Ode to the Red, White and Blue

Sometimes you get a picture that you just consider a classic. Well, last year while we watched fireworks on the 4th of July, we captured what I consider a classic, especially since good family photos with all four of us is such a rarity.

Unfortunately, we did not have the same luck this year and in fact while Jake did eventually settle in and enjoy the fireworks, this year he started off complaining that he did not like how noisy the big ones were. I think he was just tired. And frankly so was I. In fact, while I still really enjoyed the 4th of July and spending time with my family, I was kind of in a funk that whole day. I think that all the running around we have been doing has just finally gotten to all of us. I really dislike the fact that we have to drive to get anywhere. Nevermind the gas prices, it just gets tiresome. We have been to Scottsdale, Vegas and Palm Springs all in the last 3 weeks. We had fun at each and every locale, but when you think about it, all that time in the car and away from home adds up and starts to take a toll. So, while it was a hard opportunity to pass up, we opted not to have the kids and I join Joe down at the beach in North San Diego this week while he is there on business. It pains me to miss the perfect beach weather but I know he will have other trips and if we are lucky, they will be while the sun is still shining on the coast. So this week it will just be the kids and I here in the stumps. Ah, but I digress. Back to the 4th of July...................

We had a wonderful day at my brother and sister in-law's house. Tawnya had really gone out of the way to make the occasion festive. The kids spent a lot of time in the pool, we released seed containing red, white and blue balloons in rememberance of my father and chowed down on wonderful food. It was the last day of my Mom's visit here in So Cal and both my Aunt Clara and Aunt Cindy and her family all joined us for the holiday. As in the tradition, we went to the community park to watch fireworks and while waiting for the show to start, the kids ran around with glow sticks. Jadyn really surprised me this year as she was the one who was really into the fireworks. Here is a cute picture of her and my niece Madison (who is 4 1/2) feeding off each other's excitement:

And here is Jake enjoying the show, from the secure comfort of Joe's lap:



After going back to my brother's for sparklers and more fireworks we then drove to my in-laws house where we stayed the night as we were celebrating another milestone birthday on Saturday for Joe's mom Anne. I got to spend the morning shopping for a dress to wear to an upcoming wedding and getting my hair done and I must admit it was nice to have some time to myself. We then had another nice BBQ with Joe's family before heading home. Needless to say Sunday was spent recouperating and while Joe is now traveling again and I hope he gets a chance to rest during his trip, I forsee the kids and I spending this entire week taking it easy.

So to sum up our weekend, it was full of fun, family, food and fond memories. Now I am ready for some R&R.