4th at Grandma's

After the neighborhood 4th of July parade in the morning we gathered my dad from home and drove to Carol's. Everyone slept on the drive and we arrived there slightly rested after the morning's exertions. The cousins and Aunt Greta and Nicolle and Michelle arrived and bam - the kids were in the pool. Greta had bought a very good sized container of sangria which I helped empty and then we had a lunch of hot dogs (organic and nitrate free, mind you) and sausages and asparagus. And then for some reason instead of getting back in the pool we played out front for the hottest part of the day. The little kids careened down the driveway in tractors and scooters while Kai and Quinn and Devyn and I tried to play volley ball and soccer and basketball.

Later that night we drove to the parking lot of Nicolle's church and saw the New Braunfel's fireworks and ate tubs of ice cream from the Marble Slab next door. I'm sure the fireworks were no less interesting in size and scope than they usually are - or probably that's the problem - they all look exactly alike. Like previous years'. And other places. Even the kids seem jaded. But the ice cream was awesome.

On the drive back, Vivian asked if she could sleep with Mommy. Jo agreed. Then Evan wanted to too. At Carol's they always pack into Carol's bed - all three of them on top of one another. Jo tried to dissuade Evan - because our bed is smaller and there's no way Jo and Vivian and Evan could have slept on it without someone rolling off the bed at night. But Evan stuck to his guns. Till Carol reminded him that she had the TV with the cartoons in her room. Case closed. By the time we got home it was well past their bed times and the kids fell asleep without any arguments. A long and fun 4th.