Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! For the last, I don't know how many years, the 4th of July has been one of those holidays that left me feeling sour about holidays in general. The crowds at the beach, the crowds to watch fireworks, the crowds at the grocery stores...people in general! This year the 4th regained it's old sense of spirit for me.
We went to the beach...yes we are totally nuts but it's one of those things that we just HAVE to do, crowds or not. But now that we get up at 6:45 or so, getting to the beach early really isn't that big of a deal! So down we went and it was crowded, but not too bad! The kids are old enough to both play near the water, dig big holes in the sand and watch water rush in and get totally covered in sand and get totally exhausted. So that's what we all did along with half the city of San Diego until Owen's nap time.
Next was a BBQ at my Grandma's house and Uncle Bob was there which always makes for a fun time for everyone...kids especially. You see, Uncle Bob is like the pied piper with kids. At my birthday parties growing up, the party didn't start until Uncle Bob got there...there are people my age out there who still think of him as Uncle Bob! My kids are no different, Chloe ADORES him. So seeing her light up when he got all silly brought back all kinds of great memories of growing up and being the same way when Uncle Bob came around.
Then we brought out the bikes and the kids rode their bikes in my Grandma's cul-de-sac until it was time for fireworks. There was a little boy Chloe's age across the street and the kids all played and had a blast in the middle of the street until it got dark. Watching them reminded me SO much of growing up on my old street. We had 3 families that all played together and we were all best friends in one way or another. Every night during the summer we would all play in the middle of the street until the sun went down. This night had the same kind of feel, it was really fantastic.
Next were the fireworks. Always fun, but the kids being the age they are and it being Owen's very first fireworks made it all the more special. We sat in the grass on a picnic blanket with the kids on our laps oohing and aaaahhhing, coudn't ask for a better night!
To make the weekend even more amazing we went to the wedding of one of the girls that I grew up with on my old street the next night. The wedding itself was spectacular, just that it was at the Four Seasons and they had a 12 person band that was incredibly good! But all the old gang from our street growing up were there...my best friend who I hadn't seen since we moved from that house 16 years ago, her sisters and parents, the family of the bride...it was so unbelievably cool! I felt like I was 11 years old again and didn't have a care in the world. See most people I know now have known me since college or later. But to run into people who knew you as a little kid is really cool. It was basically like reuniting with family...a whole lot of family :)
So yes...my faith in the 4th is back, all it took was a trip back to the past to see how much fun it will continue to be as the kids get older...I can't wait!
We went to the beach...yes we are totally nuts but it's one of those things that we just HAVE to do, crowds or not. But now that we get up at 6:45 or so, getting to the beach early really isn't that big of a deal! So down we went and it was crowded, but not too bad! The kids are old enough to both play near the water, dig big holes in the sand and watch water rush in and get totally covered in sand and get totally exhausted. So that's what we all did along with half the city of San Diego until Owen's nap time.
Next was a BBQ at my Grandma's house and Uncle Bob was there which always makes for a fun time for everyone...kids especially. You see, Uncle Bob is like the pied piper with kids. At my birthday parties growing up, the party didn't start until Uncle Bob got there...there are people my age out there who still think of him as Uncle Bob! My kids are no different, Chloe ADORES him. So seeing her light up when he got all silly brought back all kinds of great memories of growing up and being the same way when Uncle Bob came around.
Then we brought out the bikes and the kids rode their bikes in my Grandma's cul-de-sac until it was time for fireworks. There was a little boy Chloe's age across the street and the kids all played and had a blast in the middle of the street until it got dark. Watching them reminded me SO much of growing up on my old street. We had 3 families that all played together and we were all best friends in one way or another. Every night during the summer we would all play in the middle of the street until the sun went down. This night had the same kind of feel, it was really fantastic.
Next were the fireworks. Always fun, but the kids being the age they are and it being Owen's very first fireworks made it all the more special. We sat in the grass on a picnic blanket with the kids on our laps oohing and aaaahhhing, coudn't ask for a better night!
To make the weekend even more amazing we went to the wedding of one of the girls that I grew up with on my old street the next night. The wedding itself was spectacular, just that it was at the Four Seasons and they had a 12 person band that was incredibly good! But all the old gang from our street growing up were there...my best friend who I hadn't seen since we moved from that house 16 years ago, her sisters and parents, the family of the bride...it was so unbelievably cool! I felt like I was 11 years old again and didn't have a care in the world. See most people I know now have known me since college or later. But to run into people who knew you as a little kid is really cool. It was basically like reuniting with family...a whole lot of family :)
So yes...my faith in the 4th is back, all it took was a trip back to the past to see how much fun it will continue to be as the kids get older...I can't wait!
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