Happy 4th of July!!

Finley and I had a pretty good Fourth of July weekend considering all things. I can't say I was exactly in the spirit of celebration due to things that have happened over the last few weeks but regardless we did some fun things and enjoyed our weekend. Holiday's really make me miss Nate even more as it's sometimes hard to see families enjoying each others company and knowing that a BIG part of your family is not there to share it with. Sorry being "Debbie Downer" but I speak the truth. We miss Nate and we miss our Sealy cat and that is just a reality.
Finley and I started our holiday weekend on Friday and hung out with my sister (Aunt Chris) a bit and did some errand running. Friday night we were invited over to our neighbor's for dinner and a playdate. They have a little girl a few weeks older than Finley and Lisa'sf husband was out of town over the weekend. We enjoyed a nice dinner and the kids got to play a bit.
On Saturday, the 4th, we kept it low key all day. Actually Finley was pretty sleepy and kind of crabby all day. We took a nice walk with Lisa and Anna (our neighbors) and then Patti and Greg came up to have a fun dinner at Ella's Deli. Finley LOVED Ella's Deli. For anyone that doesn't know, it's a crazy fun place full of weird and cool kid paraphernalia and everything is on a motor... basically everything around you is moving and the tables are fun and unique. You can't even really explain Ella's Deli but kids just love it. The fact that it has good food and ice cream helps too!! Finley was just in awe and took it all in while also enjoying his food. Afterward he got to play with his Grandma and Grandpa at home for a bit before crashing... umm, about 30 minutes before the big fireworks display near our house. If he had made it I was going to walk him down to see the fireworks but I know better than to keep a sleepy kid up. Maybe next year Finley!! (He didn't make it up to see any of Rhythm and Booms from the airport either). I tried.
I actually watched some of the fireworks from my back yard though which was nice that I can see them from the comfort of home. Howie on the other hand does not enjoy our close proximity to a large fireworks display as he is deathly afraid of them. Poor baby! He hid behind the furnace in the basement pretty much all night.
Today we had a nice day. The weather was beautiful. I started getting ready for my upcoming garage sale this weekend (it's neighborhood wide) and also cleaning up things that have gotten lost in the shuffle of things lately. We had a playdate with Lisa and Anna again, this time the kids splashed around in Anna's pool for a bit then played inside. Our theory is if we both have crabby kids that are awake might as well get the together to have some fun. It usually works and the kids end up in better moods. We then decided to take a picnic dinner down to the big park nearby and let the kids swing etc. It was such a nice night for a walk and picnic in the park, many others had the same idea!! It was so much fun Finley just plain wore himself out and fell asleep swinging. So a good weekend all in all. I decided that it doesn't matter what we do as long as it's a good day. I no longer worry about things like what we "should" be doing. If the day or week is uneventful yet we have our own fun, everyone we love is happy and healthy and my kid is content then life is good. Life's too short to sweat the small stuff anymore. Oh, and Happy Birthday America...

Pictures from our Weekend

Playing with the light... on, off, on, off. Oh what fun.

We call this the "Shit Look" and everyone says he gets this from me...

And this is just a big happy face

Looking around at Ella's Deli

With Grandpa Greg at Ella's Deli Carousel


Looks a little snug Cooper?

Getting a package ready for Daddy

Tasting what we are sending for quality control


Lisa and Anna

Sleeper in the swing