Independence Day

So, like all of his first holidays (see the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and St. Patrick's Day posts), I wanted to dress Kaden up in a 4th of July outfit. You know, real Uncle Sam sort of stuff - top hat, cotton ball beard, red and white suspenders holding up blue pants with white stars. Then I thought to myself, I can hardly get him to sit still for his monthly photo with the toy giraffe and he rips off every hat I put on his sweet little head, how in the world will I get him to cooperate with my foolishness? Drugging him with children's Benadryl came to mind, but you have to draw the line somewhere. It seems my line is drawn somewhere before drugging; I scrapped the idea and snapped this photo instead.

We celebrated Independence Day at a pool party with friends. The weather was not at all cooperative (65 degrees, overcast and breezy), so no one ended up in the pool. Regardless, the kids had a great time playing with one another while the adults sipped a few cocktails and indulged in classic American cook-out fare.

The ladies and their babies (minus Kaden, he was down for a nap in Brooke's room).

Kaden checking out Miss Brooke

Kaden's buddies

That evening, our street was shut down for an old-fashioned block party. There was a band, dancing, food, drinks, and all sorts of fun. It was the perfect time for Kaden to show off his new ride (another early birthday gift from Gammi and Pop). You can't really tell from the photo, but he's got the pose down just right - reclined with one hand on the wheel. He thinks he is pretty cool! Once bedtime rolled around, we put Kaden in his crib and then headed back out to the porch to watch fireworks. I still have a child-like fascination with fireworks so I can hardly wait to share them with Kaden. Maybe next year he will be old enough to stay up and watch them too.