Don't Count the Days, Make the Days Count: Celebrating Freedom

The 4th of July is such a great holiday. It seems like Red, White, and Blue can just make a party happen. Normally we spend the day with the Hancock's at our annual family reunion and eat our selves silly and then play volleyball and then eat watermelon. It's always great fun but we wanted something different this year. We wanted to celebrate with the people that are closest to us. All 3 of my Mom's brothers came in town with their families. It was great! It's rare that all 4 of my Grandma's children are together under one roof at the same time. We're a great family when we are together and I love being part of it. We are all totally different and we all crack each other up and seem to laugh the whole time. Sharing the same memories that we do every time we are together because they are our favorites. We've talked about some of them hundred's of times...like Uncle David shooting roaches with tilex, Mom wiping sauce off a sandwich and then all but shoving it down a kids throat, finding lizards under microwaves, etc. Ahhh yes...good times...fun times.

Our day started out with all of us going to church with my Grandma. It really made her day with her whole family going to church with her. Of course I took the camera and even though I'm not as good as my husband I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Ivy had a blast with all the music that was being played and the huge flag hanging behind the choir got her so excited. This girl loves an American flag! She also had lots of fun flipping through the hymnal and singing (even when she wasn't suppose too). Don't worry we eventually took her to the nursery.

At the beginning of the service they recognized all of the armed forces members, past and present. And of course even though I was squished in a pew and couldn't get a good angle I had to get a picture of my bubba when it was his turn to stand.

The sermon was good, it was about how we celebrate Freedom every year on the 4th of July but how most of us are "Free-dumb." Click here to listen.

Here's Grandma with all of her kids. She was lovin' it!

We had a great celebration at our house after church! The food was amazing and considering that it was the first official party at our new house it went really well. That was mostly because I only provided the house. Mom wouldn't let me do anything. She made all the food with the exception of some sweet tea and a couple sides provided by my Grandma. We had BBQ pork, BBQ chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, sweet potato yams, mac & cheese, coleslaw, baked beans and a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember right now. But I do remember this...we ate until we couldn't move! It was delicious!

Then we just acted like a family. We did a lot of talking and a lot of laughing. We went from room to room, couch to chair, front porch to back porch. We celebrated freedom and the fact that Clifford would be deployed in just a few short days and my Uncle Nate will be deployed in January. We did happen to notice that Ivy and Emily were missing but found them upstairs, Ivy was just casually reading her books to Emily. They love being together!

We also celebrated my Uncle Nate's B-day, which is actually on the 4th of July. Mom made a spice cake and lemon cupcakes because those are his favorites and she made a Pink Cloud Cake because that is Cliffy's favorite and of course there has to be Watermelon. No watermelon on the 4th of July would just be a sin and a party at my house with out watermelon in the summertime would be a catastrophe!

I put Uncle David to work cutting the watermelon.

Poor Uncle Nate having to light his own sparklers...they were the hardest things to light! Note to self don't buy the cheap sparklers at the grocery store anymore!

Ivy was anxiously watching, she wanted some cake and wanted us to hurry up with the singing. She loves to sing happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Uncle Nate!

Getting Ivy her piece of cake before she drove everyone crazy shouting "CAKE!"

Oh yes, sweet watermelon! My favorite...watermelon makes me wish it was summer all year!

We even got to see my Uncle Charlie and his wife Faye. He is my Granddaddy's brother. My Granddad passed away when I was 17. I got married at 21 and that was literally the last time I saw my Uncle Charlie...7 years ago. Time goes by too fast. I couldn't believe it had been that long! They didn't even know that I had a baby who is 2 1/2 now. It's a bit ridiculous that we let time slip away like that, don't ya think? I don't really remember how it came about but somehow Uncle Charlie ended up on the phone with my Mom and he was invited. I'm really glad he came! It was great to see him, it seemed to do him some good to see my Mom and Lester's boys, and he looks so much like my Granddad it made me a little emotional.

Chris and Cheryl always have the best conversations and Cheryl laughs the whole time!

And she's always slapping him telling him to hush!

Uncle David talking about our Asian Ivy that we planted above our retaining wall...

...Sydney texting as always...

and Cheryl telling us how much she loved everything and how her stuff always dies.

P-man gettin' some lovin' from Uncle Cliffy

GG & Ms. Faye chatting

Relaxing and enjoying the day

Now we have a duplicate of this picture taken about 20 years ago...I will have to find it and upload it because it is too funny!

Pollack got some crazy wrestlin' action in with Uncle Nate

Uncle David obviously about to pop

And even though she's gonna kill me for this I'm posting it...yeah Cheryl I went there!

Mom...happy! I love this picture of her!

And a nice sillouette of Jeanna telling Cliffy to hush

And finally a group picture of everyone...we even got P-man in it. :)

Later on in the afternoon Dad, Deb, and Mama Hancock showed up and that only added to our fun. Dad enjoyed seeing all my Uncles and catching up with them and seeing their kids and how much they've all grown.

GG & Mama Hancock - my grandmothers! I love them so much and I love it when they get together and talk... I think they love it just as much as I do!

This is quite possibly my favorite picture of the day!

She loves her Uncle so much and I think she pretty much has him wrapped around her little finger.

Then things began to get a little too serious as people were leaving. Aunt Angela, Aunt Cheryl and Sydney started crying and then I started crying and then Mom started crying and then Mama Hancock.....and so on. So we had to start goofing off again!