4th of July and Beyond

Bruce and some of his cousins: Micah, Faith, Dominic, and Katie

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of wonderful for our family. We had a chance to spend time with family from out of town, show Bruce off, and spend precious time together. On July 4th, we went to Libby's (across from Grant and Pat's) annual party. We had so much fun and great food. I was wondering how Bruce would react to the fireworks. I wasn't sure if they would startle him or if he would even notice them. It turned out that he loved them! He is facinated by bright lights, so that makes sense. He even stayed awake for the whole show!

On Saturday, we spent the day with Bruce's Aunt Sara, Uncle Nathan, and cousin John. John is 5 weeks older than Bruce so they're very close in age and activity. It was a wonderful time with delicious home-cooked food and hospitality provided by Nathan's mother, Esther. The two boys would notice each other from time to time (John more than Bruce). The day of travel made Bruce a bit fussy, but it was an overall good day for everyone.

Bruce with Aunt Sara and John with Uncle Jerret



Bruce and cousin John

Sunday was a party day at Grandma Green's. Bruce's Aunt Kimberly, Aunt Christa, and Uncle James were in town along with cousins Faith, Dominic, Katie, and Micah. We celebrated the official adoption of Faith and Dominic and my ( :0 30th) birthday.

Us



Jerret and Uncle Don fixing woodpecker holes

The Aunts and cousins filled Grammie's house for the rest of the week. My sisters and mom helped with sleep training and other issues with Bruce and he got lots of love and cuddles all around. It was such a nice time and so rare for us to be all together!

The cousins, from oldest to youngest

Kimberly helping Faith on the stilts



Playing in boxes in Grammie's yard



Grammie making Bruce smile



Bruce and I in Grammie's backyard



Katie and Bruce



Faith and Bruce



Bruce sitting up (sort of)



Micah, Christa, and Zeke



Bruce asleep in the carrier



Dominic with his squirt gun



Big smiles during Bruce's activity time

My mom and sisters took everyone to Senor Manuel for dinner on Thursday for my birthday.

Me with my sundae and sombrero

Micah trying out the sombrero

Yesterday, we celebrated my birthday as a family with lunch at the Table Mountain Inn for lunch, a long nap in the afternoon, dinner at the Chinese Restaurant at the lake, and hang out time at the lake until sunset. Unfortunately we forgot the camera and can't show you the most beautiful sunset over the lake, but what a wonderful day it was!