Celebrating the 4th

My dad's family all got together this weekend at my aunt and uncle's house.  We talked and laughed and ate some terrific food and watched the kids play.  As always, we had a great time.  There was a 4th of July theme for this gathering and at times, it was a bit silly.  Like posing for family pictures wearing lovely wax lips.

There were 8 cousins between 3 and 10 years and they had so much fun playing together.

Uncle Gary and Aunt Sonja have a swimming pool, so we made good use of it.  It was HOT and the water felt so good.  Katherine learned to dive down to the bottom to fetch toys, to swim across the pool, and to jump in deep water from the side - all things she never would have dreamed of just a couple of months ago!

Rachel was her usual fish-like self.  She jumped in off the side, swam everywhere with floaties on, spent as much time as possible underwater, and tried her best to dive.  She's still waiting for her gills to grow so she can breathe underwater, too.

At some point, the kids discovered the musical instruments in the play room.  When someone suggested a parade, they jumped on the idea.  So we had a wonderful, loud, almost-4th of July parade through the backyard.

Granny brought red, white, and blue nail polish, so the girls did their nails - so festive!

The girls even had 4th of July dresses.  Granny made Rachel's.  Katherine made hers herself!  Granny has been teaching her to sew and she loves it.

Happy 4th of July!