Saturday, July 4, 2009

Saturday, 4 July 09 (INDEPENDENCE DAY)

Having moved in over the weekend of June 26, we had to put a bit of pressure on ourselves to have the house "company-ready" for our summer kick-off and introduction to the Division House on July 4th. We decided to skip out on several invitations for Independence Day festivities, and keep our party small & sweet: family only.

We kind of forgot that the phrases "small" and "our family" don't really go hand-in-hand. In attendance were:
Mom & Dad, Mom & Phill, Grandma Marilyn, Cousin Kevin & Christina, Cody & Samantha, Debbie, Tracy & Michael, Emma, Ethan, Anna & Grace, Kandi & Jim and Jaxon.
Matt's dad presented us with a surprise gift: a nice new (big) grill to replace our somewhat pitiful by comparison hand-me-down one we had. Matt slaved over hot dogs & hamburgers, while the rest of us enjoyed potato salad, Tracy's corn casserole, a vast variety of chips and iced tea. Lunch was followed by Matt's delicious dessert creation that included a graham cracker crust, cool whip and a patriotic assortment of berries.The kids loved the house ~ Cody and Ethan relished in the opportunity to play xbox undisturbed while their sisters & cousins played outside. Jaxon enjoyed the swing so much he fell asleep on it. Grace hardly left the kiddie pool, while Anna & Samantha found new ways to get dirty and Emma chased them all around.
As the sun and the party wound down a bit, we were able to hear fireworks from all directions. Unfortunately, our view of the Valley's show was blocked by a few big trees, but our neighbors down the street put on quite a show. We roasted marshmallows over our new fire pit and had s'mores (with peanut butter!).

All in all, it was a really great way to introduce the house to the family, and kick off summer!

No comments: