We were used to celebrating Independence Day, well- independently. So when it came time to celebrate with a child, we weren't quite sure what to do. Especially since Jacob was just a couple weeks old for his very first July 4th experience. What to do with a baby that age? Hmm...
1) Dress him up in red, white, and blue, of course. Obviously.
2) Spend time with family. Yea, this is good stuff so far.
Hmm, what else? Oh, hey, here's an idea:
3) Wait until he's nice and calm, then dip his feet in the water!
You can tell by Daniel's face that he was wishing he could speak, and warn us, "No! Don't do that! What are you thinking, man? He won't like it, he won't like it!!"
Daniel was right. Jacob didn't like it.
Fortunately, for Jacob's sake, we did a better job the following year. It's a little easier to celebrate with a 13 month old.
Hang out at the pool- check.
Spend time with family- check.
Attempt a family portrait in spite of bad hair days (at least Jacob looks adorable)- check.
Tease small child with a sparkler he wants so badly to hold- check.
Red, white, and blue pj's- check.
OK, we're making progress...how did we fare in 2007?
We celebrated twice- once with each of our families. On the 3rd, we traveled to Jeff's parents' house at the lake, so we could enjoy Grandmom's & Granddad's neighborhood festivities.
Uncle Scott, Aunt Tricia, and cousins Daniel & Lainey were there too.
Loving on little Lainey.
We had photo shoots with Nani. We thought it was fun then getting three kids to smile. Since then, we've had to up the ante and make four kids smile all at once.
There was moonbouncing.
Which is even fun when you fall down.
Pony rides.
Don't let the above picture fool you. Sure, he looks like he's enjoying it, but literally, 3 seconds later, I was given the signal for, "Put the camera down, woman. One picture's all you're getting of your cute son happily riding a pony. I've had enough of this." It's amazing what a simple hand gesture can communicate.
A moment of calm watching the sunset. Hard to tell who's who, isn't it? Jacob's on the right...Daniel's always the tanner of the two.
Time to head out on the boat and watch the fireworks from the lake.
It doesn't take long for delirium to set in when you're up past your bedtime.
One of my favorites of Jeff & Jacob intently watching the show in the sky.
And on the 4th, we spent the evening at Nan & Pop Pop's house.
Here's Mr. Patriotic with his flags & cute salute.
Another family portrait...look how huge I am at 7 1/2 months pregnant! I think it took me approximately 45 minutes to stand up again.
Time for Pop Pop's backyard fireworks show!
A fun 3rd & 4th of July it was in '07. Only 6 weeks away from my due date with Alex, we looked forward to celebrating with him next time.
I think he enjoyed his first July 4th much more than Jacob enjoyed his first. But I already blogged about that here.
We partied it up this year. We celebrated with each of our families and enjoyed time together with just the 4 of us. We were exhausted after such active days on the 3rd & 4th, but it was worth it. Both boys had a blast.
On the 3rd, we continued the tradition of spending the day at Grandmom's & Grandmom's house. Unfortunately, Grandmom & Nani weren't there to celebrate with us (they were both attending a wedding), but we had a great time with Granddad.
Waiting in line with Daniel & Lainey for the pony rides. Luckily, they were first in line, so we didn't have to stay patient for too long.
Check out the hand holding. Adorable.
This time around, Jacob absolutely loved it. He called out "Yeeee-haw!" several times.
Alex, on the other hand, had the same feeling about the pony rides as Jacob did 2 years ago. He would have been happy with less (or no) pony riding.
Luckily for Alex, there was moonbouncing again.
I promise he was just bouncing, but every time I see this picture, I think it looks like I captured Jacob doing the Roger Rabbit dance. Go, Jacob! Go, Jacob!
There was a giant, inflatable slide that I wondered if Alex would be afraid to go down. I should have known better. His expression may not scream enjoyment, but that kid couldn't seem to get enough of that slide.
The momentum got the best of him. But he loved every second of it.
Of course Jacob did too.
Boat rides were a must!
"We're SAILING!" (One of Jeff's & my favorite lines from "What About Bob?")
Now that he doesn't care about water in his face (it was almost a phobia up until about a month ago), Jacob's latest hobby is jumping into the lake (and the pool).
Alex enjoyed some lake swimming with Granddad.
And later enjoyed (as always) snacking with Daddy.
After dinner, and pre-fireworks, there was time for a little golf with Granddad.
"Where'd the ball go? Oh, I'll tell you where I hit that ball. Right in there."
A putting and chipping lesson from the course pro...aka Granddad.
When he wasn't picking up the other kids' balls and running away with them, Alex could be found chillin' in the golf cart.
We have to rake the sand trap before moving on to the next hole!
Heading to the next hole. I love how exasperated Jacob looks. I think sometimes he can relate to how celebrities feel around the paparazzi.
When on the golf course with these kids, golf water is an absolute must. I don't know what it is about this water...I suppose the cone-shaped paper cups make it taste extra delicious.
Four cute cousins.
We've had fun waiting, but it's finally time to head out on the boat and watch the fireworks over the lake!
Relaxing with my sweet nephew & "baby" boy.
Big kiss from my big boy.
And, delirium has officially set in. Hilarious to watch, though.
The show has begun!
This picture is awful quality, but I still love the identical expressions on their faces.
After the grand finale, we dressed exhausted and overtired kids in their pj's, and hit the road to head back home. Both boys fell asleep in the car within minutes. We all had a good night's sleep. We had to get our rest to prepare for another busy day on the 4th!
We started off the day at our neighborhood's clubhouse, where there was yet another moonbounce and slide to enjoy. Apparently, a moonbounce is a July 4th staple.
We ate lunch at the pool and of course did a little swimming.
Jacob jumping in the pool. I'm so proud of him for going underwater now.
Alex was jumping in the water while holding Jeff's hands. Since this picture, however, he jumps in all by himself like the big boy that he is.
The adults had fun too.
Then it was time to head to Nan's & Pop Pop's house for our final celebration. My Aunt Sandra (Nan's sister) & Uncle Don were there visiting, so it was wonderful to spend time with them as well.
Apparently, the boys did not get enough of the pool earlier in the day (I'm not convinced they can ever have enough pool time), so swimming was first on the agenda.
Jacob wanted to show off his skills in the pool. Nan & Pop Pop hadn't seen him swim since he started putting his head underwater. They were most impressed. Doesn't someone look proud?
I like this picture of Alex & Pop Pop.
And it reminds me of one I took of Jacob & Pop Pop in July 2007.
Time to dry off and get ready for dinner.
Aunt Kerri & Uncle Matt wanted a picture with their nephews. Can you tell Alex is very clearly saying, "Cheeeeese"?
Taking time to stop and smell the flowers.
The boys were too exhausted to stay for the mini fireworks show, but Pop Pop did set off a few firecrackers. Alex seemed confused and/or annoyed by the loud noises. And not surprisingly, Jacob loved it.
Snuggling with Mommy...already starting to get tired.
I think the boys had a very happy 3rd and 4th of July.
Uncle Matt took our family picture. I had to bribe Jacob with a brownie for dessert in order to convince him to pose. Buying the matching $5 flag t-shirts from Old Navy each year is a tradition.
We sure have come a long way since our very first Independence Day as a family!
2 comments:
I love going down memory lane on your blog. I can't believe it's been 4 years.
Mom
I'm a big fan of picture posts. and I love looking at the old ones. Amazing how time flies!
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