July 4th Vacation

We spent July 4th at our house trying to beat the heat.  In the morning we spent an hour or so at the pool so Lily could show off her swimming skills.  No, she hasn’t had swim lessons and no, she won’t get her hair wet, but she loves to jump off of the side and swim around with Daddy holding her.  Harrison loved the water as well, and as soon as we buy swim diapers, he will get to put more than just his feet in the pool.

After naps we attempted to take some photos of the kids in their July 4th outfits, but at first someone was upset and refused to sit with Harrison.

Finally, a hug and a smile.

On Thursday morning we drove to Virginia.  We spent a lovely weekend with our dear friends Torry, John, Alex, and Juliet.  Torry even organized a JMU reunion of sorts with a few of our college friends that also live in the area.  I hadn’t seen Kristin and Audrey in 10 years—not since Kristin’s wedding, in fact.  It was wonderful to catch up.

While we had fun chatting, the kids had fun swimming and running around together.

Lily is highly impressed with John’s juggling skills.

One morning we took a trip to a farm down the street from Torry’s neighborhood.  We only stayed about 30 minutes or so because it was SO hot, but it was free and close and the girls enjoyed themselves while we were there.

Rabbits and sheep—Lily was very happy.

The tractors were the most fun.

The Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum is just minutes from their house and parking is free after 4pm, so we headed to the museum to let the girls look at some airplanes and wander around for a bit.  They enjoyed a brief tour and walked hand-in-hand pointing out airplanes and people watching.

Even Harrison enjoyed looking at the planes.

On our way out of town on Sunday morning we spent a few brief hours at the Klingman’s house.  Aunt Melissa joined us and got to meet Harrison for the first time.

We had a wonderful visit with friends and family.

SN: It took me a few days before finally writing this entry.  I wanted to look back on the trip fondly, but I will never forget the screaming that took place on this 7 hour car ride.  Harrison is NOT a fan of his carseat or long car rides and let us know that he wanted out.  Lily also cried when I offered him her toys (she didn’t want to share), or his toys (she wanted a turn), or because Harrison was crying and she couldn’t hear her music or her video.  Next time I will get a picture of the chaos in the car, but it won’t be for awhile.  Family and friends are invited to our house; we’re staying put.