Fourth of July at Our House!

This past week a whirlwind of two adults, four children, and three Jack Russell terriers descended on our house, flew around for three days of madness, and then swept out of here with a flourish.  It was a flurry of excitement, pandemonium, and controlled chaos but most of all a heck of a good time.  Milt, of course, was right in the midst of it all and loving it!

Jeff's brother, Joel, and sister-in-law, Chris, are a military family, so they are driving cross-country, stopping to visit relatives along the way, en route from their old home in Tennessee to their new home in California.  We were lucky to not only be one stop on their trip but also to have the pleasure of celebrating the Fourth of July with all of them too!

I love to entertain, cook meals, show off our house, but engaging four children is a whole other beast.  The kids, ages baby to nine, are wonderful in every way, but they require a lot of entertainment that Jeff and I are just not quite fully equipped to dole out with the lack of a body of water, cable television, or a giant backyard.  We have dog toys galore, puppy treats, and a canine pool, but we seem to lack the big ticket items for children.  Nevertheless, we rallied and did our very best -- decorated the house for the Fourth, watched a local parade, visited the park, chalked the sidewalk, played Scattergories, viewed a movie, etc., etc.  It makes for a long day when everyone is up and about at 6:30A.M., but it was a nice change of pace for our quiet family of three.

This was only my second of twenty-seven Fourth of Julys not spent at my family's house on Owasco Lake in upstate New York, so the holiday was bittersweet for me.  I still think Jeff and I managed to throw a heck of a party for our six houseguests plus six other relatives who joined in our celebration.  Lots of tasty food, a pinata stuffed with candy, bright sparklers, and water balloon tosses always make for a good time.

He's a firecracker!

Holiday decor

The kids took over Milton's favorite room

Milt cannot resist any show of affection

 

Always in the midst of things

Attempting to hitch a ride to California

Upon everyone's departure, our house feels downright empty and dull.  Those happy kids certainly added a whole lot of youthful exuberance to our otherwise calm existence, despite the Milt.  As our goldendoodle grows older, he tends to enjoy his naps more and more...!  Well, it's just Jeff, Milt, and me again at our house; I have washed the sheets, changed the towels, and I am readying to mop the floors.  Hopefully it won't be too long before we have another bout of houseguests!