First 4th of July

Crusin in her pjs

She loved being pushed around in Papa's car.

Smelling Gigi's flower

Brad, Mary Ella, and I went to Springdale for the 4th of July weekend. Saturday was our big

family get together, and the day started sunny and nice as you can see from above. We had planned on going out on the lake before lunch, but it started raining so only the boys went fishing. The girls went shopping of course! Julie, Mike, Trey, Anna, Randy, Lindsay, Eli, Reese, Oma, and Opa came out to Gigi and Papa's for lunch. We had huge steaks and about every vegetable you could imagine. It was so good!

Mary Ella in her red, white, and blue

The big kids played in the pool in the yard even though it was raining.

ME watching the fun from the porch with Oma.

The weather cleared up in time for fireworks. Ranjo, Mike, Brad, and Joe had slipped off to the fireworks tent near the house and loaded up on goodies. They bought rockets, fountains, smoke bombs, stuff for the kids, and more! I don't know what it is with boys and fire, but they really put on a good show. Mary Ella was okay watching from the porch, but when it really got going she got scared, so Gigi took her inside.

One of the coolest things they bought were fireworks that shot out a man with a parachute. Anna found this one!

Running after the parachute man

Trey didn't last very long because he doesn't like loud noises, and we lost Anna when a rocket came a little too close for comfort. Reese was the only kid that stuck with us (Eli went home earlier with Oma and Opa), and she only peed her pants twice! Ha!

Brad and one of his rockets

Brad and Randy- shouldn't those be pointing up? They were trying to hit the bell in the yard. So safe!

Sunday we went to church in Johnson and had another great family meal afterward. Rita made fajitas with all the fixings. Our friends from Mississippi, Brady and Candice and their boys, joined us for lunch too. Candice is a dentist, and I had her check out Mary Ella's two bottom teeth. They were discolored, and I was wondering if she had a cavity. Surely, not yet right? I brush them 2-3 times a day! She said it just looked like they were stained and to wait and see what her other ones looked like. After their visit we took a family nap...yes all of us in one bed. Mary Ella is not a fan of the pack and play and usually ends up in bed with us when we travel. Makes for very close sleeping quarters. After church that night, Gigi and Papa took the girl home with them, and Brad and I went on a double date with Mike and Julie. Their kiddos had gone to the drive in and were spending the night with Reese and Eli. We had dinner at Jose's and went to see the movie Grown-ups. It was predictable, but a cute, clean movie. Brad had Monday off, so we got to visit a little longer. The weather was nice, so Papa took us out on the boat.

Mary Ella's first boat ride

Our captain

She fell asleep on the ride out and back.

We stopped for a swim. And when she saw Papa in the water, she started kicking like she wanted in too!

Poor thing could hardly move in that life jacket. Not enough room for the cheeks!

Brad and I jumped off the bluff in this picture. It's higher than it looks!

Going for a little dip...she didn't really like it because she couldn't move in the life jacket.

Sweet cheeks

We were on the bank by lunchtime, so we were able to have Guido's before we went home. Got to get it in somehow! Also before we left we visited another dentist friend of the family. We actually went in his office and he and his assistant looked at ME's teeth. They also thought it wasn't decay but staining, and a scratch with an instrument proved they were right. He asked what she had been eating, and I went through a short list. When I got to blueberries he said, "That's it!" He sent us home with a real toothbrush (I had been using a gel one), and said it should brush right off. And it did! Isn't that funny? I guess that just goes to show how much we eat berries at our house...blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries. She's like her Mama and loves them all!

After her first trip to the dentist

Brush, brush, brush