Over the weekend we went to the Averys’ annual 4th of July party. Because the 4th was on a Monday this year, the party was postponed until the next weekend. Liz found incredibly great tickets on Southwest. Because of storms in Philadelphia, the plane didn’t leave Raleigh until very late. This was a real bummer because we were going to spend Friday night with Christine and Todd. We got in at about 2:00 am. This wasn’t a big deal for E. She fell asleep in her car seat at about the regular time. Since the flight wasn’t full, E got her own seat. We were able to strap her in without waking her up. By the time we arrived, she was rested and ready to play. While the adults ate homemade brownies and homemade ice cream (yum!), E dissected a magazine on the floor. We had a really nice time catching up over breakfast. Todd and I even had a little time to geek out over computer stuff. Here’s a photo of E getting large amounts of attention after breakfast:
In the afternoon, we drove to the Averys’ (Shawn Marie’s mom and dad’s house). Their holiday get togethers remind me a lot of my family’s. It was very fun. There are some special things about the 4th party that you should know. First, there is a parade around the house/neighborhood. Everyone gets dressed up. If you haven’t brought your own gear, there is a large box filled with extras. Here is a picture of the 30 somethings:
It may be hard to tell, but there are actually 10 people and a dog in this photo. Check out the car in the background. Mr. Avery just finished building it out of a kit.
Here is a photo of the parade. Notice Darilyn, the beauty queen, (Shawn’s sister) waving to her public.
We were able to slow the two little ones down just long enough to take this picture of Mrs. Avery (”Aunt Cheryl”), G and E. G runs around like a champ now. He had a great time playing with his mom and dad in the pool. Hide and go seek really makes him giggle.
Here is E’s buddy over the weekend. E was watching some of the pictures while I worked on this post. She got very excited and giggled at Kimba’s photo. Kimba gets many kudos for being so patient and friendly with E. Little did Kimba know that this was just practice for a new little person coming to his house.
I had a chance to go through the photos/videos from our visit to Pete and Paula’s house. Above is a nice photo taken from the Argo. Notice the traps on the little barge in the lower right. We were so lucky to have such beautiful weather.
Even though its only a 4 day week, it has been long. After we got back Monday night, Liz left for a 2-day business trip on Tuesday morning. While E and I managed without mom, I am amazed to think that single parents can raise kids alone.
I think the photo below is awesome. How is this for a great back yard? Pete and I walked out here behind the house to watch Matty fetch sticks in the stream.
Right about now you’re probably thinking, “Hey Mike, the scenery stuff is great, but where are the people?” I put together a somewhat large video of the trip. You can see it here. I have to warn you that it is 3 MB. Without broadband, you’ll be waiting forever. With broadband, you can justify the $35-$45 dollars you send to your ISP every month.
These are just two quick pictures from our Lewiston visit. The picture above is of E being taken care of by her Uncle Pete. Pete held E for the entire boat ride back from the lobster boil. E also got tired out playing and giggling with her Uncle Pete on the boat ride to the lobster boil. They both sat on a boat bench with E’s backpack in the middle . Since E was not sitting in it, there was a nice tunnel through it. Pete would put his hand through and make ‘I’m gonna get you’ noises. E would giggle hard and push his hands back into the backpack tunnel. It was a pretty exciting day for her. I’m sure she’ll miss the attention this week.
For those of you who don’t know, Pete and I sound a lot alike. S and N were very confused when they were babies and I would visit. E was no different. Even if it was her Uncle Pete, she was a little unsettled when her dad’s voice was coming out of another person.
Above is a picture of Matty having fun playing fetch in the stream behind Pete and Paula’s house.
E enjoyed being around Shadow, Molly and Matty. She would squeal when they were around. If put on the ground, she would crawl as fast as she could towards them. When they would approach her though, she would brace for impact. Her eyes and face would squint up to prepare for any surprise canine kisses. Molly and Matty were both very patient around E. Shadow (a cat) was friendly but smart enough to stay at arm’s reach. 