Sean's Birthday, 4th of July, & Mom and Dad R Visit

We had a lot going on over the past week and a half! Sean's birthday was on July 2, so the Saturday before we held a cook-out at our house for our friends and their kids. It was fun breaking in our new patio and all the kids seemed to enjoy themselves with the water activities we had set out.

I forgot to get action shots of the kiddos, but here are some of the mommas (and Hawkins!)

Dads on duty

Splashing in his "pool"!

Aftermath of the water and other outdoor activities

Summer picnic with Hutcheson, Jeff and Ashleigh!

Thomas and John Andrews!

Perfect way to break in the new grill!

On Sean's actual birthday, Mason and I put together a big breakfast for him before he headed off for work. Then Mason and I hung out before I took him to my parents house. He napped there and had a jam-packed afternoon of car washing, playing in the creek, sno-cones, and other summer fun before spending the night there. Having the afternoon off gave me time to get some errands and house cleaning done before Sean's parents arrived the next day. That evening, Sean and I had a date night at Patrizio's. The weather was beautiful and we were actually able to sit on the patio. The rest of the diners had the same idea - hardly anyone dined inside that night! It was a wonderful evening out alone with my hubby.

I guess this is the best picture we can expect the valet guy to take!

Sean's parents came in on the 3rd and we had a wonderful visit with them through Monday. Mason changes so much from month-to-month and they were shocked at his vocabulary and improved fine and motor skills! We spent a lot of time relaxing at home, enjoyed a busy 4th of July, some shopping and dining, swimming, and another cook-out to celebrate Sean's birthday with our families (I'm just realizing he had three birthday celebrations - not too shabby!). Our dinners at home are always one of my favorite parts of visiting with Sean's parents. They start with appetizers and drinks on the patio, followed by a delicious meal, and then interesting post-dinner conversation and drinks. Apparently Mason picked up on how fun these meals are as we'd spot him watching us when he was supposed to be asleep!

On the 4th of July we started the morning by attending our neighborhood parade. We've been in this house for nine years and this was embarrassingly the first time we've attended! It won't be the last though. Almost everyone participates in the parade, and there are very little people in their yards watching it go by. Mason got to ride the train for the parade, and it ended in a cul-de-sac with sno-cones, more train rides, a balloon artist, tons of food, hula hoop contests, sack races and door prizes! It reminded me of a small town 4th and we'll definitely participate from now on. After Mason's nap that afternoon we headed out to my parents house for a fun cook-out with festive drinks, food and dessert. Then we all packed up to go watch fireworks in Richardson. I'm not sure if Mason has ever been up that late but the amazement in his eyes made it all worth it!

Hazel looking patriotic

Riding the train in the parade!

Happy 4th!

Eating a sno-cone and rollin' in a firetruck with Zion sippin' a Capri Sun

The beautiful spread at my parents cook-out. I mean, look at that flag cake! A work of art by Aunt Patsy!

Patriotic fun!

Absolute amazement at the fireworks

As I mentioned, we had a family birthday get-together for Sean the Saturday after his birthday. We are so blessed to have such a fun and loving family that gets along so well. My brother Doug is in Austria guest conducting for work, so he was unable to attend, but otherwise it was a great time.

Sitting around the bar after a round of Sean's vodka, raspberry-lemonade, and muddled strawberry concoction!

Water fun with Madison, Hazel's ridge, and a fruit tart for Sean's birthday dessert. Again, hats off to Aunt Patsy for this one!

Mason was asking all day yesterday where Grandma and Grandad went and I know he's anxiously awaiting the next time he sees them. He's been taking rockstar naps the past two days to catch up on all the fun he's been having (which explains all the recent blog posts)!

Hope everyone had a Happy 4th! Happy Birthday, Sean!