4th of July Weekend

This weekend was the epitome of work hard play hard.  We got so much accomplished and we also had lots of fun in the process!  Let’s get started!

Friday started out with a carnival at Olivia’s school.  They typically do a 4th of July parade, but this year they decided to change it up and have a carnival instead.  There was a bouncy house, snow cones, watermelon, a firetruck, and lots of carnival games. Olivia loved the bouncy house but she kept getting frustrated because she kept falling over a ton.  Haha.

When the carnival was over, B and I both had to go back to work, but both of us were able to sneak out a bit early to start our long weekends!  Friday evening we went out for Italian for dinner, and then we bought a mattress set for Jacob’s big boy bed.  We had just gotten home around 7:30 and the kids and I were playing and all of a sudden the power went out.  Very bizarre since it was perfectly sunny outside with not even the slightest of breezes.  I expected it to come right back on, but after five minutes or so it was still out, so I jumped on our neighborhood Facebook page to see if it was just us or if any of our neighbors had lost power as well.  Sure enough, tons of people were already on there asking what was going on, and it appeared that about half of the neighborhood still had power and the other half did not. 

I immediately called the power company and they said that they were aware of the problem, but that it would be around 9:45 before it came back on.  Eek.  With temps still looming in the mid-90’s at 7:30, I knew that we were going to burn up if we had to wait until almost 10 for the power to come back on.  Not the way I wanted to spend my Friday night.  Fortunately it ended up coming back on around 9, so B and I celebrated with some Moscow Mules and then we settled in to watch The Martian.  Oh, and apparently a tree had fallen on the power line up the street and that’s what had put us all out.  Strange that a random tree would just fall when there were no storms.  It was an interesting evening, needless to say!

Saturday we got up and made some red, white, and blue confetti waffles.  The kiddos love them!

After breakfast was over, we got to work on Jacob’s big boy room.  B painted while I cleaned out every inch of his room – drawers, shelves, toys, closet.  Not one thing in that room went untouched and we now have a heap of stuff that we’re getting rid of.  Shhhh, don’t tell Jacob. 

Last picture in his baby room.  Sigh.  Where is the time going...

Our happy little helper... she's wearing four tutus in this picture.  FOUR.  Lol.

We took a break for lunch, popped Olivia in her crib for her nap, and then kept at it until it was time to get ready for church.  Fortunately both kids were very well behaved all morning and we were able to get the entire room painted and cleaned out.  Unfortunately, I ended up hating the paint color and I decided that we were going to have to repaint.  Oh man, was I mad.  I had been going for a light brownish-grey, but with the lighting, the color had turned out to look tan, peach, orange-ish, and yucky.  It was way too warm when I had been going for a cool tone. 

Soooo, we headed to church, had Mex with my parents so I could drown my sorrows and frustrations in tequila, and then we headed back to Lowe’s to grab another gallon of paint.  And this time we went with what we know – Sherwin Williams Sticks and Stones.  It’s the same color that we have throughout our living room and kitchen and it’s the perfect neutral shade.  And most importantly, it’s not peach.  Should have just gone with what we knew in the first place, I guess…

Old color on the right, new BETTER color on the left

After the kiddos were in bed, B and I watched The Longest Ride and then called it a night.

Sunday Jacob and I got up before everyone else and headed straight to his room to paint.  I wasn’t about to ask B to do it again since he had done the whole thing already… I felt terrible!  However, when he got up, he came to join me even though I didn’t ask him too (I sure did marry a good one) and we knocked it out quick!  He did part of the trim, and then I rolled the whole thing while he started converting the bed from the toddler bed to the full size bed.

We were able to get the entire room repainted and part of the bed put together before it was time to stop and head to my mother-in-law’s for lunch.  They grilled and we celebrated my brother-in-law’s birthday with cake and ice cream.  It was too hot to do anything outside if it didn’t involve being in water, so we let the kiddos play in the playroom while we cleaned up.  You may have already seen this if you follow me on Instagram, but their neighbors always line the streets with little American flags and it looks so festive!  I may have to do that next year!

After lunch, we went home, put O down for her nap, and then B and I finished putting J’s new bed together.  He was so excited when it was finally done!  He kept climbing up and climbing down and jumping on it and rolling around.  I was so excited that he was excited.

Once that was done, I put the finishing touches on the Jell-O shots I had made, and we grabbed the Hershey Pie and headed to my aunt and uncle’s for a 4th of July cookout.  (I will be doing a post on these eventually!)

My mom’s whole side of the family was there – all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother, and it was a blast!  We had more food than we could eat – grilled burgers and hot dogs, homemade mac and cheese, coleslaw, pasta salad, potato salad, broccoli salad, baked beans, watermelon, cookies, and cake.  And of course, Hershey Pie and Jell-O shots made by yours truly.

We swam while my uncle grilled.  My cousin Shelby assists a swim instructor during the summer, so she started working with Jacob and Olivia to get them comfortable in the water.  As y’all may remember I’ve mentioned that Olivia loves the water, but Jacob has always hated it.  Well, Shelby was so wonderful with them, that both of them ended up going under water for the first time ever!!  Olivia loved it so much that she did it over and over and over again but Jacob was content with the one time.  Lol.  I was just shocked and proud of him for doing it the one time.  My aunt captured the perfect picture of Olivia’s first time going under.

  

Olivia's first time going under water!!!!

Both kds also started jumping off the side and into the pool and neither of them had ever done that before either.  They both loved it.  Definitely a success for swimming this weekend!

We all stopped to eat, and then the kids swam some more with Shelby while we all sat around.  We had brought some cute 4th of July props and everyone took turns wearing these goofy flashing glasses that I had gotten in the Target dollar spot.  A big group of us did Jell-O shots together, and then we did sparkers. 

Once it got dark, we made the kids get out of the pool, we put them in their jammies and turned on a movie for them, and then the adults busted out Cards Against Humanity around the kitchen table.  I had never played before, and goodness was it hilarious!  I think B laughed so hard he was practically crying a few times.

We ended up staying out way past the kids’ bedtimes, and by the time we got home they were both exhausted.  Jacob hopped up in his big boy bed for the first time and passed out.  He slept all night in there and didn’t fall out so we will call it a major success!

Monday morning everyone slept until 9.  NINE!  And it was glorious!  We ate breakfast, and then loaded up to go to my mother-in-law’s neighborhood pool with my sis-in-law and one of her boys.  We stayed there all morning and the kids were super happy in the water again.  Olivia let me dunk her and then she kept sticking her face in the water all on her own.  Jacob didn’t want to dunk again, but he was happily jumping off the side again all morning.  He has definitely come a long way since last summer and I could not be more proud of him!  It’s so exciting to watch him overcome his fears!

We stayed home all afternoon Monday and then had an early dinner followed by fireworks out on our back porch.  Olivia was loving it until our neighbors started doing a ton of HUGE ones and then she was done.  DONE.  Haha.  The best part is that she let me hold her like a baby all evening and that was perfectly fine with me.  :o)  It was the perfect ending to the long weekend, and I sure do love this little family of mine!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekends as much as we did!  Oh, and did I mention that mine’s not over yet?  I’m off today because Jacob’s summer camp is closed this week… we will be starting the fun part of his new room (decorating!) and heading to his first swim lesson this afternoon so wish us luck!  Happy Tuesday!

*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending, Our Pretty Little Girls for Tuesday Talk, and Stang & Co. and Crown Me in Glitter for Talk About It Tuesday.