My Once Upon a Time...

We hosted our first 4th of July party this year and it was a blast! The boys had been looking forward to it for weeks and Fox asked me almost every day how many more days until the party. My first attempt at jello shots. I was a little nervous about them, but they were gone by the end of the night, so I guess they weren't that bad? The only kid who will still take a picture with me. I don't think I've ever had this many people in my pool at the same time. I got this inflatable water slide for Fox's birthday, but the kids just wanted to use it as a boat the entire time. I was really nervous about my BBQ grill, because I hadn't used it in three years, and Katie told me it was too dangerous for me to even try (the ignitor is broken). Luckily I had some great friends who took the job as grill master very seriously and saved dinner!  I remember this moment here so vividly. We were all just chatting, the kids were all so happy playing with each other, and I told my friend...

Fox's 4th of July picture through the years...makes me want to cry! I remember taking his 2014 picture very vividly and it seems like it was just last year. Time is a thief and I'm having a hard time accepting it.  And then there's this guy. Luckily he only has two pictures so far, but I will blink and he will be just as grown up as Mr. Fox.  Last year we spent the 4th with a lot of our friends. My friend Corinne had a pool party and it was just an amazing day. When Corinne told me that she was going out of town for the holiday weekend, I contemplated hosting a pool party/ BBQ at our house, but with Covid and many of my friends still isolating, it didn't seem like good timing. I was bummed about not being able to spend the holiday with my friends and my kids being able to play with theirs, until my friend Trinidy told me that she was housesitting Corinne's house while they were away and Corinne had suggested to invite the boys and me over as well.  So in a turn ...

There are not many times that I would say "I wish we didn't take these pictures", but this was definitely one of those occasions.  Fox promised me that he would do a great job, but he was just as defiant to me as he was to our photographer. I was sweating by the time we were done, and not just because it was 100 degrees out.  Finn kept giving her the stink face too. Fox is very sensitive to sunlight, which is why he is squinting. Even at home he asks me to leave the blinds closed at all times, because it's too bright for him. He still had his front tooth when we took these, but it was hanging by a thread as you can see. And this is exactly how they both felt about this photo shoot. I always say, "it only takes one picture" and I guess that's the winner right here!  We don't have any more photoshoots until October...hallelujah!

We had an amazing 4th of July week this year! This was my first official solo holiday and luckily I got to spend it with my kids. I'm very worried about the holidays I don't get to spend with them, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. My friend hosted a pre 4th of July BBQ at her new house and we had an amazing time. Finn was so happy to play with the water table and all the big kids gave so much attention to him, he loved it.  Seeing my kids have fun is one of the greatest joys in my life. And seeing my friends love on my kids, is another one! This is what summer is all about! A few days later, my friend Kristy invited us to join them at the Princess Hotel to celebrate Jake's 5th birthday. They had booked a room there, so we were able to swim with them all day.  I don't know if I took this picture by accident or if Fox took it, but there's something about it that I really love. ...