4th of July

We celebrated July 4th @ Aunt Jeannie & Uncle Woody's annual family get-together @ their home in Booneville, AR. Even some of Mom's side of the family joined us this yr. out @ the farm.
Patrick & I were SO exhausted from driving through the night on no sleep that we were basically dizzy & stumbling by the late night's end. We couldn't imagine missing the annual event that I've attended since I was born, so we surprised our family & drove in town hrs. earlier than expected.
Due to the large number of family members that are split b/w their their families & their spouse's families on the major holidays...the 4th of July has always remained the ONE time a yr. that we can expect to see almost everyone @ ONE time @ ONE place. It is truly a joy every July!



The family enjoyed tons of food, some homemade ice cream (a tradition as well), sweaty games of volleyball, easy entertainment provided by the lil' ones, much needed catching up w/ family members, and HUGE amounts of fireworks! Kennedy was going on a LOT more sleep than we were, as she had slept through the entire night during the car ride. Therefore, she played her little heart out the entire night! Kennedy & Ayan (our nephew, her cousin) BOTH dripped sweat like crazy as they played on the swingset, jumped on the trampoline, & were pushed around in little cars by many of the family members (@ one time or another). They both just loved watching the fireworks & weren't spooked a bit by them!
Dad has 4 brothers & 3 sisters, and ALL of the uncles get out in the field w/ the cousins to shoot fireworks from dusk-on. They put on the equivalent of a really expensive fireworks show by the time the last one is shot off. SO many memories from my childhood include our 4th of July celebrations, & I've enjoyed sharing in it w/ Patrick for the last 6 or so yrs. & Kennedy for the last 2.

SLIDESHOW FROM AN EARLIER BLOG: KENNEDY'S 1ST 4TH OF JULY-2007 (4 1/2 MONTHS OLD)

Kennedy was only 4 1/2 months old @ the celebration last yr., so it's been mind-blowing to go back & look @ pics from this time last yr. She's such a little girl now! No more baby! She's officially a beautiful, 'Miss Independent', determined, somewhat demanding, manner-using, sneaky as all get-out, cuddly b/f bed, "I'd prefer to eat cheese or fruit", patience tester, growing every day, talented, musically-inclined TODDLER! And we're loving EVERY SINGLE minute of it!



The beautiful man below was my Papa Hobbs for 25 yrs. of my life. Papa was my Dad's father & was one of the most loving, sincere, genuine, hard-working, committed men I have ever been around. We tried to capture as many special moments w/ him as possible in the last few yrs. as his health declined, & the picture below was one of my favorites. It was taken last summer @ the 4th of July celebration (2007) when Papa was enduring the heat & the pain to share in the family's celebration. He didn't ever want to miss a thing! He would often be found just sitting in his recliner in the den w/ the t.v. on as all of the family came to him. And we always did!
Papa thankfully made it through one more busy holiday season & passed w/ all of our family @ his bedside this past January (2008). He & my Mama raised 9 wonderful children who are wonderful Christian examples of Aunts & Uncles to me.
am grateful for everything that this beautiful man taught me. I will cherish every SINGLE moment that we shared w/ him & that he shared w/ Kennedy. And, I am thankful to the Lord for allowing me the opportunity to share 25 yrs. w/ such a wonderful Papa. I love him dearly & miss him daily! This 4th of July was not the same without him this yr.

We'll see you again some day Papa...I love you!