happy birthday, america!

we had a full and fabulous july 4th holiday. all the food and all the family - just as the day should be. the morning started with plates piled high with big breakfast burritos and fresh fruit and roasted potatoes and salsas and avocado. definitely some of our very favorite things. our family of FOUR made our way to aunt rachel and uncle nathan's new home where they hosted the family for a scrumptious brunch followed by some wimbledon watching and plenty of playtime with toy cars...elinor is practicing her skills so she can be a master with her baby brother.

it was such a nice start to the day. just a bunch of family in a comfortable and cute setting with great conversation and relaxing. and two naps for ridley. he really knows how to chill, that boy of ours.

in the afternoon, my side of of the family gathered at our home for some quintessential independence day grub. it was all about the bratwurst (beer boiled and then grilled, because that's the only way to do it) on pretzel buns with spicy german mustard and ben's spicy curry ketchup AND my mom's potato salad AND watermelon plus watermelon plus watermelon AND my sister's killer guacamole. and some brews. ginger beer and beer-beer. total american-ness. AND we polished off the meal with some crispy cookies and some homemade vanilla and strawberry ice cream from my sister. seriously, a menu doesn't get much better.

we all spent time chatting and laughing at the cousins playing...along with plenty of diaper changes and baby feeding. and more naps for ridley.

shortly before bedtime for the kiddos, we busted out the sparklers and had some fun in the backyard. i know they would be more fun in the dark but we didn't really want to push it. the littles had been go-go-go all day and they were collectively ready to crash. after the sparklers fizzled, we called it a day and went our separate ways. i am guessing that everybody slept pretty well that night. full bellies and tired bodies and happy hearts. that's how summertime holidays should be.