Long overdue Fourth of July pics

Hey, it's only three weeks after the Fourth of July, and here I am, finally posting photos from the big day. Er, well, night.

A storm was headed into Nashville, so our neighbors started frantically setting off fireworks before it was completely dark. We set out the picnic blanket in the backyard, intending to settle in for the show.
















But a few drops of rain tenatively began to fall, pushing us back toward the back stairs, where we were positioned to dash back inside once the bottom fell out of the sky.



















Luckily, we got to see quite the show before it really began to pour. Our next-door neighbor had invested in some really big fireworks; when he set them off, it sounded like a cannon going off. David and I remarked that we had lived for four years near a live fire artillery training zone for the Marines, and we thought we knew what it sounded like to live in a war zone. But these fireworks convinced us otherwise! I think my ears may still be ringing a bit. It was worth it, though. Look how much fun William (and DeeDee) had!

We're all a little fruity

On the way to take William to school this morning, I commented on how frustrated I was about the traffic on our usual route.

Within the last few months, two new grocery stores have opened along our route. The rejiggered traffic light at the entrance to one of them has really started making the traffic worse, and the new store is not helping. They're adding at least five minutes to our commute because traffic stacks up behind the new light, and you sometimes sit through a green light...or two...because none of the cars ahead of you can move. Grr.

So I had just finished a remark about how I wished the traffic wasn't so bad, when William piped up, "This traffic is driving me cherries!"

"Huh?" I said.

"You know," he said. "It's driving me cherries and bananas!"

Me, too, kiddo. Me, too!

Gear for the beach

As some of you know, our family takes a big trip to the beach each summer. This summer will mark our fourth time to take William to the beach.

As I was talking with one of the other people who will be going to the beach with us, I started reminiscing about all the stuff that we had to take with us to the beach the last few times to accommodate William. When he was three months old, we were flying in from California, so we prevailed upon Diane, who generously lugged along a Pack-n-Play and a bouncy seat for us. The next year, William was one, so we still brought the Pack-n-Play but ditched the bouncy seat in favor of a booster seat for the table and a gigantic basket of toys. Last year, we brought the inflatable bed and the booster seat and toys, both for the house and the beach. Each year, we had to slightly adjust the specific type of gear that we brought, but the end effect was the same: we were Sherpas for our son.

This year, however, will be the most gear-free year we've ever had. Pretty much we'll be bringing toys. No stroller. No travel bed (we're planning to have William sleep in a twin bed in a room with the other little boy, Graham, who will be coming to the beach). No special seating. Just toys. And yet this is the year we finally have a minivan and could actually fit all the extra stuff in! Ah well.

Money, money, money

I've discovered there have been three times when I've been delighted to realize that I'm actually saving some money.

The first was breastfeeding. Free. Well, except for all the necessary supplies, like nursing bras, nursing pads, etc. But still, overall, very cheap. For those of you who have never breastfed, let me put this in perspective: a can of formula costs, at minimum, $22, and it might last you, oh, several days. Ouch, right?

The second was when William switched over to whole milk around his first birthday. I'd been giving him some formula in a sippy cup with meals for awhile because I'd had to give up the ghost of pretending the pump did any good for either of us. But even a small amount of formula each day cost $$$. A can of formula might cost $22, but a gallon of milk is only about $3. Plus, you can buy milk nearly everywhere, which is nice and convenient. Well, everywhere except airline flights, apparently. Ahem.

The third is the biggie, though. No more diapers! That's right, about ten days ago, we declared William to be officially potty-trained. You don't realize how much you're spending on diapers and PullUps until you no longer have to buy them. That's the beauty of underpants: they come in cool patterns AND they last much, much longer. Oh yes, and they are cleaner. I do not miss regularly spending $18 or $20 on a big pack of Pampers, nor do I miss buying the even-more-costly PullUps. We're still using PullUps at night, but we probably won't even have to do that much longer; once we finish the pack we have, I think that'll be the end of that.

So you'd think we'd have all this extra cash now, wouldn't you? Sadly, no. We can always find other things to spend it on...

Splat

You can't keep a good man down.

William went running down the sidewalk this evening, and unfortunately that mean old sidewalk reached up and tripped him. Down he went, SPLAT. The result was a skinned knee, two skinned palms, wounded pride and lots of tears.




















However, a green popsicle and some hugs and kisses and attention from Mommy and Daddy can make it all better. Oh yes, and six band-aids. (Were all six necessary? No. But when you're three, you have to milk these occasions for all you can. Oh the drama.)