Happy Fourth of July!

Cousins!

This fourth of July we had family in town!! I was so excited when Luke and Courtney said they could come to Marshalltown to visit over the fourth of July weekend.  Jack and Savannah were very happy to have their cousin Brook come to play.  In the past, fourth of July has been kind of a bummer weekend.  I remember two times in Iowa City when we had no plans (one time I was on call), Chris didn't really want to travel to Sioux City, and we spent the day eating Jimmy John's in the park by ourselves.  The first summer in Marshalltown, we had just moved in and I was expecting Savannah and I had just started my new job.  No fourth of July plans.  Last summer, no family in town, crappy weather, another bummer.  This summer, oooooohhhhhhh no, lots of fun, family, food, sun, and big plans! 

Luke and Courtney got into town on Friday night.  I took Friday off to get ready for our guests and to enjoy the day with the kids.  We got up early, did laundry, grocery shopping, some cleaning, and after lunch and naps headed to the pool.  We loved the beautiful weather and the kids had a blast taking turns jumping to Daddy.  I play referee since apparently I am not as fun to jump to.  Jack and Savannah were already in bed when they arrived later that night, and Jack had been asking for Brook all day.  I felt bad that he didn't get to see her.  We got some very exciting news from Luke and Court........they are expecting a BOY!!!  They had their ultrasound that afternoon.  Courtney is six months along, they delayed the ultrasound a bit since they changed insurance with Luke's new job.  We were all so excited to talk about the new baby, and I even got to watch the DVD ultrasound with a video and photos.  He has such a precious little face, all squished up in there!  I can't wait to meet him. 

When Luke and Courtney said they were coming for the fourth, Christina and Nate said they wanted to come, and Amy and Jacob said they wanted to come.  I suddenly felt very popular and I LOVED it!  Of course I wanted everyone to come.  So, on Saturday morning around 7:40 my house was full of the people I love, eating homemade oatmeal, yogurt, fruit and bagels, laughing, talking, sipping coffee.  Ahhhhh, I was in heaven.  The guys left to play golf around 8, the ladies and Jack went to Roland for Jack's horse therapy.  We were very organized and had the car packed with everything in it for the pool so we could go straight there afterwards.  Jack's therapy went great, Brook seemed to really enjoy watching him ride.

After changing into suits and lathering up with sunscreen we were ready for fun.

 Snack time!

 Brook was a fan of the ring.

Brook found her own motorboat to ride on.



 Luke impressed us all with his gorgeous dives off the board.  Not really.

 Savannah enjoyed some air time.

So did Jack.

 

Our pretty preggers!

 Amy and Jacob soaked up the sun.

 Christina and Nate hung out by the sandbox and swing set with the kiddos.

We ate lunch at the pool and then headed home after a few hours.  Besides a few Savannah meltdowns, the kids did really well without naps.  We sat on the deck with beverages and let the kids watch Toy Story until dinner.

 Time to eat

 Mexican fiesta...the margaritas were a hit!

Thanks everyone for coming!  I had a great Saturday with you all!

On Sunday the guys headed out for more golf, Courtney and I took the kids to the park and they played outside.  The weather was overcast and we had hoped for more pool time but we didn't get that in.  Luke, Courtney and Brook headed home to Sioux City on Sunday afternoon.  Jack and Savvy both asked for "Book" when they woke up.  They had a wonderful time with their cousin, who I might add, is going to be the best big sister and such a help to her mom and dad.

 Glad Brook liked the tire swing, not a big hit with Jack yet.

 She was contemplating climbing down.

Savannah always has a death grip on that handle.  Good driving Brooklynn!

We finished up our weekend with frozen yogurt with my friend Samantha and her daughter Zoe, downtown, and a get together at our neighbor's house for a BBQ. We share a backyard with the Stewarts and it was fun to meet their family and friends.  We met some nice new families and our kids had fun playing with their kids.  Savannah was obsessed with this toy car, I think we may have to get her one for her birthday. We did sparklers and snakes in our driveway right before bed.  Savannah was content to sit close to me and watch.

Jack's first sparkler!

My four day vacation from work ended with a high note, with Jack having the courage and determination to jump off the diving board all by himself at the pool on Monday afternoon.  I must admit that about ten minutes prior to his jump I was suffering from jealous mom syndrome, watching the almost four year old son of a friend of mine, swim like a fish without a life jacket and jump off the board gleefully.  I gently reminded myself that it is okay to feel sad that Jack will do/learn new motor skills slower than other children.  (Besides, how many 3 3/4 year olds can swim like that?? ) I also said a prayer to God in gratitude for how far my little boy has come and to never take for granted the things he is able to do.  While these thoughts were drifting through my mind, Jack was standing next to the pool, watching the kids jump and he seemed to be thinking.  He announced that he wanted to jump off the board.  I dismissed him quickly, "saying, no Jack, that is for the big kids." Then, I thought, " hey, wait a minute, if he wants to jump, he can jump."  I waited to see what else he would say.  He just stood and watched for a few more minutes.  Finally he said to Chris, "Daddy, Jack jump off board."  I told Chris he should let him try.  So I stood in the four feet section of the pool and watched as my brave little boy held his daddy's hand and waited in line with the big kids.  When it was his turn he marched right down that board to the end.  Chris jumped in and treaded water for merely seconds.  Jack scanned the water, saw me waving, smiled and JUMPED.  No fear, no worries, just a jump.  What a kid!  That is my son, decides he wants to do something and does it.  Like he read my mind and thought, "Mom, its okay, I can do it too.  I just might need a little bit of help from Dad for awhile."  When I came closer to him he said, "I DID IT MOM!"  What a kid!!  I know Jack will continue to amaze me forever, a blessing from God.