all american weekend.

While I have not always been proud of our American leadership or my fellow citizens or of myself for that matter, I have always been proud of our flag. I am proud to be an American and Ada is my favorite American girl.

The Fourth of July started out with a trip for Ada to see Reed. They had a wonderful time enjoying the aqua.

Reed Man was loving Uncle Bill's rope. Got to love this guy's baby blues.

Mommy, if I can not breathe on land does it really matter if I can't breathe underwater?

Micheal, Bill and Jimmy (their should be a Whit up here too!) Going. . .

Going. . .

Gone!
No that is not the wake from an ocean liner nor a belly flop though it sounded like it. Instead, Jimmy landing on his back. Whiplash? Oh yeah!


And as if the previous whip lash wasn't enough. Let's dunk him.

Check out Bill's vertical and I hear Michael put on a good show with the tube.

I love this picture of Reed and his Granna.

I thiefed this one from Jessica. Thanks!

Thank you all for having us up. We had a great time, as always! (and we missed you guys, Whit and Linds, very very much)

Independence Day started with the makings of two dessert pizzas for our two destinations of the day. It is one of the easiest desserts ever to make. While I usually put strawberries and blueberries on the pizza for a festive 4th of July look, when Jimmy went on a grocery run there were no blueberries. Oh well! One was hopefully demolished by the family it was left with, while the other unfortunately landed on the ground, was semi-salvaged with a plastic apparatus that stayed in place and ended up out the window when it dumped in my lap during transit to my sister's house. {sidenote: no actual littering was done, in this process, only bird (ugh) feeding}.

Anyone that knows my family is aware of my moms outrageous obsession with the fourth of July. Each year it gets bigger and bigger. Next year Jimmy promised he would come dressed as Abraham Lincoln or George Washington.

Mom delving out instructions to the children on what they are to do next.
Peyton Carli, Preston and their buddy after reciting the preamble to the Constitution and reading quotations from our forefathers. (buddy, that's right, family or not, you show up and you are required to participate)

One section of the performance is representation from each branch of the military marches around the pool to its individual hymn. Jimmy marched around the pool to the Marine Corp Hymn.

He and Ada were escorted by Preston and Peyton Carli.

The hosts, Jennifer and Mark, acting "natural" after discovering the camera had spotted them. Jennifer says the celebration got way to serious this year and people were not making as much fun as usual. Wah Wah Waah.

Sydney with percussion. People, of course we have instruments.

Kaylah and Brandon marching around the pool. This was Kaylah's first year to be broken into the Campbell-Evans festivities. Jimmy caught her "you are kidding, right?" look right before we started to march :)


Kaylah and Brandon's Baby Peyton taking a whirl in the festive carriage. Her eyelashes are amazing.

Austin is sooo very cute. Her sisters are Denver and Sydney. I love the city themed names their parents picked. Oh and Sydney's namesake comes from Lindsay. They share the same middle name, McCall. Linds explains the meaning behind HER name here.

Ada in the carriage Mimi decorated for Peyton to push her around the pool. (I accidentally deleted those pictures. Please, like we need ANY more pictures, you say.)

With their love of water, Ada and Turtle had to make a little splash before the end of the night.

Mom said she was getting a sound system for next year.

Hope everyone had a Happy 4th!!!

Small update: Just received this picture from Jennifer (pictured on left). Minus my goofy grin, I thought it was a cute pic. I love the patriotism displayed in the outfits of our munchkins at Pops on the River.