Happy Independence Day, y'all!

Time has absolutely been flying by since our last post!  Let's begin with what's current and work our way back...

• Fourth of July!

So today is the 4th of July and while I made huge plans for celebrating today in my head -- parades, fireworks, etc -- we did just the opposite.  We celebrated today by hanging out at home!  Tony had the day off but he was a little worker bee today and really cleaned away all day.  Me and Presley... we did the sleep/eat combo (well, she ate... I mostly slept!) and it was marvelous.  We really owe Daddy now!  Later in the afternoon we got dressed and headed over to my Aunt Susie's house for a cookout, which was more or less a cook "in" since it was too hot outside.  We got to see some family members who live in Virginia and it was great spending some time with them -- wish they lived a lot closer so we could get together more often!

Naptime cuteness! She is back to being swaddled but was sweating when I checked on her so I started to unswaddle her. :)

Our family today on the 4th!

•  Trip to Indiana!

We've been so lucky getting to spend time with family this summer!  A few days ago we were in LaPorte, Indiana visiting a bunch of my dad's family members.  Being around such a fun, extended family really reminded me of the Mississippi Ward's (Tony's dad's side of the family).  While we were in LaPorte we stayed with my dad's cousin Carol and her husband Tom and spent as much time as we could with my Gramma Myers (my dad's mom).  It was a blast.  Carol's grandson celebrated his 1st birthday while we were there and we got to see the extended family -- a bunch of my dad's cousins & their kids & grandkids -- and I felt extremely blessed to be there.

Carol, Gramma Myers, Me, & Presley before leaving LaPorte

Presley Rose and her Great Gramma Elinor Rose -- her namesake!

We also visited the cemetery Grampa Myers was buried at -- haven't been there since his funeral in 1995!

For maybe the first time in my life, I really understood the full importance of family while amidst all the chaos at Carson's 1st birthday party.  There were people and kids everywhere and a million things going on, but that kind of beautiful chaos is what life is all about and it's the most fun you could ever have.  Everyone was so thoughtful -- people were offering to hold Presley as Tony & I made a plate of food and all the family we met were so nice!  I felt so comfortable and didn't feel judged or the need to be perfect.  It made me wish my dad was still here and that we were closer with his side of the family.  It also made me wish that I lived in the same town as my sisters and cousins -- especially as we are getting ready to welcome so many new additions to the family here soon!  It just seemed like such a blast getting to raise all the kids with the support of your family while they, too, raise their kids!  In addition, like I said before, being in LaPorte reminded me of being in Mississippi around Tony's family.  I am so thankful to be a part - even if it is a small part - of his family.  While I may be a small part of a big family, Tony's family has never made me feel like a small part or an outsider.  From the first time Tony brought me around, I felt like family!  And realizing this makes me miss them as well as incredibly "home" sick.  And I hope I can convey to them how much they all mean to me.

All of these things made it all the more obvious how much I love my family here in the Quad Cities.  But even still, I just feel like we don't fit in all the time.  And whether or not we are actually being judged for the way we live, overall, I typically feel judged.  And that feeling coming from people you love and respect just sucks.  On top of that, relationships suffer when you begin to feel judged.  And I hate that.  Part of me feels like if we didn't live so close that the relationships would be better off.  Oh well.

What was the original point to this rambling?  Oh yes, that we are blessed to have the family we do; extended family, immediate family, friends who might as well be family, and everybody in between.  Blessed.  And what a blessing to be able to hang out with my Gramma for a few days.  She lives in the sunshine state, so it's not often that we get to see one another.  But we keep in touch as best we can through email and I love our conversations.  While my sisters and I were kids, she would send us cassette tapes of her reading stories to us, many of which I still have today.  (Too bad I don't have a cassette player!)  She gave Presley a book called "My Little Princess" and it is one of the books you can record your voice along with each page.  This gift is absolutely priceless.  I can't wait to see how much it means to Presley throughout the years.

• What we've been up to!

So, lately, we've been doing a lot of mall walking and visiting our favorite park in Rock Island -- Schwiebert Park!  Presley and I love to get out of the house every day and those are the typical things we occupy ourselves with.

Mama & Presley at Schwiebert Riverfront Park taking a break from playing in the water!

Presley not wanting to leave the water! That is a first!

Other things we do throughout the week is hang out and SLEEP!

Oh and of course we're always laughing at the things Presley does -- seems like she does something new and funny each day!  We love taking pictures of her, as you can see!

Diva!

Some people joke and say we spoil her but that is a risk we are willing to take! :)  We've also been to the zoo a bunch this summer and the last time we went, we ran into the news crew from channel 8 -- our favorite!  Pretty awesome that Presley is already hanging out with local celebrities.

We love News Channel 8!

Checking up on our favorite exhibit at Niabi Zoo -- our new baby giraffe!

That's the update on what's going on with us here lately.  I love having a place to come and write about all the big and little things going on in our life.  It gives us the chance to look back, smile, and remember the things we might've already forgotten.  Not to mention having a whole blogging community is extremely therapeutic.  So for those of you reading my blog - thanks for being a part of it and enjoying it!  I love hearing what people think of my posts so don't be afraid to stop and comment to let me know you're here.

Again, happy 4th, everybody!