Fun Family Fourth

Kailin was up early (BIG surprise there!). I had a mommy moment and declared it chocolate cereal day (which is Saturday, not Friday). Kailin was elated and she and Steve took Peanut for a walk after the three of us ate breakfast. I tried to get some gardening done, but it was shortlived. Captain Cocoabeard was happy to eat his chocolate cereal when he finally decided to wake up at 8am. I wanted to get a few pictures of the kids on the Fourth and they actually were affectionate toward each other for the occasion!

We asked (suckered) my mom into coming up to watch the kids so we could go strawberry picking. Kailin glommed on to her from the moment she got out of her car. I couldn't get a word in with her without Kailin screaming "Nai Nai!!! Come and play wif me!!!" Quick instructions and we hit the road to the strawberry farm. It was a beautiful day for it - very low 70's and sunny. The mosquitoes weren't bad at all and we had five 5qt buckets picked in just under an hour.

(As a funny aside, Colby liked fruits of all sorts when we first got home and then about two weeks ago he determined that strawberries and blueberries were no longer to his liking. He still wanted them every time I pulled them out, but would then thrust one into his mouth, make a horrible face, and remove it in disgust. As we played out this little song and dance on Thursday, Colby changed up the ending a bit and ate the strawberry and then requested more. It was almost as if he knew our household would be tuned in to the all strawberry channel and figured he'd better get with the program.) This picture is unrelated to that, but I wanted to show off what I think will be Colby's version of "the cheesy smile" most kids seem to get at about his age. Ask him to smile for the camera, and this is what you get....

The troops (Nai Nai, Kailin, and Colby) were thrilled with our loot. We (Steve and my mom) commenced to allowing our bibless children to eat their way through enough strawberries to thoroughly stain all of their clothing. Lovely. We decided to feed everyone lunch early since I'd promised Kailin on Thursday (when we were coming back from the cheese store and passed McDonalds and she asked the question that she always asks when she sees those golden arches) that we'd all "go McDonalds - get some ice cream" when Nai Nai came. We coaxed Kailin to eat (as usual) while her brother polished off an entire pb&j and some cheese and then convinced my mom to make him another half sandwich (on which she used half a jar of jelly - I swear!). When we got him out of his high chair, the evidence of too much jelly was all over his pants. Swell. We trooped off, Sugar in tow, to "get some ice cream." Kailin declared that she and Colby would get tiny ice creams and the rest of us would get big ones. That girl.... Sugar got her own tiny cone and we all had a good time of it. Then it was home for naps - but not without figuring out that Colby'd lost a shoe along the way and me trekking(okay, it's entirely flat and paved, but I like the idea of me setting out on a harrowing journey to find the beloved (not so much) lost shoe) back to find it.

I'd already hulled one bucket of strawberries before lunch, but we needed to run to the store for a few things I needed for dinner (and according to my mom, to lay in a new supply of food for Colby - that boy must be about to grow because man alive is he eating us out of house and home lately!) so the strawberries had to wait.

Colby was up from nap first, but it wasn't long and Kailin (who CLEARLY needed more sleep) joined us downstairs. I resumed strawberry hulling and was in my own little world. It occurred to me that I'd been rather tuned out and was now hearing what sounded like a child TOO happy in the living room. Sure enough, it wasn't apparently logical to my mom that Kailin would not be allowed to jump on the couch. COME ON, MOM - were WE allowed to jump on the couch as kids?? Alrighty then!! So I told Kailin that she knew better. She figured that if I left the room all bets were off and when my mom told her that she was no longer allowed to jump on the couch, she threw herself on the floor and began wailing. I came in to see what was going on, and I'm so glad I did! I just wish I'd brought the camera with me. Kailin is on the floor wailing and over comes her brother and gives her a little (giant and wet) kiss on the cheek, complete with sound effect. It didn't work. Not one to give up easily, he went in and gave her a little hug. It didn't work. He went in and gave her a hug while resting his head on her shoulder. It didn't work. He shrugged and moved on. I ran out in the garage to tell Steve. It gives me hope that they will one day get along more than they fight. One day....

It wasn't long and we were eating dinner. Mom enjoyed the corn show. Ha ha. Colby needed BED, but we let Kailin stay up a bit longer than normal - and it proved to be well worth it for me at least. My mom and Kailin were playing "driving" where Kailin finds something to serve as a steering wheel and then the elaborate scenarios begin. Let me set the scene. Mom is sitting to the right of Kailin on the couch and Kailin's got a purse which she assures us both is filled with money to finance all the adventures they'd be going on. Kailin states that they should put their seat belts on. They do. Mom's got the steering wheel and is making appropriate car noises. They've been "traveling" for some time when Kailin casually mentions "Nai Nai. Close your door." She then closes her door as well. I bust out laughing because I've determined that a. they're either in Australia or England as Mom is driving on the right and b. I had a rather hysterical vision of Mom and Kailin driving through the English countryside with their car doors open. They went to feed the goats, hit some local cheese stores, and I believe the zoo as well. What a good way to end a good day. Not a typical Fourth and the kids still haven't seen fireworks (we just can't keep them up that late yet), but it was a fun one, and one I'll remember for a long while.