This weekend was just the right amount of busy. Quiet Saturday spent having lunch and getting a pedicure with my sister and doing a little shopping...followed by a huge 4th of July cookout on Sunday.
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| Party favors! |
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| And we were worried we wouldn't have enough food |
Hosting our friends is a trip. Mike's clan is still mainly the single/dating bachelor type, while mine are more likely to be baby toting. Well...when you smash those two groups together it's usually either super interesting or super awkward. While nothing extraordinarily interesting happened (unless you count a flaming sparkler getting put into a pile of dog poo...which could technically be interesting OR awkward) the lines were obviously drawn. Mike's friends held down one side of our deck while my three friends and their families broke in the other. Oh there were a few "go betweens" like my dear little sister, Kristy and friend Sharry...but as a whole you knew which side you were on. It was actually kind of comical. As of now, Mikey can still easily pass between the two sides but it will be fun to see how such situations play out once our little bug makes his/her debut.
I have to say, as different as our friends are...they do really well. These people are important to us; I'm super glad we are able to have them all over for a summertime celebration.
Backyard Bean Bags
The boys decided to get a game of bean bags going. At first they just had one little helper.
Soon the kids (with help from my good friend Kayte) realized just how much fun it was and decided it was a game they too needed to play. Maybe...if we give it 3 or 4 years, the boys will teach the kiddos how to play. Daddy/Kid bean bag tournaments would be fun to watch.
Ice Cream with Sprinkles!!
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| These two LOVED sprinkles!!! They even wanted them on their tongues!!! |
Awww all cookouts are better with ice cream and sprinkles!!! I'm not sure which was the biggest hit; the sprinkler or the sprinkles on the ice cream. Between the two, the kiddos enjoyed some wet, sticky summertime fun in the backyard!
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| Chandler and MaKenna were sporting their 4th of July hats!! |
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| Jack loved his ice cream with sprinkles too! |
SPARKLERS!!
Ok, so our intentions were good when we picked up Morning Glorys for a fun "End of Cookout" event. But husbands + kids younger than 5 + fireworks = somebody usually crying.
Before the burned swim trunks and red ankle (sorry Kayte), were a whole lot of excited kiddos and fun! Sparklers (not the mean metal kind, but the paper covered Morning Glorys) were always my favorite growing up. They didn't screech or explode, but they did create a moment when everyone could get involved, writing their name in the colorful sparks and smoke. It was incredible to see that even after 20 years, kids are still kids and waving around a spark shooting wand is still insanely fun.
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| Jack waiting for his sparkler to get lit |
Looking Back
After the smoke and ice cream cleared came the great clean up. It was the first time my feet have swelled a little from being on them all day. But swollen toes were just a little reminder of the glimpse I received Sunday evening on my back porch. Watching Mike's friends with their girlfriends reminded me of what it was like being single, dating Mike, going out and doing my own thing. But even during that time, I looked forward to the day when I would sit on the other side of the porch. The day where I would visit with my friends, watch my husband chase our kids, wipe the ice cream off their bellies, and threaten my friend's life if she gave them one more shot of sprinkles or dose of kool-aid so close to bed time.
Well...as the Bump and swollen toes remind me, that day is drawing near. Preparing party hats, bubbles and patriotic twizzlers for the cookout made me daydream about holiday and birthday parties I would soon be throwing. While Mikey sometimes seems a little overwhelmed (especially when all his friends abandoned him and he was forced to cross over to the baby toting side for a few hours Sunday) I am nothing but excited. We will get an entire year of holidays as a family next year. An entire year of "firsts" with our little bug. Our "This time next year..." statements are getting more and more abundant as we try to imagine what it will be like to have a little guy laying/crawling/running around our living room. Whatever that picture paints, I know lots of FUN will be in the drawing. I've been told over and over how hard it will be. While I 100% believe the words of wisdom I've been given, I also believe that any "hard" situation can be made better with a little creativity and flexibility. I'm in no way naive enough to believe I won't call my Mama or my best friend crying when I'm completely exhausted and the kid...just. won't. sleep. But that also doesn't mean, the world in which I deal with the crazy moments isn't 1,000x worth it in exchange for the hugs, laughter, parties, bathtimes, bedtime rituals and quiet moments that will also exist.
I just can't help but daydream, hope, pray...and be overwhelmed with excitement.
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