Bittersweet Independence Day Weekend

It sneaks up on me now.
I don't even know it's happening until I'm crying for no reason & Donna says "I know whats going on."
Only then do I realize it's 2 days before my Dad's birthday, which is July 4th, & I'm ultra emotional without even realizing it.
Funny how these things start to sneak up on you subconsciously when you think you finally have a hold on your emotions & grief.

Although everything about The 4th of July reminds me of my Dad, we still had a good weekend, visiting family, working on projects, & of course celebrating our country's independence.

We started the weekend relaxing, sort of. We ran some errands Saturday, caught up the laundry & relaxed the rest of the day.

Sunday we got up & headed to Donna's parents bright & early. It's a 3 hour drive on back roads that is not the least amount of fun but we make the most of it. I packed the slip n slide & the boys' scooters so they had plenty to do while we were there visiting. We went out for lunch soon after we arrived. After that Donna's Dad needed some helping clearing some brush from the yard, so while she helped him, the boys played on their slip n slide. In between taking tractor rides of course. They played inside & outside most of the afternoon while we visited & caught up with all the going on of Donna's Mom & Dad. They seem to be doing good. Staying inside most of time in our wonderful FL heat. We left about dinnertime to head back home, stopping for happy meals on the way & then dog food when Eason started dry heaving. That pup cannot go much past a mealtime without getting sick, I guess most of us can't really.

Monday, Donna had to go into work for a few minutes just to get timecards entered. Garren & Caden wanted to tag along but Kellan was not interested in getting back in the car. My sister & her family came over in the afternoon for a BBQ. My sister had a patient up in our neck of the woods so she went to see them & we put my BIL to work while the kids all played.

 I've wanted to put up a pallet wall since we moved into the house. Donna was not on board until we stayed in the cabin last month. Suddenly she liked the idea of a wood, cabin like wall. I wasn't on board with the pine cabin look but we came to happy compromise with a weathered cedar wall planking kit we found at one of the big box stores. We have rearranged the furniture in the house for about the 15th time since moving in a year & a half ago but I think we have finally figured it out & are happy with it. Two women with two different style ideas is a pain in the tail!

We ended the night with watching fireworks in our neighborhood. Kellan & Caden are not fans of the 'booms' so they mostly watch from a window but our neighbors throughout our neighborhood put on a pretty good show. Good enough to not feel the need to fight the crowds at the beach. Our neighbors across the street invited the boys over to light some fireworks (sparklers really while the grown ups lit the good stuff) Garren was the only one that stayed. After a few distant booms, Caden & Kellan headed for cover.

And we cross off #20 on the Summer Bucket List...

1. Grow a vegetable garden

2. Pick Blueberries

3. Go to Kennedy Space Center, aka see space rockets

4. Climb mountains

5. FIND sharks teeth!!!

6. Go bowling

7. Make the dye shirts

8. Go to a drive in theater

9. Make fancy bird/fairy houses

10. Take a family vacation

11. Go fishing 

12. Ride water slides

13. Go camping

14. Hang out with our triplet BFFs!!!
15. Check out 2 new State Parks
16. Make paper mache' planets

17. Discover a new beach
18. Go hiking
19. Go to the waterpark
20. See fireworks

SBL #6, 8, & 15 - 4th of July in Charleston, SC

Our original 4th of July (my dads birthday) plans were quashed by Donna's job (once again) My younger bonus sister was hosting the 4th this year & I was really excited for our gathering & making of a 4th of July tradition.

4th of July 2014, all the grandchildren,
Clark, Tucker, Aliyah, Nadia, Kellan, Caden, Chandler & Garren

Donna was asked to go to Charleston to help out the station there for a week. Traveling to my bonus sister's place, then home  & to Charleston the next day was going to be too much. Since we couldn't make it to our original plans, the boys & I decided to tag along with Donna to Charleston for a few days. None of us had been to Charleston before, so I was pretty excited to check it out.

Although Donna wasn't scheduled to be there until Sunday, we headed up friday night so we could take in some of the attractions on the 4th.

The boys LOVED the hotel & would have been perfectly content playing there 

all weekend long but we were cruel & took them out into the city.

There was a fancy outlet mall close to the hotel so we started out there on Saturday. Caden & Garren picked out some new tennis shoes for school but Kellan was still pouting about having to leave the hotel. Kellan did try on one pair but they were too small & they didn't have the next size up, so he went back to pouting. After a little shopping & lunch we headed back to the hotel for a nap in preparation of a late night out watching fireworks. 

When everyone woke up we decided to go to Patriots Point to see fireworks over the USS Yorktown. (idenote: the New York Tim.es said that Patriot Point was one the best 4th of July parties in the nation, I think the New York Tim.es needs to visit umm, maybe Bradenton, FL. Maybe I'm a little bias but I don't think I have been to or seen better fireworks than my hometowns since I left there 18 years ago)Patriots Point was awesome, I loved seeing the USS Yorktown but as far as a party, it was not. There was a bounce house & an inflatable slide for the kids. Two restaurants had booths set up for food&there was a beer tent & another cocktail booth.There were some small name bands playing on a stage that no one paid any mind to. A couple news stations also had booths but that was pretty much it. The boys bounced & slid to their little hearts content, we got some drinks & walked the whole place before deciding to get a blanket & claim our plot to watch fireworks from. 

Garren

Kellan & Caden

Kellan

Caden

Kellan

Garren & of course a little girl

The boys & surrounding kids had fun blowing bubbles & playing chase while we waited for fireworks but about 8:15 the sky turned dark & everyone's phones started beeping with weather alerts. People were waiting it out & people were still arriving too. We waited it out a bit & when the boys announced those were "nasty clouds!" we headed to the car. We made it just in time too, as soon as we got in the car the rain started to pour. We decided to head back to the hotel, order room service & watch fireworks on tv.

