Well, today was spent cleaning up the mess from the 4th of July and the party wasn't even at our house. Our neighbors had a fabulous party last night and we all had a great time. Lots of yummy food, adult beverages, fabulous fireworks, and a ton of kids dressed in their Independence Day best. I won't bore you with details and will let the pictures do the talking.
Things are slowing down a bit in our house. With Carson and Abbey's ball seasons over we aren't being torn in three different directions. I cherish the few weeks every year that this happens. Jordan had 3 games this week. They lost 2 of them. They were a bit off at the beginning of the week. He pitched the Carlisle game and came out strong with 3 strikeouts on the first 3 batters in inning 1. The next few innings he was pitching well, but they were hitting off of him and our defense seemed rusty. Carlisle has a really short outfield fence (aka..a short porch) and he had 2 guys hit home runs off of him. It broke my heart to see his shoulders slump down and his head drop each time it happened. He didn't give up and we are proud of that. He also executed an excellent double play that game too! Grandma Sump was there to see his great efforts. The coaches have been playing him at first base, which is quite a change for him. I think he likes it. We will wait and see where that leads.
Abbey spent some time at the pool this week. Always great on a hot day. She also makes many trips to the library to pick up new reading material. She loves to read many different genres. Abbey is a Youth Leader at her school and she received a letter this week of the opportunities for her to continue to work on her leadership skills. A lot of it has to do with Character Counts! and helping the 6th graders adjust to middle school life. We are so proud of her dedication to the improvement of herself, her school and her community.
Carson and Emma are just enjoying the summer. Ahhh, to be a kid again! They had a blast last night running around with all of their friends, watching fireworks, and thanks to one of our fabulous neighbors, watching a few movies outside projected on our neighbors house. I do have to say that their diet last night consisted of chips, cupcakes, cookies, juice boxes, Rolo's and Hershey's Kisses. Dana and I caught Carson sneaking over to the goody table under the cloak of darkness to get more chocolate. Who knows how many times we didn't see it happen. Emma was so kind to share a coat with the neighbor girl last night as the sun went down and the air turned cool. It was her brother's winter coat, but it was effective. You will see them both in winter coats watching the movie and the fireworks. We are just proud that she has a caring soul.
Dana and I are busy preparing for the first of our two trips to Table Rock Lake this summer. We are starting to round things up and make our don't forget lists. I love vacation but I hate getting there. Besides getting ready we are squeezing in 3 baseball games, Dana traveling out of town on business one night, and Emma's birthday party. We are down south for her birthday so we are having some kids over to celebrate before we leave. I am sure we will get it all done but I will be darn ready for some relaxing on the boat.
Well, enjoy the photos of a really fun neighborhood July 4th party!
