4th of July festivities

We spent the 4th with some of Becky's family at her aunt's house. It was a fun day even though the weather didn't cooperate as well as we would have liked. With cloudy skies and a breeze, the pool felt a bit cold, but the hot tub was ready to go! This is the face Patience makes whenever she encounters something "cooold!"

The kids love spending time with their new extended family, and it's a nice break for us. The only down side for us is that they expect too much attention the day after.

When not swimming or eating, Joshua had a great time attacking the balloons that were tied along the fence. He thinks he's tall and jumps really high. It will be interesting to see what happens when he gets to school and sees other kids his age.

Garty liked the pool much better than when we were in Liberia. It may be related to the fact that he learned how to splash... big splashes.

He wasn't sure what to do when he got a mouthful! (It's hard to tell, but this is a happy face.)

We drove home in the rain thinking that the fireworks up the street would be cancelled, but 2 police officers assured us that everything was on schedule. We drove the few blocks to the barricade near the park in a vain attempt to stay dry and found our friends hiding under umbrellas. During the fireworks display, it started pouring harder than it had poured all day. We were all completely soaked, but the kids loved the fireworks. Even Garty was intrigued. We came home, stripped off our soaked clothes, and visited with friends for a short bit before heading off to bed.