Today...We Celebrate...Our Independence Day! Or a Week Ago We Did...

On this, the 1-week anniversary of the day we celebrated the 4th of July, 2011, I think I'm finally ready to do a quick 4th of July weekend rewind. It was so much of a blast though, that it seems a difficult task to put words to how much I loved my holiday. But I'm going to try my darndest. And perhaps a list of stand-out moments will be best.

Kate's favorite moments from the 3-day Spectacular that was Rollapalooza 2011:
Fireworks and sparklers every night
All the family gathered - no sibling, parent, child, or in-law missing
Wiffleball
Kickball
Badminton
Basement games
Slip 'n Slide
Winning the bean bag toss game - Team Ben/Kate narrowly beating Team Chris/Zach in a hard-fought battle
Teaching niece Maddie how to play pool
Having all the Little Ones crawling on me the moment I arrive and sit on the floor of the front room
Snuggling with little Claire during Sunday's fireworks
Wiffleball with all of the siblings on the field
Running the bases with little Will
Dancing to Tina Turner's 'Proud Mary' on the Wii Just Dance with Abby, Laura, and Mom (I picked that song for her)
Sweating out all of the toxins in my body (blasted humidity)
Having little Chloe in my personal picture taken during the family pictures (I dislike being a family of 1 when family picture time rolls around...)
Barlow Water Fight 2011 - anytime Papa Walt starts shooting straight from the hose, you know it's a good fight
Having 22 people, 2 dogs, and 1 cat shoved into a house and not feeling nearly as crowded as it should
Getting to be with what I would qualify as the best family of 7+additions I have ever been acquainted with

Yada yada yada, it was a great weekend. So many other great, sweet, intense, happy moments happened, but I just can't list them all. I wish I could, but I can't (if you'll notice, I just tried - that's one long list of favorite moments, as it is). At any rate, it will never do the weekend justice, so this will just have to do.

Shout-out to Zach and Jamie (and Zoey) for opening their awesome new home to all of us and being such amazing hosts! I can only imagine the stress and effort that goes into that (and I hope to never do more than imagine), and I am so grateful to you both for 1) buying a home with so much space, it's like you anticipated this, and 2) making this Palooza so wonderful.

Also, special mention goes to the Barlow/Frandsens, Arkansas Branch. Thanks Abby and Devn, et al, for letting me fly into Little Rock and hang out with you and your little ones (and you're welcome for hanging out with your little ones so you could hang out on the golf course...). I wore my slap bracelet/watch tonight - it was a big hit among my friends. It's maybe my new favorite accessory. Also, thanks for feeling the need to drive slightly out of our way home to go to Culvers. I think I'm still full from all the food, but the frozen custard made my insides so happy.

The long weekend was so worth missing sleep and leaving the Nation's Capitol during the Nation's holiday. I'll stick around next year, but I have no regrets about this time. My 4th was way too much fun this way.

And here, as evidence of my trip, are the only pictures my camera captured through the whole thing: 

(Thanks to dad for loving his role as unofficial photographer, and to Chris and Jodi for sharing so many of the sweet pics on their blog.)

Nephew Greg Bryan Frandsen, aka Deuce, learning the sweet joys of a cuddly neck pillow. To think that only 2 years ago, I was taking pictures of little niece Ellee loving that same neck pillow...the world comes full circle, and it pleases me.

The elusive sign I've been wanting a picture of ever since I first saw it, back in the summer of 2009. My favorite park that I've never been to. One day, I will go there. And it will be amazing. Shout-out to brother-in-law Devn for pulling over to let me (and/or Abby, who had the better shot) get this picture. I appreciate it more than you know.