4th of July

This is probably going to be a pretty long post, so be prepared. :) We packed quite a bit into our extended holiday weekend. We had a lot of fun, though! I was fortunate enough to have Friday off of work, so we were able to go to Warsaw to visit aunts, uncles, and grandparents before going to the Columbia City fireworks. My aunt baby-sits a little one and has borrowed some of our "gear" that we do not need any longer (for now). Well, Ella spotted her old exersaucer and wanted to get in it....doesn't quite fit her any longer, but she sure had a good time with it! It really put into perspective how much she's grown! After spending some time there, we headed to a get-together at one of Brad's friend's who lives really close to the park where they were letting of the fireworks. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with El and how she would react to the fireworks. But, once they started, her eyes were glued to the sky! She really liked them...after about every one, she'd say "cool!" It was cute.

One of the reasons we really like where we live is all the activities they plan throughout the year. For every 4th of July they have a bike parade where children can decorate whatever they're riding in or on and they have a contest to see who has the best decorations in certain age groups. The local firemen are the judges, and they lead the "parade" through the neighborhood and over to a park where we then have a picnic all together. We have done the picnic in the past, the park happens to be right across the street from where we live, but this was our first year participating in the parade. We decided to decorate her wagon, and she had a ball riding in it!

After that was through, we went to a pool party across town. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the greatest for being in a pool. Ella did sucker one of the teenagers there to take her swimming, so Brad and I gotta stay dry. :) I knew I liked those teenagers for some reason....ha We had a good time there, and then came home. We let a few fireworks off with the neighbors, but it didn't last long with the rain, and Ella wasn't quite so sure about those, since they were a LOT closer than the ones the night before. She didn't cry, but she held on to me VERY tightly and held her ears.

Sunday afternoon/evening we went to the farm to see Brad's brother and his family and have a cookout and one more night of fireworks. (I think I've had enough for the year now!) They have a pool and it was a much nicer day to swim! Here's Ella and her cousin Justin getting a head start out to the pool. Doesn't she look cute in her little patriotic suit??
She's having a blast!
Just chillin'
Well, I guess that wraps up the weekend! It was busy, but it's always fun to spend time with family and friends, especially when it involves an extra day or two off work! :)