. Then Kate went and snuggled right up with Tammy, perfectly content.

Before dinner, Kate, Marin, and I went to visit our old neighbors, Eva and Jimmy, and their two kids, William and Faith (Marin's age). Kate rode the bus to preschool with William and she had asked me specifically if we could go see him. It was really nice to visit - they are just good people. The four kids had a good time playing with each other, and it was nice for me to catch up with my neighbors.

When we got home, we decorated our traditional 4th of July cake - I have never seen this cake decorated so quickly - all 5 kids did a great job, then they pounded the leftover fruit - it was a matter of minutes. I love Kate's smile in the first picture and Marin's in the second.

Of course we did fireworks that night - Erik was definitely in his element, and put on a good show for us. The kids all loved it, Marin and Andrew were especially in awe - perhaps because of the novelty, although all the kids loved it. They enjoyed doing sparklers as well.





Monday we spent with the Edwards again. We played dress-up, which Marin and Kate really loved. At first Marin put on the pink beanie and wings and told me she was Santa Claus. Then she put on the flower headband and told me she was "flower Santa Claus." And she was laughing - glad she has such a silly sense of humor!
I think the flower wand and tutu round out the outfit quite nicely, don't you?
Old nightgowns make fabulous evening gowns for 5-year-olds. But don't forget your hat!

We went swimming at Esther's brother's house also. Ryan really liked the diving board - we attempted to teach Ryan how to dive off a diving board, and the result was quite comical - I think Ryan might be the first person to do flips before dives off the diving board. Video is at the end of the post.


Ryan caught his first lizard (that I know of anyway) at the pool. He named it "Bluetail." Any guesses as to why?
He was very pleased with himself. That is a true Ryan smile.
We stopped and got ice cream cones at McDonald's on our way home. Marin ate the side out of her cone (with at least 1 inch still over the top), and then wanted me to fix it. I love that little girl. We went and watched Toy Story 3 that evening. I loved it - the Toy Story Trilogy might in fact be my favorite trilogy of all time (still love Star Wars though), and TS3 was definitely the best of the trilogy. It was also Ryan's favorite of the Toy Story's, and I think Marin was just happy to munch popcorn and watch Buzz and Woody. Katelyn was a little freaked out by the teddy bear villain and one scene involving an incinerator.

On Tuesday morning, Esther and I took our kids to a free petting zoo outside of Louisville. The kids had a good time, and it was pretty amazing, especially as it was free (donations accepted).
Aurora was stylin' in her shades.



Alpaca.
Ryan's favorite part was when he got to pet a deer (last video). I had never heard a deer noise before, and we at first thought the kids were making the noises. All in all, it was a beautiful, nearly perfect 4 days.