Happy Memorial Day! This day has a lot of meaning and significance for many Americans. I recently watched a few movies about wars that Americans have fought in and through the story telling and acting in those movies I gained a new respect for what many men and women have given up for us as Americans. We do live in the best country in the world so if you are or have served...Thanks! We decided to have an all out American day, which began by mowing our lawn. What is more American than that? We did have a picture, but Melissa looked pretty sweaty afterwards and it was vetoed. You get the idea though.
Next we headed to our new swimming pool, but before you get too excited it's just an 8x8 blow up that we got from Sam's Club. All three of us fit in it and after mowing the lawn and trimming, it was just what we needed. This is only the second time we've been in the pool and I think Charlotte loves it a bit more each time. We picked up some great pool toys from the dollar store and enjoyed a refreshing dip in our luxurious pool.
I enjoy taking aim at the dogs and surprising them as they linger close to our deck. Notice my precise aim.
We live in a great little town that has it's own Memorial Day Parade, so after a morning nap for Charlotte and a quick lunch we headed up the street to take in the hoopla. Here is a picture of me and Charlotte at the same parade last year.
Now compare to this year...a few more grays on my head and lot more hair on Charlotte's.
We dressed Charlotte up in a patriotic jumper and some volunteers offered us some handheld flags and Charlotte gladly accepted.
She also found a fountain that sits in front of one the shops on the main drag and was mesmerized by it.
She even decided that the flag needed to be baptized a few times as well. I told Melissa that after Charlotte carried that flag around for about 10 minutes we probably needed to retire it properly and have it burned for all of the ways she desecrated it...but she sure had fun.
I love this shot!
Here's how the parade began. Pretty small-town-feel, but a great parade.
Charlotte wasn't always sure what to think of everything, but she had a good time anyhow.
Here's one of the local high school marching bands. They didn't have any bands last year so this was a treat for band nerds like us.
Ford Mustang fans would have loved this part.
Another great shot of the girls.
The best part is that we live so close to the parade route that when we wanted to head home, we did, and it only took 5 minutes.
We knew that as Americans, we had to put some meat on a grill today, so I thought long and hard and landed on baby back ribs. I haven't made them in a while but, after all was said and done, I couldn't tell that I hadn't made them in a while because they turned out awesome. We added some homemade au gratin potatoes, courtesy of the Pioneer Woman, some simple corn on the cob, sparkling lemonade and some fresh strawberries. Here's the shot before we all dug in.
Charlotte's first crack at a rib bone. She acted like she'd been eating these things for years.
Also her first crack at corn on a cob. No big deal. Apparently the 5 teeth she has coming in right now are paying off big time.
This stuff is yummy.
Before we cleaned up I looked at the table and told Melissa, "I have to take a picture of this." We demolished the table.
Finally, what's more American than a popsicle on the front porch. Charlotte knew what to do with these as popsicles are an everyday occurrence at the Hess House.
"What.....it's all gone?"
And to round things off, drinking out of the hose. Melissa showed Charlotte first...
...and Charlotte stepped right up.
We hope you had a great day with family or friends or whatever. It's never easy living away from family, but our little family here did today BIG. As a matter of fact, everyone but me is asleep. Charlotte in her crib, Melissa and Abby on the couch and Jack asleep in his bed. Love to all of you, near and far.
-jay