Our Fourth of July weekend was busy in the best way, and we made sure to carve out time to enjoy the holiday with family. The long weekend began on Thursday afternoon with a stroll around a new park we had never visited before. It was hot, but the setting was lovely and worth being outdoors.
One of the best parts of the park was a shaded tunnel that ran under the road. It provided welcome relief from the sun, and Clara could have played in there for hours.
That tunnel is where we got the photo we later shared on Instagram that afternoon.
After returning home to cool off, and after Clara took a nap, we walked to a neighbor’s barbecue. It felt great to be welcomed so quickly into the neighborhood. Clara had a blast running around the backyard with another little girl who quickly became her new best friend for the day.
The 4th didn’t stop there. Around 8:00 p.m., near Clara’s usual bedtime, we headed out to meet my family for a local fireworks display. The fireworks were scheduled to follow a Squirrels baseball game, so we joined many others in the Science Museum parking lot and waited through the end of the game. To pass the time we entertained ourselves with silly faces and a lighthearted contest—Todd ended up the winner, in case you’re wondering.
By the time the fireworks finished it was nearing 10:00 p.m., so we called it an early night to rest before more guests arrived the next morning. Clara’s cousins, Elsa and Edison, came over with their parents to spend the day and be our first overnight guests in the new house.
The following day was low-key but full of simple pleasures. We relaxed on the deck, went out to lunch, and let the girls try lemons just for fun. Later that evening we took advantage of the free friends-and-family night at the local pool, which everyone enjoyed.
The festivities picked up again the next morning, which also happened to be my sister Katie’s birthday—she and her family had driven down from New York for the weekend. We offered to host a casual birthday breakfast in our kitchen, which felt especially nice as we’re still settling into the new home.
I even got up early to add a little decoration, making one of my mom’s traditional birthday signs. I blurred her age out as a courtesy, but I kept the playful 80s Bon Jovi photo in the banner because it felt fitting.
Food for the breakfast stayed simple: pancakes and scrambled eggs from our kitchen, with my family bringing along a few additional dishes. It was a practical, comforting meal and a good excuse to use up some leftover party plates.
The morning offered a lively test of how our house handles having six kids under four running around. Although this photo looks calm, the reality was more chaotic—everyone had a lot of energy—but the kids had fun and the house fared just fine. Burger did too.
After breakfast our morning guests headed home, and we enjoyed a bit of downtime before the next visitors arrived. Sherry’s brother Dan (affectionately known as Uncle Monkey), his wife Ali, and their dog Sasha drove down from New Jersey for a short visit that included a trip to one of our favorite parks.
Clara is old enough now that our walks involve far more of her walking on her own and less time in the stroller. I like that she’s exploring more, though it sometimes means we choose routes that aren’t stroller-friendly. When she decides to abandon the stroller mid-walk, I find myself improvising and carrying things in creative ways.
Stroller or not, we enjoyed the visit from Sherry’s family. Clara clearly adores her Uncle Monkey, and their bond is unmistakable.
Dan, Ali, and Sasha left early the next morning to try to beat holiday traffic, which left us with a quiet day to ourselves. It was a welcome breather—and it also happened to be our wedding anniversary, which is a story for another post.