The USS Yorktown just before we fled the storm

Sunday we headed out to The City Market downtown. It was great, such an eclectic collection of shops. We walked downtown just a little before the boys gave out on us & we needed to head back to the car. We would love to go again either with a babysitter in tow or alone. It is a lot for little kids & I'm sure not that interesting, at least for our 3. 

From Downtown we headed to Boone Hall Plantation...

The Avenue of Oaks

The house

Kellan

Caden

Garren

Cotton Gin, under construction

Caden, Garren, Kellan, finally cooperating for a picture

cute little building next to the butterfly aviary

Family photo taken by a complete but very nice stranger

Monday, I decided to take the boys to the South Carolina Aquarium while Donna worked. They had never been to an aquarium before but LOVE all things sea life so I was pretty sure it would be fun for them.

A fountain for 3 on our way in :)

We started at the stingray & shark pool where we were able to pet the stingrays & bonnet head sharks. Stingrays are Garrens new favorite!

Garren & Caden then dissected some owl pellets, Kellan was having no part of the grossness

There were play areas all over for the kids, this was suiting for Garren, lol

Playing amongst the Meerkats 

Pulling in a crab trap

Jelly fish have been a long standing favorite of the boys'

Checking out some fish & turtles

Checking out some birds...

Lion fish

Sea turtle

Making sure the cleaning is done right

Playful otter

Ready to go with their new toys

The boys enjoyed the aquarium, they loved all the touch tanks & actually listened & learned a little about sea life. They LOVED the giant tank with the sea turtles, sharks & really BIG fish!

Every night of our trip Caden asked to go home. He did this on our beach vacation too, I think our biggest boy gets home sick & misses his pup pups & kitty cats. In bed he would cry & say he needed his puppies. Donna worked quite late monday & felt horrible about it, so I decided to head home with the boys on tuesday. They had had enough fun & I didn't want Donna worrying about getting back to us while she was working.

The boys, ready to head home

A little comic relief from Caden on the drive home.

Charleston was awesome! I can see why people travel with a babysitter now though. There was a lot we would have enjoyed more if not for having to keep 3 littles entertained or maybe it was just that it was a holiday weekend? We will definitely go back again, maybe in a year or 2 & not on a holiday.

We're checking visit a new city, see fireworks (fail) & visit an aquarium of our Summer Bucket List :)

The 4th Will Never Be The Same

The 4th of July will never be the same for us, it was my Dad's birthday. Up until we all started having babies (now that my nephew's birthday is the very next week we wait & get together then) we always got together for the 4th & celebrated my dad, BBQs, cookouts on the beach, fireworks, you name it. I loved celebrating my dad & I loved that his birthday always ended with a big bang & usually a wonderful show.

Happy Birthday in Heaven Grandpa!

Clark, Tucker, Aliyah, Grandma holding Nadia, Kellan, Caden, Chandler & Garren.

This year to remember my dad, my sister hosted a cookout at her house. My bonus mom Marie & my 2 bonus sisters & their families traveled in for the day (some for the weekend.) 

The girls; Aliyah & Nadia

Aliyah & Clark

Tucker, Clark, Garren & Aliyah

Tucker, Aliyah, Clark & Kellan.

Grandma got everyone a 4th of July shirt for the occasion :)

Nadia

Tucker, Uncle Aaron & Chandler

After we all ate lunch we celebrated our niece Aliyah's 3rd birthday which was on July 3rd. My bonus sister Meg made beautiful & delicious cupcakes for the occasion.

Tucker, Chandler, Kellan, Clark & Aliyah, as we all sang Happy Birthday

Clark helping Aliyah blow out her candle

After eating & celebrating everyone changed into their swimsuits & we headed to the clubhouse for some bounce house bouncing & swimming pool fun! My sister's community put on a nice 4th of July party with bounce houses, some carnival games, a cookout, snow cones, cotton candy & so on... 

The boys are new to loving bounce houses, the few times we've been places that have had them we've had to sort of shove the boys in & they never would stay in long. My nephew has one & the few times my sister & BIL have babysat recently the boys have all played in it. So when we encountered the bounce houses at the 4th of July party the boys dove right in. All the kids loved bouncing & ran from bounce house to bounce house. 

Clark, Garren (in back), Kellan, Aliyah & Tucker

Garren & Aliyah

The boys & Clark

Aliyah & Garren

After working up a good sweat, we all headed to the pool. Our little fish barely got their puddle jumpers on before running & jumping right into the deep end. Everyone, even the grown ups enjoyed cooling off in the pool.

Grandma, Clark, Tucker & Garren

Aunt Mindy, Kellan, Aliyah, Garren & Caden

Uncle Steven & Chandler in the water, Grandma & Mom Mom keeping a close eye on everyone

Our little fishies :)

Donna & I & the boys had to call it quits a bit early. We had the dogs at home that needed to be let out, figuring in drive time we wanted to be sure not to leave them more than 8 hours so we headed out about 4pm but not before Grandma got the boys their first ever cotton candy & snow cones. Just what they needed, a sugar rush before an hour & a half long ride, lol... They loved both & have been asking for snow cones ever since.

Chandler

Kellan (that belly! lol) Caden & Garren

Kellan

Kellan & Caden, his expression is so funny!

***checking snow cones off our summer bucket list!***

Our plan was to come home, let the dogs out, eat some dinner & head out to one of the beaches to see the fireworks but the boys were beat. They had so much fun playing with all of their cousins , aunts & uncles & their grandma that they just couldn't handle a late night out, so regular bedtime is what they got & Donna & I watched a movie & relaxed.

It was a great day & I loved that everyone was able to come & be together for what was still an emotional day but a whole lot more fun together & that's what my dad would have wanted.