Ordinarily we go to the City of Hilliard parade, but we didn't think we were going to have the kids, and figured Lex wouldn't appreciate the loud noises of the parades. Instead we scheduled for our friends Tom and Angie to come over and have a little 4th of July party, which then extended to including Angie's mother Artie (hope I'm spelling that right), and Lisa's mother and grandmother (the Marys).
The Marys came over Friday night to avoid the holiday traffic. Tom, Angie, Evie (Tom & Angie's 9-week old baby) and Arite got here somewhere between 1:30 PM and 2:00. They brought pita chips, hummus, and beer (mmm... beer). Well, and themselves of course. Can't forget that. The menu included grilled pizza with kielbasa, red & yellow bell peppers, fontina cheese, and a ricotta cheese mixture. We also had grilled corn, some of Mary's (or "Grams" as the kids call her) potato salad, some two-bite brownies and some angel food cake with red, white, and blue food colored icing (the deserts were store-bought).
The party was great fun. Great food, great company. Tom and I had an "epic" golf game on the Wii. It ended in a tie, +16 for both of us (yeah, we sucked... what can I say; golf apparently isn't our game). Evie was adorable, and is apparently capable of sleeping through hurricanes, because even at our loudest she didn't stir at all. Lex tried to steal the show, and did a pretty good job of it!
After the party I took the kids out for some fun with sparklers, while Lisa stayed in with a sleeping Lex and rested her abused feet. She was exhausted beyond belief! Caleb and Cassandra got to see some fireworks in the distance while they played with the sparklers. Then, of course, bed.
Today we went to the Montgomery Family Reunion, a reunion for my mother's side of the family. The family tree gets a bit... er, um... "tangled" together down that branch. See, my grandfather married my grandmother... that much should be taken as a given. Well, his brother married my grandmother's sister... which only sounds wrong if you don't take the time to explain why our family tree isn't just a trunk. The Montgomery's are my grandmother's family line.
Anyway, I've avoided going for a few years in a row now. When you get down to my generation the family ties are... well, let's just say that if our family ties were shoe laces, some poor sap would be tripping constantly. We don't really know each other (ok, the more accurate statement would be "we don't know each other, period"). So I really don't feel much of a need to go, other than to make my mother happy (sorry, Mom). Honestly, if it hadn't been an opportunity to let my aunts and uncles see the kids, I wouldn't have gone. But hey, we went, it wasn't too bad this year; I didn't get that "Who are you, and why do you know my name?" feeling I normally get. And my Aunts and Uncles got to see Lex walk a bit, plus the kids got to look at pictures of my Aunt Lois & Uncle John's family (including my cousin John, his wife Becky, and their kids Maddie & Cassie) trip to Disney World.
We got home, and Lex was exhausted. I ended up laying him down next to me in bed and we took a nice, long, nap. Then a quick trip to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner (Spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread and peas). Now the family is sitting odwn watching The Tales of Despereaux, an animated book based on a children's story. We have the book for Cassandra, thought she'd want to read it more if she saw the movie first. So far it's enjoyable.
That's all for now. I need to get some more writing done, but I've been kind of been busy with stuff like the 4th of July party and Lex's birthday arty... which is only 2 weeks away (AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!). I'll get more down soon.
End of Demented Rambling.
Even if you went to please me I am glad your whole family went. Like it or not; we are just that and when push comes to shove I know that I can count on my two living aunts and uncles to help me in any way they can. For the very reason you stated you don't like to go is why our immedicate family will be doing our reunions with the cousins.....with all of you being only children the three of you will have only each other to rely on and it is a good idea that your children know their cousins too. The old adage blood is thicker than water has some truth in it. Your Mom
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