Memorial Day Weekend

Prepare for some cuteness! We started off Memorial Day Weekend with a GNO... with kids. HA~!

 

Our men were unavailable (Jason was on a guys trip and Jeff was working Archer's graduation) so on Saturday, Liz and I took on the three kids, solo! We are women, hear us roar ;-) Ok, so maybe it wasnt quite so dramatic. It was more like waffle house and back to her house to bathe our kids. Why, you ask? Because in my fabulous parenting and desperate need for some girl talk, I let the kids run around in the (mostly) empty (only 1 other couple) waffle house and play. They may have played on the floor a bit and it may have been pretty gross ;-)

This pic of the kids cracks. me. up! Avery was laughing and talking but she looks CRAZY! lol!!!

It was a bit crazy, sure, but it was great, too! The kids love each other and I LOVE my sister in law, Liz. We can be very real with each other and have great conversation, and I'm so grateful for her!

We had a nice, relaxing Sunday and then on Monday we had some traditions to get to! First up, Dacula's Memorial Day Parade! For the last couple of years we have hung out on a grassy area at the very end of the parade. This year, Jeff was wise and brought our tent for shade! We ended up offering to share it with an older couple who attended as well and they were SO sweet! Turned out that their son is serving in Afghanistan and their daughter has served as well and now they have a grandson who has recently finished boot camp. Wow. What an honor to share our tent with a family who has given so much!

We walked around and explored for a bit and then Mama wanted to take the kids to explore for a bit... Literally, the parade had started and you can see the police motorcycles in the background here. And yep, that would be my mom and kids in the middle of the street. Geesh. ;-) Crazy redneck Grammy! ha!

This is always the most moving part of the parade. Individuals walk in memory of fallen soldiers and hold signs with their names, rank and birth/death dates. Talk about humbling.

TRACTORS!!! Man, Mack loooooved this part, of course!

Best Float Ever

And then there were the two real TRAINS that came through before and during the parade. It was really loud (because we were sitting about 20 feet away from the tracks) but the kids loved watching it!

Hey there! That cute drummer in the middle of the pic is my lil cousin, Ethan! Playing in the drum line as a FRESHMAN (what what!!!). He is so talented and it was fun watching for him!

We really enjoyed the parade! The heat wasnt as bad with the tent which was nice! After lunch and naps, we filled up the kiddie pool and let the kids play. Rhyan wanted to ride her "Tractor" and I was floored with this cute sight! She invited Mack to ride, too!!! Sweet big sister! He LOVED IT!!!

Some of our family cooked out at Mommie's house that afternoon. Love these nick names (and the people who go with them, of course!)

This series of pics cracks me up! Rhyan had put her headband on Jeff and I thought it was funny and wanted a pic. Well, he was pretty much DONE with pics for the day (which only takes about 1 minute) so he got violent ;-)

But finally he conceded/I won!

We brought some games to play outside. Rhyan loves tossing the ball with these things... a patient of mine bought them as a baby gift for Mack (such a sweet thought despite the fact that they are better suited for 5 year olds and up! haha) and we've enjoyed them!

Idk how poor Trevor got stuck pulling Mack in the waggon! But he was a good sport about it!

The next evening, Mommie and Mama came by to give the kids a little something... hats! Rhyan LOVED hers!

What a GREAT weekend being grateful for the sacrifices made for our freedom, for our family and for days off work where we can relax and spend time remembering both!