Monday, July 6, 2009

4th of July - Good times

M to the Izz-A had last Thursday and Friday off, so we started our holiday weekend early and spent both days at the beach.

The first two pics for this post are probably my favorite.

I remember going fishing with my dad as a little girl and eating the mess out of some Vienna sausages. They make me gag just thinking about them now, but back then, I thought they were the best part of the fishing trip.


Whose mama is obsessed with SPF???






On Friday, we were happy to have Kasey, Brandon, Hayley and Leighton join us. The girls played so hard and had a great time watching Matt and Brandon try their hardest to make sandcastles. Sorry to report that they never quite succeeded.












The rest of the weekend is a fun-filled blur of sweat, diet coke, ribs, desserts, citronella candles, fireworks, and more sweat. I am so exhausted today from all of the festivities that I actually prayed that it would rain this afternoon so that I could stay inside in my pj's all day long without feeling guilty!


The best weekends always leave you the most tired. And I love it.


Of course I took plenty of pics of Saturday and Sunday,too. Seriously ya'll, did you expect anything different?






The 4th of July has always been a big deal with my family. My grandfather was the mayor of our town for many years, so he was the one who put the town's July 4th celebrations together. And now my uncle, Ben's dad, is the mayor. So it's like a no-brainer that we'll all be celebrating and watching fireworks together in our small town, instead of heading into nearby cities to watch theirs. There's just something about being from a small town...it makes me smile.

If I could add a song to this post it'd be John Mellencamp's 'Small Town'. I absolutely adore that song.



















My cousin Ben's birthday is on July 4th, so we always celebrate our country's independence - and his weirdness.


I baked the cake with a little help from my friend Duncan Hines, and since we didn't have any birthday candles, we just plopped a tea light on top.



If you don't have time to make your cake homemade, or if you have all the time in the world and just don't feel like it, I've found that if you add a little more vegetable oil than the box directions say, along with a drop or two of vanilla extract, it makes it tastes very close to homemade. It's a trick I learned simply by hanging out with people smarter than myself. Go ahead, add it into your mix of tricks.


















Thanks to Kristin for emailing me this pic. At this point the fireworks were in full swing, I was over the whole taking pictures thing and super sweaty. But Kate managed to put a smile on my face by singing Barney's "I love you" song and giving us a 'great big hug'. I'm not a big fan of Barney or that song, but when I hear it sung in her sweet little voice, it becomes an automatic fave. She sang it throughout most of the fireworks show.


The only thing that made me smile bigger than that was when the Elvis impersonator finally got off stage and stopped his gyrating.


And what's a Fourth of July without some sparklers?










23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for following my blog. Your daughter is too cute. And they are beautiful pictures. Yes time does fly by!! I can't wait to see his measurements at the doctors this week.

Unknown said...

It looks like you guys had some fun! The pictures are adorable and Kate's bathing suit and ribbons are precious!

Laura Sue said...

looks like ya'll had a great 4th!!!
i love the pictures and your little girl is sucha cutie!

Sandra said...

Oh that pic of her hugging you and her daddy must be kept in a frame and on display at all times!! Precious!

Megan said...

Adorable pics! And I used to LOVE vienna sausages! Ha!

Abbi said...

the beach pics are too cute!
looks like yall had a great 4th! kate's outfit and hair was adorable!!!
and elvis...omg!!! we must get him for your birthday!!! ...whatcha think??? lol!!!

Perfectly Imperfect said...

Every time I think your daughter can't get any cuter, you post a new picture of her!! Looks like you guys had a blast!

I'm going to need to send your husband a new hat.. =)

Unknown said...

Very cute and fun pic's Hollie! Have a great week!

Madison Sanders said...

This post is cuteness overload! Those pics of Kate and her Daddy are just precious!

Lots of cute babies too.

Carrie said...

What awesome pictures...looks like the best time! I {heart} John Mellencamp too..and actually live near his hometown! {Seymour, IN} Your little girl is the sweetest thing...I love her Red, white and blue! Adorable!

A New England Girl said...

What adorable photos!! It looks and sounds like you guys had a fun-and-family-filled weekend... what could ever be better? Your little girl is adorable. I can't get over the first two photos of her fishing- I can see why those are some of your favorites! :)

Hope you have a happy Tuesday!

Jon and Steph said...

Great pictures! It looks like a fun weekend and Kate looks adorable in every pic. I love her fishing with her daddy ;)

Rebecca Jo said...

What great pics... nothing cuter then little ones having fun in summer!

I too love the fishing pictures. My dad used to take me fishing as well... its funny - he just took my 4 yr old twin nieces for the first time... they called my mom & whispered "Help us - Papaw wont let us talk"... they hated it! :)

RCaitlin said...

Your pics are always great! I LOVE the little fourth of July swimsuit HOW CUTE. Glad you had a great weekend :).

Kasey said...

I am still exhausted and it's Tuesday, just got around to posting myself.

But it was all worth it!

Charis said...

LOVE the red, white & blue bathing suit! So adorable.

And as for your "sweaty" pic, you don't sweat, you GLOW...obviously. pffffssht.

lovely, as always!

Chic Runner said...

I feel like everytime I comment I just say how cute your family is. And I mean that in a non creepy way! :) You seriously are too cute!

Lianna Knight said...

GREAT pictures!! What kind of camera do you have??? I need one!!!

Q, La, and Gooner said...

Little girls are so much fun and yours is SO beautiful!

Abby said...

Your pix look great - esp the one with the water splashing in Kate's face! So "in the moment!" What kind of camera do you have?

Bridget said...

I love the one of Kate hugging her mommy and daddy around the neck:) She is so cute I could comment on every post but don't want you to think I'm stalking you...haha
oh and I forgot to tell you I use Arbonne toner.

The Drama Mama said...

LOVE the first two pictures...precious!

Trina said...

Love all the pics. I can't believe I didn't take a single one that whole weekend. Me = Total slacker.

Oh and when I was young I would "eat the mess" outta some potted meat LOL Now I wouldn't touch it to save my life!!