The 4th of July!

We found out Chris' family was having a big family reunion on the 4th of July this year, so Chris took a half day the day before the 4th and we decided to go to his parents' house. We were so glad we went! First, we got to spend the 3rd with several of his aunts, uncles, and cousins, and second, many of them hadn't met the babies yet, so that was fun, too. Just about as soon as we got there, Eleanor and Jane found Rachel and Jackie, whom they hadn't seen since this trip to Virginia Beach two years ago. It was so memorable for Eleanor though that she's talked about it for the last two years and couldn't wait to see them again. My girls promptly changed into ballet leotards and showed off their moves, learning lots from their big cousins. They also got to make ice cream with Gaby and stay up quite late!

The next morning we had a 4th of July water balloon fight!

We also took a couple family pictures.

We spent lots of great time at the house visiting with everyone. Eleanor and Jane were asked to be flower girls in Uncle Rob and Auntie Mollie's wedding! We also got a great picture of the three generations of twins all together for the first time.

Then we headed out to Great Falls for a larger family reunion (Chris' mom's cousins, etc.). We stayed for a few hours at the pool - Eleanor has now learned how to jump in the deep end and then swim to the edge by herself without help! We also had some delicious food, and when the babies and big girls started breaking down, we made our exit. We were having so much fun that we debating staying longer, but then both girls started throwing tantrums and the babies were crying so we called it and headed to my mom's.

The kids took naps in the car and we headed to my mom's house. We had a relaxing rest of the afternoon, but the highlight was seeing my grandparents! They had driven up from Texas and were able to meet the twins and see the rest of their great grandchildren. It was so special! They brought the girls all sorts of fun outfits from their travels around the world - and I'm actually hoping some of them will be used for Halloween this year - some cute kimonos from Singapore and hats from Thailand!

We grilled food, met the chickens (they have four!), and spent lots of time catching up.

My grandpa (Opa, or WGFP as we like to call him for "World's Greatest Fighter Pilot") organized a parade around the pool, complete with flags that I think he trekked up from Texas with. We sang the Star Spangled Banner, Yankee Doodle, and other patriotic songs while we marched until we got interrupted by fireworks.

That evening, Dave brought out fireworks that he's had for years and years but never used. The guys all took turns setting off displays for us while we watched. They definitely weren't legal, but my mom's house is very rural and it seemed like almost every neighbor had their own fireworks displays, too! We saw them going off over the trees in almost every direction. I guess that's what you do when you live out in the country!

It was a wonderful holiday!

Happy 4th of July!!