Fourth of July & Family Time

     This year, our fourth of July was almost as busy as Christmas, and we had a lot of fun. We started out by heading to my parents' house in Middle Tennessee to attend a Fourth of July celebration in Tracy City the weekend before the fourth.

     The celebration had a ferris wheel, bouncy houses, water slides, and all kinds of games and booths. The kids loved all the attractions. They played for a bit, and then we sat down to have dinner. After dinner, we browsed a few of the booths before heading over to the water to wait for the fireworks show to begin.

     Well, we waited and waited. The fireworks show was delayed so we ended up waiting for an hour for the show to begin, but once it started it was well worth it. It kept going and going and it seemed to get more beautiful with every shot. Rylee was intimidated by the loud sounds at first, but really loved the bright colors in the sky. After the show, we headed back to my parents' house to spend the night. The next morning, we went for a swim at a local lake. Then we headed home after lunch.

    Sunday night, we had our VBS wrap-up at Mary's Chapel, and there was supposed to be a fireworks show, but we had a scattered shower that lasted just long enough to cancel our show. So we headed back up to church on Wednesday night for Bible study and a fireworks show.

     Rylee still didn't care much for the noise, but was super excited about the fireworks. She just talked and talked, telling us everything that she saw. She is so observant and expressive, and I love to hear her talk about something that excites her.

     Thursday morning, we headed to Georgia. When we got there, we had a cook-out for the Fourth, then we just enjoyed the company. We were originally supposed to go to a fireworks show in their town, but it was canceled due to rain. However, the rain did let up for a while, and the neighbors decided to shoot some fireworks, so we watched from the porch. Rylee didn't seem to mind the sound at all this time. She has become a fireworks pro! :)

    The next morning, Paul took us on a golf cart ride. Rylee loved it! We saw 2 deer, some chipmunks, and various birds. Rylee was so excited about everything we saw. After our ride, we went to a local pizza place for lunch. They had a kid's combo that included a slice of pizza, an applesauce cup, and a drink. IT was like the combo was made for my picky eater! She ate her whole plate! When we got back from lunch, Rylee got a chance to pick fresh vegetables from Paul's garden. She loved the experience and seemed to be learning a lot about where we get different foods.

    After Rylee got up from her nap, we took her to the movies to see Epic in 3D. She loved it! She was completely still for the first half hour, then she started to seat hop, while still watching the movie. About halfway through the movie she lost her glasses and had to watch the rest of the movie without the 3D effects, but she still seemed to enjoy it. She talked about everything that happened in the movie the whole way back to Aunt Andrea and Uncle Phil's house.

    Saturday was our last day there. The boys headed to a gun show in Atlanta, and Aunt Andrea, Rylee, and I headed to a local toy store called Shenanigans. This toy store had it all, tons of toys, a pottery painting section, and an indoor play area! Rylee painted an owl for Payton's room, and then we headed to the back to play. Rylee slid, swung, played with a train table and doll houses, and jumped on a trampoline. She had a blast! Later, we went to dinner to pick up Ryan and hear about his day at the gun show and shooting range. Sunday we headed back home.

   Today, I really should've cleaned the house and gone grocery shopping, but instead I took Rylee to swim at Nonna's house because Mel and Austin are visiting this week. We had a lot of fun this morning, and now Rylee is napping. I feel like I could, too, but I won't. When she gets up, it will be time to get some things done... Fun, fun!