Our Little Lady: Fourth of July Weekend

What an extremely busy weekend but well worth it!

I'd been telling Emma, literally for months, that Gammy and Uncle Ryan were coming down for the 4th of July. This is a game we constantly play every time we talk to Gammy on the phone and it goes something like this:

Mommy- "Emma, would you like to talk to Gammy?"

Emma- No response.

Mommy- "Emma, are you sure you don't want to say hi to Gammy?"

Emma- Still no response.

(Mommy finally gets off the phone.)

Emma- "I want to talk to Gammy! When is Gammy and Uncle Ryan coming to my house?"

Subsequently, I've learned to simply tell Emma when specifically Gammy and Uncle Ryan are coming down. Though it takes a while for her to understand when I'm talking about, she eventually grasps the concept and seems pleased with her new found knowledge.

So, after months of preparation, when I asked Emma what was special about the upcoming 4th of July weekend, she proudly looked at me and announced with her very best adult impression that "Gammy and Uncle Ryan are coming to my house!!"

And that they did :)

Arriving on at lunch time on Friday and quickly emptying the car the weekend of fun began. Immediately we put Uncle Ryan to work on the lawn mower while Gammy and I set off to numerous locations. First stop, the Farmer's Market. Gosh, its been way too long since I've been out there. An hour after arriving and a trunk full of peaches, peppers, cantaloupe, corn, blueberries and tomatoes later we were off again. Next stop, Gammy's first introduction to Simple Kneads Bakery where we enjoyed wonderful smoked cheddar croissants and a chocolate eclair. After that we were off again, this time to check out some local swim clubs Luke and I had been interested in checking out (no such luck) and then finally off to pick up the kid! After such a hectic day we enjoyed a simple dinner with fresh corn from the Farmer's Market.

Monkey knew exactly what to do with that corn cob!

Saturday we were up bright and early with a trip to Delicious Bakery and the park. After a couple of hours swinging, sliding, jumping and riding it was home for lunch and nap.

Post-nap it was back out again, this time downtown for the street festival. Though I don't think E cared too much for the craft booths, we were finally able to convince her to play some of the games.

Here she is going through one of those blow-up mazes.

A little later it was time to meet up with Uncle Ryan and Daddy for dinner at Natty Greene's. While eating out at a restaurant is a treat for Emma in itself, Natty's was even better for not long after we sat down a train came through....

Here's what she thought about that!

After two days of running all over town we thought we'd keep Sunday simple and relaxed. Remember I mentioned something about swim clubs? Well, after visiting a few we finally decided to join Sherwood Swim and Racquet Club in Greensboro and what better place to spend the 4th of July.

Despite the unhappy looking face, Emma loves the pool!

Hot and worn out, we headed home for a relaxing night at the house.

Keeping with tradition the boys decided to grab a few beers and the fishing poles. And as history goes, the fish were happy to supply us with some great memories....