Family & the 4th

Alex's family joined us for the 4th of July weekend. It has been a long time since we've all been together in the same place - actually it was when Addie & Mina were baptized! We decided on a low-key baptism at 10 on Saturday morning, rather than one on Sunday morning during a church service. I'm sure the girls were disappointed that they didn't get a chance to perform for the congregation...but it was nice for Alex and I not to worry about their whereabouts during the baptism!


Auntie Hayley was the first to arrive on Thursday afternoon. She managed to arrange a work trip to Kansas City and then drove down to Springfield at the end of her work trip. The girls didn't take long at all to warm up - clearly from the picture! This was one of many times when both girls were in Auntie Hails lap simultaneously.


Alex and I had a good laugh when Hails said it was "good to be in the country." We don't think of Springfield as country...but the big city for Missouri. Hails is currently living in New York City...so I guess Springfield is a bit more country... : )


Auntie Claudia & Uncle Jason arrived at noon on Friday and although the girls love Clauds - Jason was the BIG HIT, especially with Mina. All weekend long we heard, "Jason do it, Jason kiss it, where did Jason go?" Thankfully, both Clauds & Jason have a big heart for busy toddlers! Clauds is expecting, and we can't wait to find out the end of this month what they will be having so the shopping can begin!


Alex with sweet baby Stella - one of the rare moments that I let him hold her...we both are anxious to soak up baby snuggling time since we now know how fast this phase will go!


Auntie Hayley arrived with two glitter filled dresses from the Disney store. The girls had the biggest grins and paraded around the house in their pretty princess dresses!


Ang, Alex's mom, hit a home run with the girls by buying them their first tent! They love zipping themselves inside or having adults come inside their tent...which can be quite interesting since the tent is pretty small!


Clauds and Jason helped the girls with their patriotic spirit on the 4th. They got hats, and flags, and glow rings, and saw their first fireworks. They were petrified and asked to go inside immediately...so it was a brief introduction! They like the fireworks much better from the safety of the car as we drove them home from my parents house later that night.