We always have a blast at the 4th of July parade each year!  We’ve always decorated the Thurmans golf cart and ridden in the parade (even made the newspaper with our “float” one year!), but this year, we thought it would be fun to watch all the floats, catch candy/prizes, and be together!  From left to right: Brother Man (my little brother, John), his wife, Fancy Nancy with baby Saylor in sling, Aunt E (Rara’s little sister), Noelle, Harper (John and Nancy’s first little girl, age 2), Melissa, Rose, Aunt Joe (the middle sister), Anna Kate spinning around (lol), Mike, Uncle Jim (Aunt Joe’s husband), and Uncle Andy (Aunt Elsie’s husband).  Rose Mary/Rosie/Mom/Rara is taking the picture… which was such a sweet idea!  Thanks Mom!

 

My 4th of July girls waiting for the parade to start (in the bright morning sun), and Anna Kate and Harper dancing in the street!

Nancy, Sayloe, Harper, me, John, an dAnna Kate waiting for the parade to start!

 

Brother Man and I (honestly) cry and our bottom lip automatically sticks out (even though he is just making fun of Rose in this picture).  Anyway, all of our girls inherited the bottom lip cry.  It’s really cute, but I only do it when something is so terribly awfully bad that I don’t realize or care that I’m doing it (like finding out someone has passed away or something like that).  Genetics are so strange!

These may be my three favorite pictures from this trip.  This was a spontaneous moment of pure bliss!  I love that stinky baby!

 

More dancing in the street, with candy from the parade this time!

 

The girls love their great aunts!  They are the best!  Rose, Anna Kate, Noelle and Harper had a blast meeting the firefighters and hanging out on their truck! 

My sweethearts!

 

Remember the purse Noelle made last year for the 4th of July?  She was so proud to sport her creation again this holiday!  I think Noelle can truly be titled “The Fourth of July Princess!”  This is her favorite holiday, right next to Christmas.  She cannot get enough of all the fun and is always right in the middle of all the action.  I love watching her excitement.  This is truly heaven on earth for our awesome family-oriented diva!

Anna Kate, Noelle, Harper, and Rose enjoying posing around this motorcycle.  Anyone spot a green shoe holding Harper Grayce on her seat?  That’s our Rara!

Rose, thinking about sharing her water!

What a lucky little girl to have a famous artist who just so happens to be her awesome great aunt do her face painting for the 4th of July!  There just so happened to be an open booth just waiting for Aunt Joe in the activity center… it was such a special moment for Noelle!  Anna Kate didn’t want her face painted, and Rose was too busy chewing on candy from the parade.  I’m telling you, Noelle doesn’t miss a thing during our annual vacation.  The littles have a blast too, don’t get me wrong, but our big baby eats it up.  I just can’t describe her joy!  It is definitely contagious to watch. 

  

Mike and I enjoying Rose and Harper, both age 2 and looking a lot alike in this picture!  Girls, girls every where… we LOVE it!

Not only does Rose decide to share, but probably gives Harper more than she asked for… they were hilarious this visit, and we enjoyed watching them love/fuss like only two-year olds can do!  They are so blessed to have each other and will be in heaven having each other in the years to come!  It brings me to tears counting our blessings… and next year, crossing our fingers, we may have the Ebert cousins (my big sister Michele’s kiddos) in the mix!!!

*Still over 100 pics to post and so little time!  Doctors’ appointments all this week!  Maybe during nap time I can finish posting trip pics, but no camera yet!    To see the most updated pics (although few and far between), we have an Instagram feed to the right.  If you’d like to read captions and see the pictures larger, just click on a picture, and it will show you the Instagram captions and comments.  I’ll try to keep taking pics every couple of days until we get our new camera, but I’m enjoying taking it easy right now.  We are having lots of sleep overs, swim dates and chapter book read-alouds.  Summer is in full-swing at the Pond house!