Independence Weekend

Right.  So I haven't been very good at doing the recap thing.  It's not that we haven't been doing stuff.  We're always doing stuff.  It's just that once the stuff is over I'm completely over it and don't want to talk about it anymore.  But this weekend?  Was the Best. Weekend. Ever.  We kicked it Old School Fourth of July style (2006, 2007, and 2008 are old school for me).  Friends, booze, and Funfettt.

What more could you ask for?  About 10 min after our out of town friends got here we were doing this:

Same goes for the next morning.

Some laziness was required what with the mojitos and wine from the night before.  And nothing is more lazy than chilling with your feet in a wading pool.  Of course eventually I had to go inside to make this:

4 bottles of peach Riesling Sangria to bring to a BBQ.  That's just how I roll.

Yeah.  I mean it's not a drunken watermelon (or a pineapple.  Holy God.  The time someone brought one of those - Sarah was that you? - was FUZZY.) but it was equally delicious and perhaps a bit more adult. 

Yes.  We drank it out of Fairview Hospital Birthing Center Sippy Cups.  Insulated and good for the environment.  Flawless.

And my kid got to play with sparklers which are about her favorite thing EVER right now.

The next day there is quite the gap in photos.  We went to Melt.  Finally.  Our friends have been trying to go there every time they come to Cleveland for years now with no luck.  We even scored an outside table with no wait!

The Dude Abides

Once the kids were down for their naps Michele and I took off for the pool.  We floated around for 2 hours and when we got back nothing had changed.  Both kids were still out.  The guys were still playing a video game, and I think even the dog hadn't moved.  It was that kind of a day.  But since we hadn't done much Matt got into Vigelante Mode and forced us all to go to the beach for dinner.  It was a great plan even if he had to drag our tired butts there:




The next morning our out of town friends said goodbye and we headed off to another BBQ:

Matt getting schooled in Bocce by my grandpa.  You don't beat someone at their own game.

Before catching the Lakewood fireworks from my parents' lawn.

My daughter described the fireworks as a cross between the MOON and SPARKLERS.   In other words she liked them.

Even the little dude seemed to enjoy the bright colors.  Glad we ignored bedtime (again. omfg) to catch them.  Although I've been paying this week.  Both kids are tired, crabby, off schedule, and a mess in general.

Worth. It.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, EVERYONE!