Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy 4th of July!

We have had a very low-key day.  Richard and Cade are actually in Disney World for a baseball tournament!  I made the decision to pass on the trip because I did not want to combine the girls' first Disney trip with baseball, 200 degree heat and July 4th crowds.  I know I made the right decision, but I have to admit....every day when they call with the game report, I just get more and more ticked off!  This is Cade's last tournament and I'm missing it!  To add insult to injury, the team is 4-0 so far!

We did go to my parents' house for lunch today and I got some fun pics:

My dad grows a big garden every year. This year, he planted sunflower seeds with the girls. I can't get over how big they are and the girls are so excited!

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The kiddos spent most of the afternoon riding around in the golf cart.  The girls have actually gotten pretty good at steering :)
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I love these of Bryce pushing the girls on a swing.
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And then, of course, he had to have a turn :)
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We ended the night by watching some of our neighbor's fireworks show.  Gracie said it was the "best day ever!".  I think she's convinced I arranged it all just for her :)

5 comments:

Noneofyour... said...

Your vacation pictures are beautiful! I started thinking about our vacations as a family when I was young. We had a good life and I have no reason to complain. We had a beach house on South Padre Island and spent most of our summers there. In the winter, we spent our school breaks skiing. Seeing your pictures made me realize how hard my parents had it on these trips! There were three of us kids and we all got to bring a friend. We also usually sponsored four kids from the Baptist Children's Home nearby and when it was approved, they joined us too!

As much as I look back on those times, I realized just how much "work" those vacations were for my parents. We have one child. It was "seating for 12"...and the money to foot the bill!

I moved away from my parents 15 years ago when I relocated to PA. Our last vacation as a family was four years ago. My dad had been diagnosed with Parkinson's three years earlier and while he showed no physical symptoms, he suffered terribly with dementia. We all took a cruise to celebrate my parent's 50th anniversary and my dad passed away six months ago.

I miss him so much it aches. I was truly a Daddy's girl and I will cherish the memories of our weekly phone calls...even those when his memory often kept him from realizing who he was talking to. I sure learned some things about my dad that he would probably be embarrassed about if he knew HE told me!

I guess my point is more of just how much work vacations are. We recently returned from a 10-day cruise and Lilly is now 11 so I was thinking this cruise would be a breeze. It wasn't. Instead of a cranky toddler, I had a cranky pre-teen who didn't want to wear dresses to dinner and would have preferred to stay on our balcony texting with friends. We had fun and are building memories. My mother drove us all crazy by planning every single second of a vacation...I'm certainly more laid back and the three of us make decisions together. Each of us makes compromises knowing that when we get our way, the other two would be willing participants.

I feel our summer slipping too. This is the first summer I three years I've been permitted to drive since I haven't had any seizures in over a year...but Lilly and I find ourselves at home most of the time.

Leggio said...

Happy Fourth Friend!!!!! Always love the pics. Bryce is Hilarious!!!!

Anonymous said...

You made a great decision! I live in Orlando and 4th of July is a terrible time for Disney!

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

I'm a South FL girl (living in NY now) and you totally made the right decision. It is HOT in FL right now. That's not the first experience you want for the girls.

I love that Gracie things special days are just for her. So sweet and innocent. Priceless!

KK

Everything Beautiful Shay said...

What a fun day!!! I LOVE swinging pics too~ my dad has a big garden too. Need to take some pics! Happy 4th!!! Love and blessings!

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