A Very Busy Weekend

Colin,

This weekend was Independence Day weekend where our country celebrates freeing itself from Britain and becoming a nation of its own. These days, however, it is more of a weekend to cook out, do summer projects, and watch fireworks with family and friends. For Daddy, it was a very busy weekend, but a very productive one.

On Saturday, your Daddy practiced his woodworking skills yet again. Daddy, Mr. Pat, and his nephew, Kevin (he came all the way from Ohio and was kind enough to help) got the majority of the deck built so that all Daddy needs to do now is the trim work. This makes me very happy (Mommy too). Later that night, Uncle Sean came over for dinner and we had a very nice evening hanging out and relaxing. Uncle Sean is a bit of a night owl, so needless to say, Mommy and Daddy were pooped when everyone woke up Sunday morning.

Speaking of Sunday, we did all the normal stuff...got up, had breakfast together, got ready for church, and thought about what to do with the day. Well, that last point was easily taken care of when Mr. Pat suggested we get together to eat some crabs, cook some hot dogs, and take the new deck for a test drive. Mommy and Daddy ran around trying to get everything organized for this impromptu party...and we barely made it before everyone started arriving. There were lots of people...Mr. Pat, Miss Cathy, Mr. Bill, Miss Amy, Mr. Rick, Miss Kathy, Kevin, Nathan, Sam, Adam, Lizzie, Jenny, Nick, Thomas, Maggie...and, of course Mommy, Daddy, and Ava. If you kept count, that is 18 people...WOW! it was one of our bigger parties and everyone had a great time. I must tell you though, when everything settled down, all of Daddy's 41 years caught up to him and he fell asleep very early that night.

Finally, we come to Monday, the whole reason it was a holiday weekend...the actual holiday. We drove up to see Daddy's Nanny and Uncle Michael. It had been a little while since we had been to their house and we were way overdue for a visit. Your big sister showed off with her usual level of cuteness, charm, and silliness. Mommy and Daddy got to talk to Nanny and Uncle Michael about normal life stuff and a bit about you as well. You always seem to come up in conversations (not that Daddy looks to interject the subject at all...no, not me), and people are far more receptive now and less apprehensive to hear about you, and that is a good thing!

Ok, I wandered off a bit, so here is the best part of the day...the fireworks celebration. Ava, Mommy, and Daddy joined many friends and neighbors on Mr. Pat's front lawn to watch the fireworks over at our lake. The kids played and played, the adults oohed and ahhed, and the fireworks were as beautiful as ever. As the event all wound down, We were walking home when your big sister asked if you could see the fireworks. I heard Mommy say that you definitely could and you had the best view since the fireworks almost reached up to heaven. I was walking a few steps ahead of Mommy and Ava, and it was dark, but Daddy cried just a little bit thinking about your smiling little face looking down at those fireworks. I still, and forever will wish that you had just been looking up instead.

Much love my dearest son,
Daddy