Our guests this year consisted mostly of Matt's family and a few friends of Bekah and Nathan's who we really enjoyed getting to know. Jake and Janell's little family came early Sunday morning and accompanied us to church. Maimie, Pop, and Aunt Sarah came up later that evening, and Bekah and Nathan came with their friends Monday morning, the day of the BBQ. (Yes, we had our Fourth of July party on the fifth of July. Holding holiday celebrations not on the actual holiday seems to work for us.)
It was incredibly fun and patriotic, and we can't wait to do it again. And in loo of the fact that I have done some MAJOR blog posts recently, I think I am just going to stop here and let you look at some pictures. Oh, and I have no idea why some of these are so small, but I am too lazy to go back in and try to fix them. Just stick you nose really close to the computer screen and look hard. Enjoy!
I just had to put this little story in here. Matt took Bennett to the store Saturday to pick up a few things for me. It was just a quick trip, so Matt had Bennett on his shoulders while he shopped. Well, Matt got what he needed, and when he took Bennett down from his shoulders to put him in the car he found a little surprise...
Bennett's first (and last!) shoplifting experience. I guess this balloon was up on Bennett's level while he was on Matt's shoulders, and he just sort of swiped it while Matt was walking around. There is a sucker on the bottom of the string, and by the time Matt found Bennett with the balloon it was too late for the sucker to be returned (once Bennett gets a hold of something sweet and sticky there is no turning back). When he came home and told me the story, I felt so bad I went all the way back to the store and offered to pay for the silly balloon. When I told the manager what had happened (...Sir, my one-year old stole a balloon from your store...) he said they would all be free in a few days anyway, so he just "let this one go." We are raising a great kid :)
Playing in Bennett's room with everybody after dinner on Sunday.Sunday night (real Fourth of July) the military base put on their usual spectacular fireworks show and we all drove over to watch it.
For a long time the fireworks were kind of little and not very spectacular, but around 9:00 the real show started and it was so cool! It lasted for about an hour, and the finale was incredible. Here's a little clip of it, but Matt was videoing and there is a tree right in front of where he was sitting. Bummer.It was so fantastic in real life, it's a little disappointing to watch on the computer. It just doesn't do it justice. I had goosebumps at the end.
Bennett, however, was not so much of a fan. This was his first real fireworks experience, and he wimped out a little at the beginning. I was laughing so hard. He put on a much better show than the Army ever could.
He calmed down once he got to sit with his daddy and his Bear Buddy though, and he watched the rest of the show with this look of awe on his face. I'm not sure he blinked for about 30 minutes straight.
Bennett, Maimie, and Kendal watching the works. This is the face Bennett had for the entire time, and every once in awhile he would whisper an "ooooohh" or a "brrooooommm" to himself.The next day was the day of the party, so we spent the morning decorating and putting food together.
Dang, I wish this picture wasn't so small! Remember a few months ago (like April?) when I said Matt randomly decided to tear into our walls and start work on a "secret project"? Ta-da! This is the fireplace mantle he created from scratch. It is gorgeous, and it makes our living room a lot bigger since we don't need a TV stand anymore. The front of the mantle opens up and houses our DVD player, cable box, and ipod Home. Matt is a stinkin' genius! We also painted the walls, got new furniture, and did a couple of other little touch-ups. But anyway, that is a different post alltogether and I promise to do it sometime in the future. For now though, here is the mantle looking very red, white, and blue-ish (if you can even see it).
Madison, Emma, and Kendal in their Fourth of July outfits. I love these little girls!
Bennett and Aunt Sarah.(This is a really cute picture when it is bigger than a postage stamp...)
Maimie and Pop, celebrating.
Getting things ready to go outside.
Bennett and Kendal, future bestest cousins.
Swimming in the "pool."
Haha! Well, just use your imagination on this one. This is the World's smallest picture of Mattie and me, showing off our table laden with deliciousness. Actually, we really didn't do that much. Everybody brought something with them, and all I had to do was decorate and be a good hostess while Matt ran the grill. We make a pretty good team.
Matt and the meat. He had chicken, ribs, a steak for Nathan (it was his birthday present from us to him), jalapeno poppers, and corn on the cob all going at the same time on this thing. Matt is fabulous! And he did it all in some very attractive shorts. Oww, Oww!
Bennett discovered watermelon on this day, and I think that's about all he ate (well, except for the food he stole off of other peoples' plates). He seriously had at least four pieces. Long live Summers!
The kids' table.Seeing Bennett sitting here instead of in his highchair makes him seem so big...
Aunt Bea, Uncle Nathan, and Bennett sharing an IBC Rootbeer.
Like I said, Nathan's birthday is the fourth of July so he has gotten to celebrate it with us the last couple of years. Bekah made him the cutest, yummiest lemon cake, and he wore the same birthday sash we forced him to wear last year because they saved it. Yay! Unfortunately, they didn't save the crown (boo!), but the mere fact that he still had the sash was impressive. He also wore the same shirt and sat in the same spot as last year. Haha! We love these two!HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!
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