4th of July

We have had a lot of fun this week with friends and family. Last Saturday, Emmy was invited to a party at her classmate Norah's house. Norah has a birthday in late December, but she and her parents wanted to celebrate with a summer party instead, complete with a bouncy-house water slide and a Dip-n-Dots truck! Most of Emmy's classmates are still going to school this summer, and we always wave to the building as we drive by. Emmy was excited to see her friends again and especially excited about all the sweet treats.

On Monday, we had a pool day with the Williamses and Houstons, and then on Tuesday, we went to the Science Center with the same crew. Grammy and Grandpa joined too. The kids loved seeing the new animals of Revolution Ridge and exploring the new tree-house play area. We had up-close views of the pigmy hippos and the tiger. We always have a fun time at the Science Center. 

We talk about how Emmy can "ghost" you in a heartbeat, meaning she will not respond to your questions or even look you in the eye. Aunt Megan captured this photo on the way home from the Science Center when all of a sudden, Emmy decided she no longer wanted to talk. See Exhibit A of ghosting: 

Despite the incident above, my sister and Emmy have a very sweet relationship. This week, Aunt Megan painted Emmy's fingernails "rainbow" and she was so excited. Unfortunately when you are a playful 4-year-old, nail polish doesn't stay on that long...but they looked very good for a split second. 

One funny moment from this past week, Emmy had one of her dolls under her shirt, and I asked her what she was doing. She said: "Baby is drinking milk from my skin like when Eli drank milk from your skin." She doesn't quite know the names for all the female anatomy, and I just giggled as she explained the process of breastfeeding in her own terms. It has been several months since I stopped breastfeeding, so it is funny that I caught her imitating me now. She was even sitting in my chair where I would often sit. 

We just returned home after spending the weekend at the lake. With the 4th of July falling on a Sunday, Boomer had a long weekend with both Friday and Monday off, so we left mid-morning on Friday. On our way there, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant called Lefler's Place. The half rack of ribs was a huge hit with both of my boys. Ribs are one of Boomer's favorites, and it just so happened to be the Friday special. After filling our bellies, we drove the last few miles to the lake and spent the afternoon outside playing in the yard and on the dock. On Saturday, Goosie, Darby, and their crew arrived around lunchtime. Emmy loved jumping on the large floating lily pad with her cousins, while Eli entertained himself by splashing around in the baby pool. The 4th of July parade was in the afternoon, so we took a break from the water to see the fire trucks and golf carts. Later that evening, we went out on the water to see the fireworks. It was Emmy's first time seeing the fireworks at the lake since we have usually stayed back at the house for bedtime. After watching the fireworks, she feel asleep during the short boat ride back to the house. All of the kids were pretty tired, as were the adults, so it was lights out right away. Today we played outside again for almost the whole day. Lake days are like that: we all head outside right after breakfast, and we are either on the deck, the dock, or the boat until sundown. We are back in Kernersville now and looking forward to the day off with Daddy tomorrow. Hopefully the day starts with everyone sleeping in!